ROME, Italy – European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani said Europe should "fear" the spread of small nations as Spain struggled Sunday, October 22, with the Catalonia crisis and the Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto voted in referendums on greater autonomy.

In an interview with the Rome daily Il Messaggero, the Italian politician said Europe must "of course fear" the proliferation of small nations.

"That's why nobody in Europe intends to recognize Catalonia," he said.

"Even (British Prime Minister) Theresa May, in the full throes of Brexit, said the United Kingdom would never recognize Catalonia."  

"Spain is by its history a unified state, with many autonomous regions, with diverse populations who also speak different languages but who are part of a unified state." (READ: Spain to grab Catalonia powers as crisis intensifies) 

"It is not by degrading nationhood that we reinforce Europe," he said.

The referendums in Lombardy, which includes Milan, and Veneto, where Venice is located, are taking place in regions that together account for nearly a third of Italy's economic output and a quarter of its population.

Voters are being asked if they're in favor of their region gaining "additional forms and particular conditions of autonomy."

If approved, the outcome is only the beginning of a process which could, over time, lead to powers being devolved from Rome. 

Secessionist sentiment in the two wealthy regions is restricted to fringe groups with little following.

Tajani, who belongs to the center-right European People's Party, took care to distinguish between Catalonia's chaotic independence referendum, deemed illegal by the Spanish government, and Sunday's votes in Italy. 

"First of all these two referendums are legitimate, that was not the case in Catalonia." 

"In Spain, it is not about autonomy, but a proclamation of independence in defiance of the rule of law and against the Spanish constitution."

Lombardy sends 54 billion euros ($64 billion) more in taxes to Rome than it gets back in public spending. Veneto's net contribution is 15.5 billion.

The two regions would like to roughly halve those contributions – a concession the cash-strapped state, laboring under a mountain of debt, can ill afford.

The two regional presidents, both members of the far-right Northern League, plan to ask for more powers over infrastructure, the environment, health and education.

They also want new ones relating to security issues and immigration – steps which would require changes to the constitution.

Polls in the two regions opened at 7AM (0500 GMT) and close at 2100 GMT. – Rappler.com

BEIRUT, Lebanon – A US-backed Arab-Kurd alliance announced on Sunday, October 22, that it had retaken one of Syria's largest oilfields from the Islamic State (ISIS) group. 

The Al-Omar oilfield in the province of Deir Ezzor produced 30,000 barrels per day before the start of Syria's conflict in 2011 and became a key source of income for the jihadists after they seized it in 2014.

US-led coalition air strikes destroyed the field in 2015 after the jihadists had reaped estimated oil sale revenues from it of between $1.7 million and $5.1 million a month, according to the coalition.

"The Syrian Democratic Forces seize the whole of the Al-Omar oilfield, the biggest field in Syria," the alliance said in a short statement.

It said regime forces stood 3 kilometers (less than two miles) away from the field.

The SDF and Russia-backed government forces are waging separate offensives against ISIS in the oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor on Syria's eastern border with Iraq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor relying on a network of sources inside Syria, said SDF fighters took control of Al-Omar 3 days after ISIS members retreated.

Its capture came after the jihadists led "a counterattack on regime positions near the field late Saturday, October 21, pushing them away from it," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Al-Omar lies on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, around 10 kilometers (six miles) east of the town of Mayadeen.

Government forces and their allies seized Mayadeen from ISIS last week in an advance whose target the Observatory said was to recapture Al-Omar.

On Sunday, the monitor said the SDF had also seized the Sayjan oilfield to the north of Al-Omar overnight.

Deir Ezzor province is rich with oil and gas fields that served as a key revenue stream for ISIS at the height of its power.

The SDF, which earlier this week forced ISIS from its former stronghold Raqa, has been fighting the jihadists on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.

Syria's army is carrying out a separate operation mostly on the western bank of the river, including in the provincial capital Deir Ezzor city. – Rappler.com

TOKYO, Japan (UPDATED) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to a resounding victory in a snap election Sunday, winning a mandate to harden his already hawkish stance on North Korea and re-energize the world's number 3 economy.

Abe's conservative coalition was on track to win 311 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection published by private broadcaster TBS, putting the blue-blooded nationalist on course to become Japan's longest-serving leader.

The comfortable election win is likely to stiffen Abe's resolve to tackle North Korea's nuclear threat, as the key US regional ally seeks to exert maximum pressure on Pyongyang after it fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month.

Abe was heading for a "landslide win", the top-selling Yomiuri daily said on its website, as the premier's gamble to hold a snap election appeared to be paying off.

But it was unclear in the immediate aftermath of the vote whether Abe's coalition would retain its two-thirds "supermajority," requiring 310 seats, as some media had it falling just short.

A "supermajority" would allow Abe to propose changes to pacifist Japan's US-imposed constitution that forces it to renounce war and effectively limits its military to a self-defense role.

'Very severe result'

Millions of Japanese braved torrential rain and driving winds to vote as a typhoon bears down on the country, with many heeding warnings to cast their ballots early.

"I support Abe's stance not to give in to North Korea's pressure," said  Yoshihisa Iemori as he cast his ballot in a rainswept Tokyo.

Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) benefited from a weak and splintered opposition, with the two main parties facing him created only a matter of weeks ago.

Support for the Party of Hope founded by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike fizzled after an initial blaze of publicity and it was on track to win around 50 seats, the TBS projection suggested.

Speaking from Paris where she was attending an event in her capacity as leader of the world's biggest city, a sullen-faced Koike told public broadcaster NHK she feared a "very severe result".

