MADRID, Spain – Spain said on Saturday, October 21, that it will move to dismiss Catalonia's separatist government and call fresh elections in the region, in a bid to stop its leaders from declaring independence.

Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said his government had no choice after the administration of Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont acted in a way that was "unilateral, contrary to the law and seeking confrontation" in holding a banned independence referendum in the northeastern region.

Taking Spain into uncharted legal waters by using Article 155 of the constitution, which allows Madrid to wrest back control of rebellious regions, Rajoy said he was asking the Senate to give him permission to dissolve the Catalan parliament and "call elections within a maximum of six months". 

He is also requesting that all of Puigdemont's government be stripped of their functions, which "in principle will be carried out by (national) ministers for the duration of this exceptional situation."

The national Senate will now have to agree to these unprecedented steps – a process that will take about a week. 

Rajoy's conservative Popular Party holds a majority in the Senate. As the measures enjoy the support of other major parties, they are highly likely to pass.

Catalonia sparked Spain's worst political crisis in decades with the chaotic referendum on October 1, which Puigdemont said resulted in a 90 percent vote in favor of breaking away from Spain. (READ: Spain in crisis after Catalan independence vote)

But turnout was given as 43 percent as many anti-independence Catalans stayed away from the vote, which had been ruled illegal by the Constitutional Court, while others were hindered from voting by a police crackdown. – Rappler.com

KABUL, Afghanistan (UPDATED) – A suicide bomber killed 15 Afghan army trainees as they travelled home from their base in Kabul on Saturday, October 21, officials said, as militants intensify a deadly rampage that has claimed more than 200 lives this week. 

It was the second suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in 24 hours and the seventh major assault in Afghanistan since Tuesday, capping one of the bloodiest weeks in the war-weary country in recent memory. 

The latest attack comes after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Shiite mosque during evening prayers in Kabul on Friday, killing 56 people and wounding 55 others in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

In an email to journalists, the Taliban said it was responsible for the ambush on the army cadets, taking to 5 the number of attacks on police and military bases this week that involved the insurgents.  

"This afternoon when a minibus carrying army cadets was coming out of the military academy, a suicide bomber on foot targeted them, martyring 15 and wounding 4," defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Kabul Crime Branch chief General Mohammad Salim Almas said police have launched an investigation into the attack which happened in the west of the city. 

"The minibus was carrying army trainees to their homes from Marshal Fahim military academy," Almas told AFP.

Security forces blocked the road leading to the scene of the attack as firefighters hosed down the asphalt.  

The spate of deadly attacks underscores deteriorating security across Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban step up their assaults on security installations to devastating effect and the Islamic State group targets Shiite mosques. 

NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan tweeted that the assault on the army trainees was an "attack on the future" of the country and its security forces. 

"This attack in #Kabul shows the insurgents are desperate and cannot win" against Afghanistan's security and defense forces, it said.  

It was the fifth time since Tuesday that the Taliban have launched a major attack against Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces, which are already badly demoralised by high casualties and desertions.

In the deadliest of the recent attacks, around 50 Afghan soldiers were killed in an assault on a military base in the southern province of Kandahar on Thursday. 

Insurgents blasted their way into the compound using at least one explosives-laden Humvee – a tactic used in three separate attacks this week – officials said.

The militants then razed the base in the Chashmo area of Maiwand district to the ground, according to the defense ministry.

On the same day, Taliban militants besieged a police headquarters in the southeastern province of Ghazni, attacking it for the second time this week.

Afghan security forces have faced soaring casualties in their attempts to hold back the insurgents since NATO combat forces pulled out of the country at the end of 2014.

Casualties leapt by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to US watchdog SIGAR.

The insurgents have carried out more complex attacks against security forces in 2017, with SIGAR describing troop casualties in the early part of the year as "shockingly high". 

The attacks included assaults on a military hospital in Kabul in March which may have killed up to 100 people, and on a base in Mazar-i-Sharif in April which left 144 people dead. – Rappler.com 

WASHINGTON DC, USA – US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, October 21, he will allow long blocked secret files on the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy to be opened to the public for the first time.

The November 22, 1963 assassination – an epochal event in modern US history – has spawned multiple theories challenging the official version that Kennedy was killed a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald.

So the release of all the secret documents has been eagerly anticipated by historians and conspiracy theorists alike. (READ: 50 years on, no end to questions on JFK death)

Trump's announcement followed reports that not all the files would be released, possibly to protect still relevant intelligence sources and methods.

But Trump appears to have decided otherwise.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," he said in the tweet.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.</p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/921716470140325889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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The files are due to be opened in their entirety Thursday, nearly 54 years after Kennedy's assassination in Dallas – unless the US president decides otherwise.