"As the person who launched the party, I will take my responsibility."

The new center-left Constitutional Democratic Party fared slightly better than expected but still trailed far behind Abe with 58 seats.

"The LDP's victory is simply because the opposition couldn't form a united front," political scientist Mikitaka Masuyama from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, told AFP.

'Sink' Japan

The short 12-day campaign was dominated by the economy and the global crisis over North Korea, which has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and has traded barbs with US President Donald Trump. 

Nationalist Abe stuck to a hardline stance throughout, stressing that Japan "would not waver" in the face of an increasingly belligerent regime in Pyongyang.

Despite the saber-rattling from North Korea, many voters said reviving the once-mighty Japanese economy was the top priority, with Abe's trademark "Abenomics" growth policy failing to trickle down to the general public.

The three-pronged combination of ultra-loose monetary policy, huge government spending, and structural reform has catapulted the stock market to a 21-year high but failed to stoke inflation and growth have remained sluggish.

"Neither pensions nor wages are getting better... I don't feel the economy is recovering at all," said 67-year-old pensioner Hideki Kawasaki.

Although voters turned out in their millions to back Abe, support for the 63-year-old is lukewarm and surveys showed his decision to call a snap election a year earlier than expected was unpopular.

Voter Etsuko Nakajima, 84, told AFP: "I totally oppose the current government. Morals collapsed. I'm afraid this country will be broken."

"I think if the LDP takes power, Japan will be in danger. He does not do politics for the people," added the pensioner.

'I'm quite disappointed'

Koike briefly promised to shake up Japan's sleepy political scene with her new party but she declined to run herself for a seat, sparking confusion over who would be prime minister if she won.

In the end, the 65-year-old former TV presenter was not even in Japan on election day.

"I thought that I would vote for the Party of Hope if it's strong enough to beat the Abe administration. But the party has been in confusion ... I'm quite disappointed," said 80-year-old pensioner Kumiko Fujimori.

The campaign was marked by a near-constant drizzle in large parts of the country and rallies frequently took place under shelter and a sea of umbrellas. 

But this did not dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in minibuses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter. – Rappler.com 

BARCELONA, Spain – Catalonia's separatists were planning their response Sunday, October 22, after Spain took drastic steps to stop the region from breaking away by dissolving its separatist government and forcing new elections.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his regional executive, who sparked Spain's worst political crisis in decades by holding a banned independence referendum on October 1,  will be stripped of their jobs and their ministries taken over under measures announced Saturday by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

"Yesterday there was a fully-fledged coup against Catalan institutions," said Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull.

"What happens now, with everyone in agreement and unity, is that we will announce what we will do and how," he told Catalunya Radio.

Rajoy has taken Spain into uncharted legal waters by moving to wrest back powers from the semi-autonomous region, which could see Madrid take control of the Catalan police force and replace its public media chiefs.

The move sparked outrage among separatists, with nearly half a million taking to the streets of regional capital Barcelona and Puigdemont declaring Rajoy guilty of "the worst attack on institutions and Catalan people" since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Among other repressive measures, Franco – who ruled from 1939 until 1975 – took Catalonia's powers away and banned the official use of the Catalan language.

Though Catalans are deeply split on whether to break away from Spain, autonomy remains a sensitive issue in the northeastern region of 7.5 million people, which fiercely defends its language and culture and has previously enjoyed control over its policing, education and healthcare.

Rajoy said he had no choice but to force Puigdemont out as he refuses to drop his threat to declare independence after a referendum that had been declared unconstitutional.

Responding to accusations of a "coup", Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis retorted: "If there is a coup d'etat, it is one that has been followed by Mr. Puigdemont and his government."

He told BBC television: "What we are doing is following strictly the provisions of our constitution."

Spain's Senate is set to approve the measures by the end of next week. Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) holds a majority in the upper house, while other major parties also back his efforts to prevent a break-up of the nation.

What now? 

In a crisis that has sent jitters through one of Spain's most important regional economies and rattled the stock markets, Rajoy has ordered fresh elections to be called within 6 months of the Senate hearing, which would see polls held by mid-June at the latest.

Separatist parties of all political stripes, from Puigdemont's conservatives to the far-left, have dominated the Catalan parliament since the last elections in 2015, holding 72 seats out of 135.

Ahead of a meeting of Catalan parties on Monday, October 23, to set a date and agenda for a crucial session of the regional parliament to debate next steps, Turull insisted on RAC1 radio that elections were "not on the table".

Political analysts warn Rajoy faces a serious struggle to impose control over the unruly region.

Potential scenarios include Catalan civil servants and police refusing to obey orders from central authorities. 

"The basic problem is that you have to govern Catalonia with the active opposition of a large part of the population," analyst Jose Fernandez-Albertos told AFP.

Asked if Puigdemont will be arrested if he shows up for work, Dastis tried to strike a reassuring tone.

"We are not going to arrest anyone," he told the BBC, dismissing the idea of the army having to be brought in to enforce order.

But he warned that if Puigdemont's government keeps trying to give orders, "they will be equal to any group of rebels trying to impose their own arbitrariness on the people of Catalonia."

Europe leaders back Madrid 

National police said two young people had been charged after physically assaulting police at Saturday's Barcelona protest, which saw some 450,000 separatists flood the streets shouting "freedom" and "independence".

Puigdemont says 90% backed a split from Spain in the referendum, but turnout was given as 43% as many anti-independence Catalans stayed away.

Polls suggest the wealthy region is evenly split over independence, with separatists saying it pays too much into national coffers but their opponents arguing it is stronger as part of Spain.

Madrid has received vocal backing from European leaders, with EU parliament chief Antonio Tajani stressing Sunday that neighbors would refuse to recognize Catalonia if it unilaterally declared independence.

"It is not by degrading nationhood that we reinforce Europe," he told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – After declaring the "liberation" of Marawi City from terrorists, President Rodrigo Duterte told Filipinos to be on alert for any possible incident or situation.

"In the coming days, with the siege that happened in Marawi, I'm not trying to scare you, but let's just be prepared for any eventuality," Duterte said in a speech during the 38th MassKara Festival in Bacolod City on Sunday, October 22.

He continued: "Terrorism is everywhere and no nation has escaped from the clutches of the evil of the ISIS (Islamic State). It's an ideology that is dedicated to just kill human beings and destroy the places, of whatever, of what kind, heritage [sites] and all."

After 5 long months of fighting between the military and local terrorists linked to ISIS, Duterte announced on October 17 that the devastated southern city has been freed from terrorists. (READ: TIMELINE: The 'liberation' of Marawi)

Government forces were able to kill the terrorists' top leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute on October 16, a day ahead of Duterte's announcement.

Then on October 19, the President confirmed that Malaysian terrorist Mahmud Ahmad has also been killed. Ahmad helped finance the war in the Islamic City. (READ: Where the Marawi war began: The safe house in Basak Malutlut)

The military, however, continues to clear the area of remaining terrorists. Rescue operations also continue for an estimated 10 hostages still left in the battle zone. (READ: The life of a Maute hostage in Marawi)

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Major General Restituto Padilla said they are certain that they can fully recover Marawi City before November.

The crisis in Marawi City prompted Duterte to declare martial law in the entire Mindanao last May 23. Congress later approved the President's request to extend martial law until December 31. – Rappler.com

MILAN, Italy – Voters in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto were voting Sunday, October 22, in referendums on autonomy, against the backdrop of Catalonia's push for independence from Spain.

The consultative votes are only the beginning of a process which could over time lead to powers being devolved from Rome.

Secessionist sentiment in the two wealthy regions is restricted to fringe groups with little following.

Nonetheless, with both regions expected to vote in favor of the principle of greater autonomy, analysts see the referendums as reflecting the pressures that resulted in Scotland's narrowly-defeated independence vote, Britain's decision to leave the EU and the Catalan crisis.

The level of turnout will have a critical bearing on the significance of the results. In Veneto, it has to pass 50% for the result to be considered valid. 

There is no threshold in Lombardy but low voter participation would weaken the region's hand in any subsequent negotiations with the central government.

New powers

European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani on Sunday took care to distinguish between Catalan's chaotic independence referendum, deemed illegal by Madrid, and the votes in Italy. 

"First of all these two referendums are legitimate, that was not the case in Catalonia," he told the Rome daily Il Messaggero.

"In Spain, it is not about autonomy, but a proclamation of independence in defiance of the rule of law and against the Spanish constitution."

He said Europe should "fear" the spread of small nations: "It is not by degrading nationhood that we reinforce Europe.

Lombardy, which includes Milan, and Veneto, which houses Venice, are home to around a quarter of Italy's population and account for 30 percent of its overall economic output.

With dynamic economies and lower unemployment and welfare costs than the Italian average, both regions are large net contributors to a central state widely regarded as inefficient at best.

"Our taxes should be spent here, not in Sicily," says Giuseppe Colonna, an 84-year-old Venetian.

Veneto president Luca Zaia says 30 billion euros ($35 billion) are wasted every year at a national level and fiscal rebalancing will be a top priority for him and his Lombardy counterpart Roberto Maroni if the votes go their way.

Lombardy sends 54 billion euros more in taxes to Rome than it gets back in public spending. Veneto's net contribution is 15.5 billion.

The two regions would like to roughly halve those contributions -- a concession the cash-strapped state, laboring under a mountain of debt, can ill afford.

The two regional presidents, both members of the far-right Northern League, plan to ask for more powers over infrastructure, the environment, health and education.

They also want new ones relating to security issues and immigration -- steps which would require changes to the constitution.

Pandora's box?

The referendums could have a domino effect – a similar autonomy vote is being debated in Liguria, the region that includes the Riviera coastline, and Emilia Romagna, another wealthy industrial part of the country, is already trying to negotiate more devolved powers.

Economist Lorenzo Codogno says that while Italian unity is not under threat, Sunday could mark the opening of a Pandora's box.

"The issue is likely to spread, and eventually, it will require a generalized approach by the next government and a reform of the constitution."

Although the referendums have been driven by the Northern League, which has long abandoned the secessionist principles on which it was founded, the Yes campaign is backed by most of the center-right and sections of the center-left.

Milan's mayor Giuseppe Sala, a member of the ruling Democratic Party, says greater self-rule "is an idea shared by everyone, not one that belongs to the League."

There is also a substantial body of opinion that regards the votes as unnecessary extravagances: organizing them will cost 50 million euros in Lombardy and 14 million euros in Veneto.

The referendum questions are framed differently in the two regions but both ask voters to say Yes or No to "further forms and special conditions of autonomy".

In a first for Italy, voting in Lombardy will be conducted on computer tablets. Acquiring them raised the cost of the ballot but should ensure an early result after polls close at 11 pm (2100 GMT). – Rappler.com 

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia said Sunday, October 22, that its military chief had been refused entry to the United States and asked Washington for an explanation.