Millions of classified Kennedy files have been released under a 1992 law passed in response to a surge in public demand for disclosure in the wake of Oliver Stone's conspiracy heavy movie on the assassination.

But the law placed a 25-year hold on a small percentage of the files that expires October 26.

Some reports put the number withheld at 3,100 and say tens of thousands that had been released with portions blacked out are set to be fully declassified. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Recounting the experience of Thailand, former Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said killing addicts can never solve the drug problem, as long as there is a demand for illegal substances.

Abhisit was asked in an chance interview in Manila on Wednesday, October 18, "Categorically speaking, does killing drug addicts work?"

Abhisit answered, "So long as there continues to be a demand for drugs, this cannot solve the problem."

"So you have to have, yes, tougher law enforcement by all means. At the same time, you have to think of other solutions, particularly demand side solutions," he said.

The former Thai prime minister made these remarks on Wednesday after he delivered a lecture about liberal democracy and post-truth politics at the Ateneo Professional Schools in Makati City. 

Abhisit, 53, was referring to Thailand's war on drugs, launched by his predecessor, Thaksin Shinawatra, in 2003.

Thaksin's war on drugs was similar to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug campaign. (READ: Why Duterte reminds Thais of Thaksin and his drug war) 

The drug war in Thailand, for one, led to at least 2,800 drug-related deaths. An investigation showed that more than half of the casualties had no dealings with drugs. (READ: PH 'war on drugs' should draw lessons from other countries) 

Not sustainable

Abhisit explained that when Thailand launched its drug war, "it was because people became impatient with the drug problem." 

"But when they engaged in extrajudicial killings and abuses of rights, this became more and more of a concern," he said.

He said it also became clear that "by keeping on doing this, it wasn't going to fix the problem in any sustained way." He said that the drug war policy eventually "came to an end."

Abhisit added, "What's not sustainable is that you may, in the short run, seem to be making progress against drugs."

"But you know, drugs become more expensive. A new mafia comes in. Corrupt officers, officials, become involved. And so long as there continues to be a demand for drugs, the problem doesn't go away," the former Thai prime minister said.

A week earlier, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad also commented on the Philippines' war on drugs, stressing the need for rule of law in the face of extrajudicial killings.

Mahathir added that the police "should not be too free with using lethal weapons." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos died at the age of 74 on Saturday, October 21. 

The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, confirmed this in a text message to Rappler late Saturday evening.

Villegas said Pueblos died at 6:55 pm on Saturday. 

Pueblos was born in Moto Sur, Loon, Bohol, on March 8, 1943.

At the time of his death, he had been a bishop for 32 years and a priest for 49 years.

Pueblos was one of the bishops accused of requesting luxury vehicles from the Arroyo administration, which was part of the 2011 Senate probe into the alleged fund misuse at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

He reportedly requested a Montero sports utility vehicle as a birthday gift from then president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2009. When the Senate investigated his request to Arroyo in 2011, Pueblos admitted a "lapse in judgment."

"Service to the public more than anything motivated me to seek assistance from the government in this regard with the intention of furthering the common good in my region. Unfortunately, my zeal in this line appears to be my shortcoming," the bishop said back then.

The 7 bishops who received luxury vehicles returned the vehicles, while the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines issued a public apology over the incident.

The death of Pueblos came days after Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, 86, died on October 18. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – US President Donald Trump on Saturday, October 21, said the end of the Islamic State or ISIS group's "caliphate is in sight" following the fall of its former bastion Raqa, and a transition can soon begin to set conditions for lasting peace in Syria.

The United States and its allies will support diplomatic negotiations "that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people," he said in a statement.

The declaration came 4 days after US-backed Kurdish-led forces recaptured Raqa, the capital of IS's self-proclaimed caliphate and its last major stronghold in Syria.

Trump said the entire city has been liberated from IS control, which he said represented a "critical breakthrough" in the global struggle against the militant group.

"With the liberation of ISIS's capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight," Trump said, using an alternate acronym for IS.

"We will soon transition into a new phase in which we will support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace, so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten our collective security again," he said. – Rappler.com

TOKYO, Japan – Millions of Japanese braved typhoon conditions Sunday, October 22, to vote in a snap election likely to hand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a fresh mandate to revive the world's third-largest economy and press his hardline stance on North Korea.

If pre-election surveys are correct, Abe's conservative coalition will cruise to a crushing majority to win a fresh term at the helm of the key US regional ally and Asian economic powerhouse.

Polling stations opened across the country at 7:00am (2200 GMT Saturday) with voters battling high winds and driving rain as an election-day typhoon barrelled towards Japan that could weigh on turnout.

Analysts say a low turnout is more likely to benefit Abe, whose conservative voters are more determined.

The near-constant drizzle throughout the campaign has not dampened the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in campaign minibuses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter.