General Gatot Nurmantyo was due to attend a conference in Washington at the request of General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the military said he was unable to board his Emirates flight in Jakarta on Saturday.

Military spokesman Brigjen Wuryanto said the general was refused entry by the US Customs and Border Protection agency.

Nurmantyo has decided not to attend the conference until the situation is explained, Wuryanto said.

"Shortly before the departure the TNI (military) commander and his wife received a notification from the airline that they were not allowed to enter US territory," Wuryanto told a press conference.

The Indonesian embassy in Washington has sent a formal note to the State Department asking for clarification and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has sought an explanation from the embassy in Jakarta.

"The (US) ambassador is currently not in Jakarta so we have asked the deputy chief of mission in Jakarta to come into the ministry tomorrow for clarification," foreign affairs spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told AFP.

The US embassy said in a statement it had been in touch with the general's staff about the matter throughout the weekend and working to facilitate his travel. 

It said US ambassador Joseph Donovan has apologized to Marsudi for any inconvenience.

"The US Embassy was, and remains, prepared to facilitate the General’s travel to the United States," it said. 

"We remain committed to our Strategic Partnership with Indonesia as a way to deliver security and prosperity to both our nations and peoples."

The conference of national defense chiefs is on countering violent extremism.

Since being appointed armed forces chief by President Joko Widodo in July 2015, Nurmantyo has been at the center of several controversies.

Earlier this year he abruptly suspended all military cooperation with Australia in a row over teaching materials and has been rebuked by members of Widodo's cabinet for making misleading public remarks.

He helped stoke a wave of anti-communist sentiment sweeping Indonesia by ordering the screening of an anti-communist propaganda film to members of the military

Nurmantyo will step down as leader of the armed forces in 2018 and many analysts believe he has political ambitions. – Rappler.com 

BARCELONA, Spain (UPDATED) – Catalonia's separatists were weighing their options Sunday, October 22, after Spain took drastic steps to stop the region from breaking away by dissolving its separatist government and forcing new elections.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his regional executive – who sparked Spain's worst political crisis in decades by holding a banned independence referendum on October 1 – will be stripped of their jobs and their ministries taken over under measures announced Saturday, October 21, by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

"Yesterday there was a fully-fledged coup against Catalan institutions," said Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull.

"What happens now, with everyone in agreement and unity, is that we will announce what we will do and how," he told Catalunya Radio.

Rajoy has taken Spain into uncharted legal waters by moving to wrest back powers from the semi-autonomous region, which could see Madrid take control of the Catalan police force and replace its public media chiefs.

The move sparked outrage among separatists, with nearly half a million taking to the streets of regional capital Barcelona on Saturday and Puigdemont declaring Rajoy guilty of "the worst attack on institutions and Catalan people" since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Among other repressive measures, Franco – who ruled from 1939 until 1975 – took Catalonia's powers away and banned official use of the Catalan language.

Though Catalans are deeply split on whether to break away from Spain, autonomy remains a sensitive issue in the northeastern region of 7.5 million people, which fiercely defends its language and culture and has previously enjoyed control over its policing, education, and healthcare.

Rajoy said he had no choice but to force Puigdemont out by triggering never-before-used constitutional powers, as the Catalan leader refuses to drop his threat to declare a breakaway state.

Spain's Senate is set to approve the measures by the end of next week. Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) holds a majority in the upper house, while other major parties also back his efforts to prevent a break-up of the nation.

What now?

In a crisis that has sent jitters through one of Spain's most important regional economies and rattled stock markets, Rajoy has ordered fresh elections to be called within 6 months of the Senate hearing, which would see a vote by mid-June at the latest.

Separatist parties of all political stripes, from Puigdemont's conservatives to the far-left, have dominated the Catalan parliament since the last election in 2015, holding 72 seats out of 135.

Ahead of a meeting of Catalan parties Monday, October 23, to organize a crucial session of the regional parliament to debate next steps, Turull insisted on RAC1 radio that elections were "not on the table."

Political analysts warn that Madrid faces a serious struggle in practical terms to impose control over the region.

Potential scenarios include Catalan police and civil servants refusing to obey orders from central authorities. 

"What is going to happen if they don't abide by it?" said Xavier Arbos Marin, a constitutional law professor at the University of Barcelona, raising the prospect of the government trying to "take them out by force."

He said there is fierce debate among experts over whether the government's actions are even legal.

Independence supporters may also seek to scupper the plans through civil disobedience, such as surrounding regional ministries to thwart officials sent by Madrid.

"If police try to enter one of the Catalan institutions, there will be peaceful resistance," said Ruben Wagensberg, spokesman for new activist group En Pie de Paz.

'Group of rebels'

Asked if Puigdemont will be arrested if he shows up for work, Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis tried to strike a reassuring tone.

"We are not going to arrest anyone," he told BBC television, dismissing the idea of the army having to be brought in to enforce order.

But he warned that if Puigdemont's government keeps trying to give orders, "they will be equal to any group of rebels trying to impose their own arbitrariness on the people of Catalonia."

Puigdemont says 90% backed a split from Spain in the referendum, but turnout was given at 43% as many anti-independence Catalans stayed away from a vote that was declared illegal by the courts.

Opinion polls suggest the wealthy region is evenly split over independence, with separatists saying it pays too much into national coffers but their opponents arguing it is stronger as part of Spain. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – The Sandiganbayan is proceeding with graft and malversation charges against Proceso Maligalig, former president and board director of Bataan Shipyard and Engineering Company Incorporated (Baseco), over allegations that he pocketed P3.554 million in rental fees.

In a resolution dated October 10, the anti-graft court's 6th Division junked Maligalig's motion to quash which questioned the Sandiganbayan's jurisdiction over his case.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed the charges against Maligalig for allegedly pocketing P3.554 million which was paid to Baseco by Northstar Transport Facilities Incorporated as rent for a property in Port Area, Manila.

Aside from the allegations of taking kickbacks, Ombudsman investigators also said Maligalig falsely declared that Baseco's board of directors authorized him to issue a waiver to Northstar for P4.8 million worth of unpaid rent.

Maligalig also allegedly issued Northstar a certification of full settlement despite the company's outstanding obligations.

Maligalig sat in Baseco's board of directors in 2001 as an appointee of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He held the position until 2011. 

"There is no doubt that the Court has jurisdiction over the cases and over the person of the accused. Both informations clearly state that the accused is a public officer, being then the president and a member of the board of directors of Baseco, a GOCC (government-owned and controlled corporation)," the Sandiganbayan said. – Rappler.com

JERUSALEM – A note that Albert Einstein gave to a courier in Tokyo, briefly describing his theory on happy living, has surfaced after 95 years and is up for auction in Jerusalem.

The year was 1922, and the German-born physicist, most famous for his theory of relativity, was on a lecture tour in Japan. 

He had recently been informed that he was to receive the Nobel Prize for physics, and his fame outside of scientific circles was growing.

A Japanese courier arrived at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo to deliver Einstein a message. The courier either refused to accept a tip, in line with local practice, or Einstein had no small change available.

Either way, Einstein didn't want the messenger to leave empty-handed, so he wrote him two notes by hand in German, according to the seller, a relative of the messenger.

"Maybe if you're lucky those notes will become much more valuable than just a regular tip," Einstein told the messenger, according to the seller, a resident of the German city of Hamburg who wished to remain anonymous.

One note, on the stationery of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, says that "a quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest."

The other, on a blank piece of paper, simply reads: "where there's a will, there's a way."

It is impossible to determine if the notes were a reflection of Einstein's own musings on his growing fame, said Roni Grosz, the archivist in charge of the world's largest Einstein collection, at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

While the notes, previously unknown to researchers, hold no scientific value, they may shed light on the private thoughts of the great physicist whose name has become synonymous with genius, according to Grosz.

"What we're doing here is painting the portrait of Einstein – the man, the scientist, his effect on the world – through his writings," said Grosz.

"This is a stone in the mosaic."

The two notes will go on sale on Tuesday at the Winner's auction house in Jerusalem, alongside other items including two letters Einstein wrote in later years. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The body of a former barangay captain from Sumisip, Basilan was found beheaded on Sunday morning, October 22, according to police.

Based on the police's initial investigation, 58-year-old Hadji Najir Bohong left his home in Barangay Tumahubong on Saturday morning, October 21, to cut wood at a farmland in Barangay Mahatalang.

Bohong used to be the barangay captain of Mahatalang. His relatives later found his decapitated body at around 11 am on Sunday, also in the same barangay.

The Sumisip Municipal Police Station and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are still "determining the circumstances of the incident," police said.

The victim's decapitated head has yet to be found. – Rappler.com

GENEVA, Switzerland (UPDATED) – The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday, October 22, reversed his decision to name Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, following widespread uproar against the appointment.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a former Ethiopian health minister who took charge of the UN agency in July, had earlier this week given Mugabe the honor to help combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa.

But activists, public health experts, and key WHO donors like Britain, Canada, and the US condemned the move, saying Zimbabwe's healthcare system has collapsed under Mugabe's 37-year authoritarian rule.

"Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of HE President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs in Africa. As a result, I have decided to rescind the appointment," Tedros said in a statement.   

"I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised," he added. 

"I have also consulted with the Government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization."

In Zimbabwe, Foreign Minister Walter Mzembi said that "the inordinate noise around the designation... does not assist the cause in the first place," according to state-run broadcaster ZBC. 

"So on the balance, it is wiser to let go, and help WHO focus on its mandate," he added. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May's office tweeted that it welcomed WHO's "decision to rescind President Mugabe's appointment & pleased @DrTedros heard concerns."

Canada's foreign ministry also applauded the decision, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he thought the nomination was "a bad April fool's joke" when he first learned of it.

'An insult'

In announcing the appointment, Tedros had praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide health care to all."

That claim was widely blasted by critics, who pointed out that the 93-year-old and increasingly frail Mugabe travels abroad for his own medical needs, calling that a sign of the devastation he has wrought within Zimbabwe's health system.

Zimbabwe's main opposition MDC party had called the appointment "laughable" and "an insult."

'Damage is done'

While the WHO boss's climbdown was met with immediate praise, the Mugabe storm raised questions about Tedros' leadership of an agency still emerging from a crisis that led some to question its long-term viability.

In an email to Agence France-Presse shortly before the announcement of the reversal, the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, Ashish K. Jha, underscored that Tedros faces a massive task in restoring WHO's credibility and that episodes like the Mugabe affair are not helpful.

"WHO went through an existential crisis with its disastrous handling of the Ebola crisis [in West Africa]. Dr Tedros' election is a chance to reset that narrative," Jha said. 

"The Mugabe appointment, coming at the end of [Tedros'] first 100 days, was a misstep," he added, while predicting that the reversal would "actually be a strong sign that the leadership listens and is willing to be responsive to views of the global public."