Abe shocked Japan by calling the snap election a year earlier than expected, urging voters to stick with him in the face of what he termed the dual "national crises" of an ageing population and North Korean tensions.

Pyongyang has cast a menacing shadow over the short 12-day campaign, after it lobbed two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido and threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea.

Nationalist Abe has taken a hawkish line during the crisis, binding Japan to the US stance that "all options" are on the table to counter Pyongyang's nuclear threat and urging maximum pressure via sanctions.

"When North Korea is purposefully threatening us and increasing tension, we must not waver," an animated Abe stressed at his final campaign rally.

"We must not yield to the threat of North Korea."

Observers say North Korea's sabre-rattling has helped Abe, as voters tend to plump for the incumbent at times of heightened tension.

"Factors such as uncertainty over North Korea are likely to drive voters towards the current government, which is seen as the conservative choice," noted Katsunori Kitakura, an analyst at SuMi Trust financial consultants.

Weak opposition

Despite a clear lead in the polls, Abe enjoys only lukewarm support in the country and critics say he called the election to divert attention from a series of scandals that dented his popularity.

But he faces a weak and fractured opposition in the shape of two parties that have only existed for a few weeks, the Party of Hope created by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party.

Koike, 65, threatened to shake up Japan's sleepy landscape with her new party, vowing to do away with old-school politics and vested interests.

Her new party sparked the implosion of the former main opposition party as dozens of lawmakers left to hitch their colours to Koike's mast.

But after days of wall-to-wall media coverage for the former TV presenter, the bubble burst and Koike's popularity ratings plunged, mainly because she declined to run herself in the election.

"As it turned out, the Party of Hope is hopeless," said Michael Cucek from Temple University.

Koike herself will not even be in Japan on election day, choosing to visit Paris for an event in her capacity as Tokyo Governor.

The Constitutional Democratic Party, made up of centre-left lawmakers not running with Koike, may benefit from her decline and carries some momentum into the vote.

But with little doubt over the eventual result, the suspense lies in whether Abe's coalition will retain its two-thirds majority in the lower house.

This is significant because it allows Abe to propose changes to Japan's US-imposed constitution that forces it to renounce war and effectively limits its military to a self-defence role.

Abenomics: limited impact

Despite the threat from North Korea, many voters feel the economy is a more pressing issue, as the prime minister's trademark "Abenomics" policy has had limited success in returning Japan to its former glories.

While the stock market is enjoying its longest run of gains in half a century and stands at a 21-year high, the benefits have been slow to trickle down to the general public.

Abe has vowed to use part of the proceeds from a proposed sales tax hike to provide free childcare in a bid to get more women working but Koike wants to scrap the tax hike altogether.

Polling stations close at 8:00pm when broadcasters publish generally reliable exit polls. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias, the Quezon City government, Barangay Batasan Hills, and the Philippine National Police (PNP) signed a partnership agreement for a local drug rehabilitation program involving the Batasan area.

The agreement was a partnership under CBDRP-AKAP, or the Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program-Abot Kamay Alang-Alang sa Pagbabagong-Buhay.

It also formed the CBDRP-AKAP management team in Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City, which is covered by Tobias' diocese.

Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte represented the local government during the signing ceremony on Wednesday, October 18.

Tobias explained that the Diocese of Novaliches wants to start change at the barangay level. 

"I thought we can change the country from the top. We will not be able to change the country from the top unless we are able to talk to the different groups, and come to one path and come to unity," Tobias said in an interview with reporters Wednesday. 

Days after this agreement was signed, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle presided over the graduation of 132 former drug dependents under the drug rehabilitation program of the Archdiocese of Manila.  

"No one can say that you are a hopeless case," Tagle told the graduates of the Archdiocese of Manila's Sanlakbay rehabilitation program on Saturday, October 21.

These efforts come as President Rodrigo Duterte accuses the Catholic Church of failing to do anything to address the drug problem.

Contrary to Duterte's claim, the Catholic Church has long had programs for drug dependents, such as the drug rehabilitation program run by the Diocese of Malolos for 27 years now. – Rappler.com

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines –  It's been years since Private First Class Rojero Rayco returned to his native Albay, but a dark cloud hung over his homecoming on Friday, October 20.

Rojero, 26, brought home the remains of his older brother, 28-year-old Private First Class Romeo Rayco. The Rayco brothers hail from Barangay Tobog, Oas town in Albay. Both fought in Marawi.

Rojero and the casket bearing the remains of Romeo were transported from Marawi City to Albay on Friday afternoon, through a Philippine Air Force nomad aircraft. Rome was given full military honors at the Tactical Operations Group 5-Philippine Air Force headquarters in this city.

Rojero said his brother was killed during clearing operations in Marawi at 2 am on Thursday, October 19 – two days after President Rodrigo Duterte announced that Marawi had been "liberated from terrorist influence."

Rojero served in the Philippine Army for 6 years while Romeo belonged to the 8th Special Forces Company, Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), Special Operations Command of Philippine Army. The older brother served the military for nearly 4 years.

Rojero, who is part of the Army's anti-terrorism task force, was deployed to Marawi City when the war broke out on May 23.  His older brother was sent to Marawi on September 25 for a test mission before he could graduate from his schooling.  

Rojero said even though they were both in Marawi, he and his brother only saw each other once – and only for 10 minutes – on October 12. He went to Romeo to bring him food. 

“We were able to see each other for just 10 minutes when I brought him food. That’s a short period of time. We hugged each other before parting ways,” Rojero told Rappler in between sobs. 

During his 5 months in Marawi, Rojero saw 7 of his fellow soldiers dying right in front of him. The war in that city was the worst he had ever seen, he said.

“I was assigned in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, whenever there is a chaos, as member of the Philippine Army’s anti-terrorism task force. The war in Marawi is the worst not only because of numerous soldiers were killed but due to big number of Filipino casualties, specifically civilians who lost their precious lives and paid the price of ISIS-linked terrorism activities in Mindanao,” he said.

“I’m lucky as I survived the bloodiest battle and still alive but I’m unhappy sending my elder brother back home lifeless. My brother is a loving and caring brother not only to his kin but to his friends,” he added.

Romeo's wife, Carol was with 3-year-old daughter Rhian to meet her fallen husband at PAF headquarters. Carol, overcome by grief, lost consciousness during the ceremony.

Legazpi Mayor Noel Rosal, chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council, said that Romeo Rayco was the fourth soldier from Albay killed in Marawi. 

“Romeo’s contribution to liberate Marawi from the hands of terrorists is an ultimate sacrifice. Rest in peace our hero,” Rosal said.    

Major General Manolito P. Orense, commanding officer of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division said in a statement read at the ceremony: “Every soldier knew what risks they would take when they were in combat and that is the risk they are willing to give even their lives are at stake. Giving one’s life for your country is the highest act of patriotism."

“His bravery and valor are evident. He died defending the freedom for the country he loved and made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country,” Orense added.

To date, 7 soldiers from the Bicol region had been killed in the war in Marawi. 

Rojero returned to his mother unit after bringing his brother's remains to Albay. – Rappler.com

VALLETTA, Malta – Malta's government offered a one-million euro ($1.2 million) reward Saturday, October 21, for information to help solve the brutal murder of journalist and anti-corruption campaigner Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Announcing the move, the government also promised to protect anyone who came forward, following the death of the 53-year-old in a car bombing on Monday.

Caruana Galizia, whose blog shone a light into the murky corners of Maltese politics, had regularly rattled the island's powerbrokers, making allegations of financial corruption against Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's inner circle, largely based on the Panama Papers leak.

The government, in a statement, said it was "fully committed to solving the murder" and to "bringing those responsible to justice".

The money would go to "whoever comes forward with information" and that person "will be given full protection when testifying under oath in front of an inquiring magistrate and in all subsequent stages of the criminal procedures".

It added: "This is a case of extraordinary importance and requires extraordinary measures – justice must be done, whatever the cost."

Muscat had told parliament Wednesday that the government would put up a "substantial and unprecedented reward" for information leading to a conviction.

However, the journalist's sons – who hit out angrily at the government after the car bomb – have 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."

Investigators on Saturday were continuing to chase down clues, with police analyzing cigarette butts found near where the bomb was detonated, local media reported.

The butts were discovered where a "suspicious" vehicle was spotted, which could be that of the person who activated the explosive, sources close to the investigation told the Times of Malta.

The vehicle was reportedly parked in the middle of a country road, away from nearby buildings.

Forensic experts, aided by FBI agents and Dutch experts supporting the Maltese police, have combed the area.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to march in Malta's capital Sunday in an effort to respond "as a united nation" to a barbaric act, civil society groups said.

Newspapers in the European Union's smallest state will also run a common front page Sunday under the slogan "the pen conquers fear". – Rappler.com

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is to launch a fresh bid Sunday, October 22, to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha, both allies of Washington, but without high hopes of a breakthrough.

Apart from the months-long crisis, Iran's rising influence in the Middle East is also expected to figure high on the agenda of America's top diplomat during talks in the two capitals.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cozying up to Iran.

Doha denies the charges and has rejected their terms for a settlement.

Tillerson made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July.

US President Donald Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

'Unwillingness to engage'

But before he arrived at Riyadh's King Salman air base on Saturday, October 21, Tillerson indicated there had been little progress.

"I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon," he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg.

"There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage."