Before the withdrawal was announced, the US ambassador to the UN during Barack Obama's administration, Samantha Power, tweeted: "Tedros will surely revoke terrible apptmt of Mugabe as goodwill ambassador, but damage is done."

Investigation needed?

Tedros' election as the first African director general of the WHO was billed as a key moment for the continent, where much of the organization's work is based. 

Tedros is not the first African statesman put in a bind over apparent loyalties to Mugabe. 

The leaders of South Africa's government, who counted on Mugabe's support in the battle to end apartheid, have previously been criticized over their hesitation to condemn human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, including brutal and violent crackdowns on the opposition. 

UN Watch, a Geneva-based monitor, called for an investigation into the "absurd" Mugabe appointment. 

"There must be more to the story," UN Watch chief Hillel Neuer said in a statement. 

"How could Dr Tedros, a sophisticated political figure, have chosen to honor a man who has brutalized human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa and its health system into a basket-case?" – Rappler.com

TEKNAF, Bangladesh – More than 600,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since violence erupted in northern Rakhine in August, a UN report said Sunday, October 22.

The grim new landmark comes as authorities in Bangladesh were bracing for another possible surge in Rohingya arrivals, with thousands from the Muslim minority believed to be stranded along the border waiting to cross.

Rohingya refugees have headed for Bangladesh in huge numbers after militant attacks on Myanmar security forces in Rakhine state sparked a major army crackdown on the community likened to ethnic cleansing by the UN.

Now the UN-led Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), which is directing the humanitarian effort, has said an estimated 603,000 refugees from Rakhine have crossed the border into Bangladesh since August 25.

"Cross border movement of over 14,000 newly arrived refugees has been verified in the past week," the ISCG report said.

Bangladesh border guards are also concerned the relaxation later Sunday of a temporary ban on fishing in the Bay of Bengal could see a surge in people-smuggling along the coast as unscrupulous captains return to the seas.

Rohingya refugees already in Bangladesh have received videos from families across the border showing thousands of displaced Muslims massing near crossing points, waiting for an opportunity to cross.

"We have seen some videos sent by people across the border. There are many gathered there. The number could be big," Border Guard Bangladesh commander Lieutenant Colonel SM Ariful Islam told Agence France-Presse, without giving an estimate.

Around 10,000 refugees were left stranded in no man's land near Anjumanpara village for 3 days last week after being prevented from crossing into Bangladesh. They were finally permitted by authorities to enter Thursday, October 19.

The influx has slowed since then, with charities and officials reporting about 200 people crossing the Naf River dividing the two countries.

"[But] those that came told us thousands were still stranded on the other side of Naf," Jashim Uddin, a volunteer for the International Organization for Migration, told Agence France-Presse.

Another border guard told Agence France-Presse an estimated 10-15,000 refugees were heading to Anjumanpara but had been pushed back.

"We heard from their relatives that the Myanmar army has stopped them from heading to the border," said a Border Guard spokesman, Iqbal Ahmed.

Refugees arriving Sunday described violence in their villages in Rakhine and food shortages that had forced countless people to flee.

"We hardly had any food for the last 10-15 days. They torched our home. We did not have any choice but to leave," Yasmin, who goes by one name, told Agence France-Presse at the coastal village of Shah Porir Dwip.

Authorities meanwhile are on high alert for fishermen seeking to ferry refugees to Bangladesh via the open sea as the temporary fishing ban expires later Sunday.

"It is risky, but you can make a lot of money ferrying Rohingya to Bangladesh," said local fisherman Shawkat Hossain. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, USA – The United States is "totally prepared" to respond to threats from Pyongyang, US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday, October 22, while also emphasizing his "exceptional relationship" with China's leader.

"We're so prepared like you wouldn't believe," Trump told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures while discussing tensions with North Korea, which have soared over Pyongyang's nuclear program.

"You would be shocked to see how totally prepared we are if we need to be," said Trump, who has in recent months engaged in a fiery verbal tit-for-tat with North Korea's leader.

"Would it be nice not to do that? The answer is yes," Trump went on, appearing to allude to potential conflict.

"Will that happen? Who knows," the US president said.

The North has drawn international ire in recent months for conducting a 6th nuclear test and tests of long-range missiles capable of striking the US mainland.

Asked about US policy towards China, the North's longtime ally, Trump praised Beijing for "helping" the US by enforcing sanctions against Pyongyang.

"He's for China. And I'm for the US," he said of Chinese President Xi Jinping. "But we do have a very good – I would say an exceptional relationship. And China's really helping us. With respect to North Korea."

"China is big stuff," he added, saying Xi has "got the power to do something very significant with respect to North Korea."

In a separate development, former US president Jimmy Carter told The New York Times he has offered to go to North Korea on behalf of the White House to try to allay rising tensions, though he has not been asked.

The 93-year-old Democrat, who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had told the Republican president's National Security Advisor HR McMaster that he "was available if they ever need me." – Rappler.com

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis on Sunday, October 22, called for constructive dialogue in Kenya where he said he was following the situation with "close attention" over disputed elections.

"I am paying close attention in these days to Kenya, which I visited in 2015," Francis told pilgrims and tourists gathered for the Angelus prayer.

Francis said he was praying "that the whole country might be able to face the current difficulties in a climate of constructive dialogue, having at heart the search for the common good."

In a shock decision, Kenya's Supreme Court overturned the August election victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta over his opposition leader Raila Odinga, citing "irregularities" in the transmission of the results. 

The ruling, unprecedented in Africa, has plunged the country into its worst political crisis since post-election violence in 2007 and 2008 left 1,100 people dead.