Aside from the Gulf dispute and Iran, the conflict in Yemen and counter-terrorism will also figure in his talks, the State Department said.

While in Riyadh, Tillerson will also take part in the first meeting of a Saudi-Iraqi coordination council.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is leading a top-level ministerial delegation at the meeting, in a sign of warming ties as Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia seeks to counter Tehran's influence in Shiite-majority Iraq.

On the Gulf crisis, the goal will be to try to persuade the two sides to at least open a dialogue.

After holding a working dinner with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir on Saturday night, Tillerson was scheduled to meet other Saudi leaders Sunday before heading for Doha.

Simon Henderson, a veteran of the region now at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, said the disputing parties do not want to lose face.

"Tillerson will say: 'Come on kids, grow up and wind down your absurd demands. And let's work on a compromise on your basic differences'," he said.

Kuwait has tried to serve at a mediator, with US support, but the parties have yet to sit down face-to-face.

During his trip Tillerson is also to visit New Delhi in order to build what he said in a recent speech could be a 100-year "strategic partnership" with India.

Tillerson will stop in Islamabad to try to sooth Pakistani fears about this Indian outreach, but also pressure the government to crack down harder on Islamist militant groups. – Rappler.com

TEXAS, USA – All 5 of America's living former presidents took the stage Saturday, October 21, at a benefit concert in Texas to raise money for victims of the hurricane-ravaged southern United States and Caribbean.

Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter appeared together onstage at Texas A&M , praising Americans for their willingness to help fellow citizens and urging them to do more.

The effort by the 3 Democrats and two Republicans has raised over $31 million from 80,000 donors for the victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, George H.W. Bush's office said.

"All of us on this stage here tonight could not be prouder of the response of Americans. When they see their neighbors and they see their friends, they see strangers in need, Americans step up," Obama said.

"Let's all work together and make America still a greater volunteer nation," said Carter, making an apparent play on President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.

"I too am here to urge you to give to this fine fund, and I want to thank all the volunteers," the younger Bush said.

'We need each other'

Former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush both attended the event, as did vice president Dick Chaney, ex-secretary of state James A. Baker, Senator Ted Cruz and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Lady Gaga gave a surprise performance at the concert, announcing that she would make a $1 million donation and that a "mental health and emotional trauma surviving program" would be set up for hurricane survivors.

"Pain is such an equalizer. And in a time of catastrophe, we all put our differences aside and we come together, 'cause we need each other, or we can't survive," she said.

Lee Greenwood opened the concert and served as master of ceremonies for the event, titled "Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal," which also featured artists including The Gatlin Brothers, Yolanda Adams, Robert Earl Keen and Sam Moore.

Trump did not attend the concert, but praised the effort in a video message released earlier, terming it a "wonderful" and "vital effort."

"As we begin to rebuild, some of America's finest public servants are spearheading the One America Appeal," said Trump, whose administration's response to the heavy storm damage in Puerto Rico has drawn fire.

"Melania and I want to express our deep gratitude for your tremendous assistance," he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Sunday, October 22 that the war in Marawi City will be over before this month ends, as government troops close in on the last remaining 5 building held by enemies.

“Iba-iba ang takbo ng development sa battle area, pero ito po ang isang garantiya na magagawa, masasabi natin, hindi na po ito tatagal hanggang nobyembre, ‘yan po ‘yung sigurado,” AFP spokesperson Major General Restituto Padilla said in an interview over radio DZMM on Sunday.

(Developments in the battle area differ from time to time, but I guarantee this will be done, I can say that this will not reach November, that's for sure.)

Padilla said that the Task Force Marawi led by Brigadier General Danilo Pamonag was still clearing the 5 buildings located in a half-hectare area.

Padilla said there are still around 10 hostages left inside the battle zone, and that troops are still pursuing two foreign terrorists.

“Inaantabayan po natin yan, hinihintay po natin (si General Pamonag) na magbigay ng senyales kapag nakubkob na po nila ang kahuli-hulihang armadong elemento,” Padilla said.

(We are closely monitoring, we're waiting for General Pamonag to give us a signal once they have closed in on the last armed element.)

Padilla said the remaining enemies refuse to surrender and are still fighting intensely with government troops. 

Padilla said the armed forces remain proactive in the event that terrorists plan a retaliation.

Though some soldiers have been allowed to go home to spend some time with their family after an intense 5-month battle in Marawi City, Padilla said the military has enough force to guard other vulnerable areas such as Lanao, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.

“Makakaasa po kayo at malalaman po ng ating mga kababayan sa pamamagitan mga kaibigan natin sa midya tulad po niyo ang mga pangyayaring ‘yan, lalo na po ‘yung talagang pinakahuling kaganapan na magbibigay ng senyales na talagang nakuha na natin ng ganap ang siyudad ng Marawi,” Padilla said. 

(You can trust that we will update the public know through the media, especially the latest development which will indicate that we have truly taken back Marawi.)

President Rodrigo Duterte declared the liberation of Marawi City on Tuesday, October 17, after the troops were able to neutralize top targets Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute.

Two days after, Duterte confirmed the military has also killed Mahmud Ahmad, the Malaysian terrorist who helped finance the Marawi siege.

The 5-month-long war was triggered by a military raid on Hapilon. Over a thousand people died, and many more displaced due to the war.

The Office of Civil Defense said rehabilitation will begin as soon as the military declares the city is cleared of bombs. Displaced residents will then be assisted into moving back to their homes, if still intact.

A site is also ready in Barangay Sagonsongan in Marawi for transition shelters.– Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia (UPDATED) – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Sunday he had been released from the Moscow detention center where he had served a 20-day term for organizing protests against President Vladimir Putin.

"Hi. I'm out," Navalny wrote on Instagram, posting a picture of himself on a street. His release was arranged by police to evade crowds of journalists waiting outside the detention centre.

Navalny, who has declared his intention to stand for president in 2018, said he was "ready to work" and was heading to a rally in the evening in the southern city of Astrakhan. The event has permission from the authorities.

He wrote jokingly that while in jail he had read 20 books, learnt a few words of the Kyrgyz language and drunk 80 liters (20 gallons) of tea.

A photographer who works with Navalny to cover his campaign posted a picture of him working at the headquarters of his anti-corruption foundation. 

Earlier Sunday, supporters of Navalny hung a banner from a bridge close to the Kremlin reading: "It's time to get rid of Putin and time to elect Navalny."

The charismatic 41-year-old lawyer informally launched a presidential bid in December last year and has since opened campaign offices and held rallies countrywide to consolidate supporters.

This year he has served sentences of 15, 25 and 20 days for organizing unauthorized anti-Putin protests. – Rappler.com

TOKYO, Japan – A powerful typhoon barrelled toward Japan on Sunday, October 22, prompting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to order his government on alert as millions struggled to the polls for a national election.

Typhoon Lan, described as "very large and very strong" by Japan's meteorological agency, was packing gusts up to 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour Sunday afternoon in the Pacific south of Japan.

The storm, which has already lashed large areas of the Japanese archipelago, was moving northeast and may hit Tokyo or surrounding regions Monday morning.

Strong winds forced airline companies to ground more than 380 flights, while some train and ferry services in western Japan were cancelled due to the storm, local media said.

Abe ordered his minister in charge of disasters to be ready to mobilise rescue and evacuation forces, including troops.

"In order to protect people's lives, the Abe cabinet will unite and do its best to provide an emergency response to a disaster," he told reporters. 

Several local governments in Osaka and other prefectures issued evacuation advisories, urging residents living near the coast, rivers and hillsides to move to shelters.

The weather agency separately warned of high waves, landslides and floods in central and western Japan.

Voters in the capital braved torrential rain and driving wind on election day, as opinion polls  indicate Abe is on course for a comfortable win.

Analysts say that if the weather affects turnout, it is likely to benefit Abe, whose conservative voters are seen as more determined to cast their ballots.

Voting was delayed by some 20 minutes in Kochi in western Japan when landslides blocked a road.

Ferries to a remote island in the west were cancelled due to high waves, forcing election officials to suspend the counting of votes there.

On Saturday voters on remote southern islands in the path of the storm had cast their ballots early, heeding a call from Abe. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – After mandatory sitting breaks, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) now requires employers to grant their workers standing breaks. 

Department Order (DO) 184 provides that workers "who have to spend long hours sitting at work" should be given regular 5-minute breaks every two hours. 

The order signed October 18 covers those involved in "computer, administrative, and clerical works" and those working in highly-mechanized establishments and "in the fields of transportation, toll booths, information technology, and business process management and industries where sedentary work is observed."

Other occupational health and safety standards that the new directive specifies include:  

• encouraging workers to reduce sedentary work by standing and walking 
• ensuring that the workstation is ergonomic-friendly to the nature of work 
• ensuring that the workstation allows easy mobility for workers 
• redesigning tasks to enable mobility 
• organizing health-related activities like calisthenics and dance lessons 
• conducting awareness campaigns on the effects of a sedentary lifestyle 
• examining workers who are potentially at risk of the health effects of prolonged sitting  

DO 184 follows another order that prohibits employers from requiring workers to wear high heels at work and gives them sitting breaks. (READ: DOLE: Employers can't force women to wear high heels at work)

The new order will be effective 15 days after publication in a major newspaper. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Grace Poe on Sunday, October 22, proposed to increase the budget for the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City by P5 billion.