Kenyans will return to the polls again on Thursday, October 26, but Odinga has said he will not participate this time. 

On Friday, October 20, both Kenyatta and Odinga made calls for election peace, while making veiled digs at each other on Kenya's annual Heroes Day. – Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny walked free on Sunday, October 22, after a 20-day jail term for organizing protests against President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny, who has declared his intention to stand for president in 2018, was released in a secret location in Moscow early Sunday to evade media attention.

"Hi. I'm out," Navalny wrote on Instagram, posting a picture of himself on a street. A photographer working for his team later posted photographs of him meeting colleagues at the office of his anti-corruption foundation.

During Navalny's time behind bars, the Kremlin race he hopes to contest has heated up with television star Ksenia Sobchak throwing in her hat.

Navalny posted he was "ready to work" and later met supporters at a rally in the southern city of Astrakhan – around 1,300 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Moscow – which was allowed to go ahead by the authorities.

He told the 300 who gathered in the rain: "Do we need this kind of power that makes fun of us? No, and that's why I'm a candidate, the right candidate for Astrakhan."

Time behind bars

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

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.

Earlier this year he served sentences of 15 days and 25 days for organizing unauthorized anti-Putin protests.

During his latest jail term, his supporters held rallies on Putin's birthday on October 7, with more than 270 detained nationwide.

He has faced a constant stream of official bans on public meetings, as well violent attacks on him and his supporters and vandalism of his offices.  

'Kremlin game'

During Navalny's latest period in isolation in a Moscow detention center, another high-profile figure has joined the presidential race.

Sobchak, a socialite and television star and the daughter of President Vladimir Putin's late mentor, launched her bid to stand on Wednesday, October 18.

The presidential race has yet to officially begin and Putin has not yet declared his participation in the March 2018 election. However he is widely expected to seek and win a 6-year term that would extend his rule till 2024.

Sobchak has vowed to back Navalny's bid to be included in the race – as electoral authorities say his suspended sentence for fraud makes him ineligible to stand until 2028.

However, many liberals see her as a Kremlin-backed spoiler candidate brought in to give the race a veneer of opposition.

Putin worked closely with her late father Anatoly Sobchak when he was a liberal Saint Petersburg mayor, and has acknowledged his importance as a mentor.

Navalny has yet to comment on Sobchak's bid, but earlier condemned rumors of her possible candidacy, saying this was a "rather disgusting Kremlin game" and calling her a "liberal laughing stock."

Sobchak, 35, calls herself "the candidate against all."

Russian media focused on her past as host of a reality show called Dom-2, or House-2, where contestants have to form couples, as well as of modeling show Russia's Next Top Model.

"She's going to work according to her profession at the elections: in order to turn non-contested presidential pseudo-polls into the biggest show of 2018," wrote Vedomosti business daily in an editorial on Friday, October 20.

Navalny sometimes shared a podium with Sobchak at mass rallies against Putin in 2011 and 2012. While he wowed crowds with punchy oratory, Sobchak faced a hostile audience who doubted her sudden backing of opposition causes.

She paid a price for her opposition campaigning, however, losing lucrative television work, and now hosts a show on independent TV Dozhd, or Rain. 

Forbes' Russian edition estimates her net worth at $2.1 million.

Sobchak is set to present her campaign to journalists in Moscow on Tuesday, October 24. – Rappler.com

CEBU CITY, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Cebu near midnight on Sunday, October 22, to visit the wake of Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

Duterte went to Cebu unannounced straight from Bacolod City, where he graced the celebration of the MassKara Festival. He spent about 20 minutes at the wake, joining Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and hundreds of Cebuanos paying their last respects to Vidal.

During his visit, Duterte announced that as soon as he gets to Manila, he would sign an executive order that would declare October 26, the burial day of Cardinal Vidal, as a holiday in Cebu.

He was acting on the request of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino.

“Indeed a pivotal shepherd for 29 years in our Archdiocese, the declaration of a holiday on the occasion of his interment will enable our people to pay their last respects to the beloved Cardinal,” Dino said in a statement.

At the wake, Duterte sat beside Archbishop Palma and Vidal’s younger brother, Juanito. 

Palma thanked Duterte for visiting the wake of Vidal despite his tight schedule. Duterte apologized that he was not immediately able to fly to Cebu after Vidal died because of his schedule, but said he felt the need to condole with the Cebuanos. 

Duterte left the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral past 12:30 am Monday, October 23.

Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu for 29 years, died on October 18 due to septic shock, one week after he was rushed to the hospital for fever and shortness of breath.

A native of Mogpog, Marinduque, Vidal was appointed by Pope John Paul II Coadjutor Archbishop of Cebu in 1981. He became Archbishop on August 24, 1982, succeeding Cardinal Julio Rosales. (FAST FACTS: Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal)

Vidal will be buried beside the tomb of 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 the first Bishop of Cebu Juan Gorordo. – Rappler. com 

MANILA, Philippines – At least 8 senators are in the United Kingdom to enhance Philippines-UK ties under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III is leading the delegation. They are guests of the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union from Monday, October 23 to Wednesday, October 25.

Aside from Pimentel, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Loren Legarda, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Juan Edgardo Angara are also present.

“We are guests of the British Parliament. We will discuss the status of the PH-UK relations and find ways on how to improve it. Government to government, people to people, trade wise,” Pimentel said in a message.

Some senators earlier met with the Filipino community in London.

On Monday, October 23, the senators are set to visit the Parliament and meet with John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons – which is equivalent to the Philippines’ House of Representatives.