Poe, a member of the Senate special committee on Marawi rehabilitation, said the additional funding may be included in the 2018 budget's Unprogrammed Appropriations.

The proposed budget for next year is currently being deliberated in Congress.

"The Marawi rehabilitation plan should be future-proof and include infrastructure for security against elements who would attempt to besiege the city anew," Poe said in a statement.

Last Tuesday, October 17, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that Marawi City had already been "liberated" from local terrorists linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).

Efforts continue, however, to flush out remaining terrorists from the heavily damaged city. Around 10 hostages are believed to be still in the battle zone.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has already allotted P5 billion for rehabilitation in 2017 and P10 billion in 2018.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno earlier said the amount for 2019 will be determined based on the remaining needs of Marawi City.

Duterte earlier pledged that P20 billion would be set aside to rebuild the city. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Now that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has taken a back seat in the Duterte administration's war on drugs, it is up to barangay officials to take the helm.

That is the sentiment of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), according to its spokesperson Derrick Carreon, after President Rodrigo Duterte designated PDEA as the sole implementing agency of the drug war.

"The main players are really the LGUs (local government units), because it's your turf, it's your responsibility," Carreon told Rappler in a mix of English and Filipino on Sunday, October 22.

In a phone interview, he pointed to Board Regulation Order No. 3 of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), which strengthens the implementation of the Barangay Drug Clearing Program.

The program aims to combat the drug menace through the cooperation of law enforcers, led by PDEA, and communities, led by elected officials such as barangay captains and councilors.

Under the plan, barangay officials can come knocking at residents' doors to check if they are involved in the drug trade, similar to the PNP's controversial Oplan TokHang. The only difference is that barangay officials seldom have guns.

What barangay officials can do

Carreon reminded barangay officials that they should take part in anti-drug operations such as "citizen's arrest buy-bust operations" for drug suspects, and "administrative searches" for suspected drug laboratories.

The citizen's arrest buy-bust operations are also like the PNP's buy-bust operations, which involve supporting PDEA agents posing as drug dealers to catch real ones in their neighborhoods. (READ: PDEA chief says PNP 'still needed' in drug war)

The administrative searches, on the other hand, involve directly searching a facility believed to function as a drug den or laboratory. The barangay health officer is required in these operations.

Aside from these, the DDB order also allows barangay officials to arrest drug suspects and raid their homes, as long as they have the proper warrants.

Without the paperwork, barangay officials can still conduct house visits to check on their constituents, something that cops and PDEA agents cannot do.

The order initially provided that PDEA lead the operations while the PNP, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and barangay officials give support. But with the PNP and the AFP taken out of the picture, PDEA is left with barangay officials.

With only over a thousand PDEA operatives nationwide, the burden to work harder, according to Carreon, lies on the shoulders of barangay officials.

"Ngayon dahil pinagbawal na sa pulis ang drug war. Tayo kasi sa PDEA, we don't have the manpower (Now that cops are forbidden from joining the drug war, we don't have enough manpower in PDEA). That's the point why barangay officials need to step up," Carreon said.

Aside from the power to conduct operations, barangay officials have also been tasked to make an "inventory" or list of drug suspects in their area to help with PDEA investigations. (READ: On a drug list and innocent? Here's what you should do)

Protectors to face punishment

The problem, according to Carreon, is that barangay officials have neglected to operate with law enforcers, even when cops were still around.

Carreon noted that officials are "afraid," given that drug operations usually end in a gunfight. There have been at least 3,900 drug suspects and 82 cops killed in drug operations under the Duterte administration.

Carreon said they also suspect that some officials may have been deliberately neglecting their duty to become "protectors" in the drug trade, allowing narcotics to proliferate in their neighborhood in exchange for a share of drug money. (READ: Duterte: Drug money might influence barangay, SK polls)

"Barangay officials, as with any other officials who fail to make concrete actions, possibly they are tagged as protectors. Bakit pa 'di ginagawa ang trabaho (Why else would they not do their jobs)?" Carreon said.

This is why the new DDB order provides sanctions against barangay officials who fail to curb the drug trade in their areas.

The order reads: "Failure of [government] employees and officials to conform with the duties as mandated in this regulation shall be a ground for the filing of appropriate charges…"

Local officials can face both administrative and criminal complaints if found to be involved in the drug trade. – Rappler.com

LIBREVILLE, Gabon – In Gabon, they're called "sexually transmitted grades" when university teachers use the threat of giving low marks in order to coerce female students into providing sexual favors.

"He started coming on to me. I began refusing him, refusing and refusing... until the day when he gave me zero for my main piece of work," Melanie told AFP, speaking on condition of using a pseudonym.

Another student said that she was forced to switch courses after she rejected the advances of a teacher who had "made my life hell." 

Like many people around the world, female students at Libreville's Omar Bongo University have followed the saga of sexual harassment surrounding Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

These young women may lack the media draw of glamorous actresses who are stepping into the TV lights – but they have tales of male power and sexual intimidation that are hauntingly familiar.

Sexual coercion in the university and high schools has for decades fed the "kongossa" or the rumor mill is known in this central African state.

But they rarely make the public eye.

Student leader Franck Matoundou said he had brought the problem of sexual predation to the attention of the educational authorities.

Responding to AFP, university administrative staff point to the difficulty of clearly proving cases of sexual harassment by teachers.

They also argue that students should lodge formal complaints through their department heads.

"If there is incontestable proof that a teacher is guilty, that person must answer for their actions," a spokesman for the ministry of higher education.

"If this really happens, it is unacceptable and the government condemns such behavior," the official added.

Gabonese law provides for charges of sexual harassment by "any person occupying a hierarchical post" and President Ali Bongo himself has denounced a problem "that is growing in scale and which demotivates competent people."

Yet not a single teacher has been tried over the sex-for-grades bribery, according to official sources including the state prosecutor. 

"I understand it if people don't dare to file a complaint," said a teacher, aware that students fear reprisals and complicity among educational staff.

Gossip

Valery Mimba, head of the Iberian Studies department, says the problem of sexual harassment "does exist," although hearsay and scandal-mongering make it hard to assess the scale of the phenomenon and deal with it.

"When you want to give better grades to certain students, people will immediately think they have slept with the teacher," he says.

Some academics also say the teaching staff are also exposed to sexual blackmail from students in exchange for good grades.

"Somebody offered to sleep with me to raise her average mark," a departmental head told AFP, asking not to be named. 

Another teacher said he turned down a bribe of 150,000 CFA francs (about 230 euros / $270) from a student wanting to obtain a master's degree.

Stigma and taboo provide fertile grounds in which both sexual harassment and rumors thrive in Gabon's higher education.

Some activists are calling for a specialized channel to put in place that would help to break the silence and let victims speak out.

"Proposals from students are welcome," said the representative of the ministry of higher education, adding that the only reason for inaction has been the absence of tangible evidence.

Beyond the walls of the university campus, sexual pressure and taboo are entrenched in business and other parts of Gabonese life, notes Matandou critically.

"Using women is a way for a man to assert his virility and flaunt his social success," he says.

Even so, legal progress is being made -- and "women are more conscious of their rights" and fight for them, insists an expert who has closely followed the country's struggle with gender inequality. 

A law on sexual harassment entered the statute books last year, the definition of adultery has been broadened to include men, criminal law has been changed to widen the definition of rape and widows have the right to inherit their husband's wealth.

"Efforts are still needed, there is no equality, but this is not a fight that is limited to Gabon but applies to the entire world," the source said. "In every society, women have always been marginalized." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Anti-graft court Sandiganbayan ordered a separate trial for the claim of Philippine Agri-Business Center Corporation (PABC) over two parcels of land in Busuanga, Palawan that are covered by a civil case regarding the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family and their cronies.

The Sandiganbayan 5th Division will hold separate hearings on PABC's claims over two parcels of land in an 887.76-hectare property being pursued by the government. These are part of Civil Case No. 0024, one of the cases handled by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to sequester assets from the Marcoses.

The court said PABC's claims are "distinct and separate" from the main issue.

"To grant a separate trial to PABC will not only avoid prejudice but will also promote justice and convenience that will ultimately result in a fair trial for all the parties involved in the case," the Sandiganbayan said. 

Civil Case No. 0024, filed in 1987 against former President Ferdinand Marcos, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and 9 others, seeks to return the Busuanga property to the government. It is still undergoing trial. (READ: Recovering Marcos' ill-gotten wealth: After 30 years, what?)

In 1988, PABC came into the picture and said the PCGG's case mistakenly covered two parcels of land that belonged to them.

In a partial summary judgment in 2009, the Sandiganbayan awarded the parcels of land to PABC. But the Supreme Court (SC) said in 2014 that a full-blown trial must be held first. (READ: Duterte: Marcos family to return some wealth to gov't)

PABC argued that the lengthy proceedings have deprived them of use of lands that rightfully belong to them. PCGG said, however, that the lands belong to the government, based on Presidential Proclamation No. 1387 issued on February 13, 1975.

PABC's titles were supposedly signed only in May 1975. (READ: Will PCGG withdraw Marcos loot cases? 'It depends')

In a resolution dated October 9, the Sandiganbayan 5th Division said PABC's right to speedy resolution of its case matters more than the resources that the government will use to hold the separate trial.

Associate Justice Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega penned the resolution with concurrences from Associate Justices Rafael Lagos and Reynaldo Cruz.– Rappler.com