They are also set to meet Lord Fowler, Speaker of the House of Lords or the British’s upper chamber.

Unlike the House of Commons where politicians are elected by the public, the House of Lords is made up of appointed members.

During their visit, the senators are set to meet with other parliamentarians and discuss trade relations between the two countries. 

On Wednesday, the senators are expected to observe the Prime Minister’s Question Time, wherein members of parliament are given the chance to question Prime Minister Theresa May.

The senators’ visit came amid confusions arising from President Rodrigo Duterte’s claims that he rejected UK’s offer of $18-20 million. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs refuted Duterte’s claims and said "there is no new offer of direct monetary assistance to the Philippines" from UK. But Duterte insisted there is an aid offer.

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

Duterte earlier rejected 250 million euros or P13.85 billion in new EU grants due to the EU's alleged interference in local affairs, especially the drug war. As with other international donors, the aid comes with conditions, among them, adherence to rule of law.

The EU said it will not "beg" the Philippines to accept European aid, as there "is no lack of other countries" to help if the Philippines rejects its offer.

In a referendum in June 2016, UK voted to leave the EU, in what is known as Brexit, but it has yet to be implemented. – Rappler.com

DOHA, Qatar – Top US diplomat Rex Tillerson pursued efforts to curb Tehran's influence in talks with his country's Gulf allies Sunday, October 22, demanding that Iran pare down its involvement in Iraq as the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) group draws to a close.

Tillerson's visit to the Gulf, his third as secretary of state, also aims at persuading Qatar and a rival Saudi-led alliance to open the door to dialogue – a goal he said had come to a deadlock Sunday.

But it is the question of Iranian influence in the region – including in Iraq and Qatar – that is at the centre of his visit to Riyadh and Doha, just weeks after US President Donald Trump refused to certify the Iran nuclear deal and declared an aggressive new strategy against Tehran.

The US secretary of state appears focused on boosting Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia's clout in Iraq, where Shiite forces backed by Tehran are fighting in the north, as part of a wider regional battle for influence that extends from Syria to Yemen.

"Certainly Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fighting against (ISIS) is coming to a close, those militias need to go home," Tillerson said at a press conference in Riyadh. 

"All foreign fighters need to go home."

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) – powerful paramilitary units dominated by Iranian-trained Shiite militias – have been part of the fight against ISIS and continue to battle different factions in Iraq.

But Tillerson's remarks were also aimed at Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and their foreign operations wing, the Quds Force, according to a senior US official. 

"The position of the Iraqi government and the position of our government is that there should be a single Iraqi security force answerable to the Iraqi state," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"What happens to the PMFs is they go home or they integrate into the Iraqi security forces."

Iran quickly hit back, saying it had played a crucial role in the fight against ISIS.

"If it wasn't for the sacrifices of the Islamic Republic of Iran ... Daesh (ISIS) would have installed its government in Damascus, Baghdad and (the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital) Arbil by now," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during a visit to South Africa.

'Not ready to talk'

Tillerson sat in on the first meeting of a joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council in Riyadh Sunday, which Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed as an "important step toward enhancing relations".

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iraq in 1990 following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, but Riyadh and Baghdad have rekindled diplomatic and commercial relations this year.

Tillerson's visit comes nearly 5 months after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo on Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cozying up to Iran.

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

Tillerson has refused to take sides in the crisis and said that talks between the feuding Gulf states remained unlikely.

"We cannot force talks among people who are not ready to talk," the US diplomat said at a press conference in the Qatari capital on Sunday night.

"There is not a strong indication that parties are ready to talk yet," he added. "We cannot and will not impose a solution on anyone."

Tillerson, a former chief executive of energy giant ExxonMobil, had also launched an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July.

"The United States maintains very strong relationships with all the countries involved in the Qatar dispute, including Qatar, and the United States intends to maintain those very strong, positive important relationships," Tillerson said Sunday in Riyadh. 

"They're important from a security standpoint. They're important from an economic standpoint."

Trump had initially appeared to support Saudi Arabia in isolating Qatar but has since called for mediation, predicting a rapid end to the crisis.

The United States continues to support the efforts of Kuwait, which has tried to serve as a mediator in the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the Gulf in decades.

The State Department has said the conflict in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and Iran back warring parties, would also figure in Tillerson's talks in the Gulf.

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

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Angry protesters greeted President Rodrigo Duterte's visit here Sunday, October 22.

Hours before Duterte was slated to arrive for the closing rites of the 38th MassKara Festival at the public plaza, some 200 members of different militant groups from Negros Occidental gathered at the South Capitol Road, beside the Provincial Capitol, for a rally near the venue where the country's top chief executive was scheduled to speak.

However, the Civil Dispersal Management team of the Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) blocked the protesters from proceeding to the public plaza, which is one kilometer away from the Capitol. 

Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, spokesperson of PRO-6, said the police negotiated with the protesters, but failed.

This prompted the protesters to forcibly enter the police's blocking force, which ensued a commotion between them as the protesters were determined to proceed to the public plaza.

However, another group of protesters also made their way near the public plaza, which prompted the group from the Capitol to disperse.

The protesters assailed Duterte for his failed campaign promises. They are calling on the President to address issues like unemployment and wage increases.

They are also calling for justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings.

Meanwhile, Gorero said security was tightened in areas where there are protest actions, as he stressed that policemen exercise maximum tolerance to avoid violence. 

He said the protest was not a proper time since Bacolod is celebrating a festivity. – Rappler.com