RENNES, France – A man who was left brain-dead after suffering serious side effects during a drugs trial in France died on Sunday, January 17, according to the hospital which had been treating him.

Five other volunteers hospitalized a week ago when the drugs trial went wrong were "in a stable condition", the hospital in the western city of Rennes said in a statement.

The private laboratory Biotrial was testing a new pain and mood disorder medication for Portuguese pharmaceutical company Bial on humans for the first time, in what is known as a Phase I trial, to test the drug's safety.

A total of 108 volunteers took part in the trial, 90 of whom received the drug while the rest were given placebos.

The 6 men who were hospitalised were the group which received the highest dose.

Pierre-Gilles Edan, head of the neurology department at the Rennes hospital said Friday that three of the men were suffering a "handicap that could be irreversible" and another also had neurological problems.

The 6th volunteer had no symptoms but was being monitored.

"The 84 other volunteers exposed to the drug" have been contacted, said the hospital. Ten of them came in to be examined and did not have the "anomalies" seen in the hospitalised patients.

The incident is the worst of its kind ever to have taken place in France, and such mishaps are rare during drug trials. – Rappler.com

ADEN, Yemen – A suicide bomber killed at least 6 people, including 4 civilians, Sunday, January 17, in an attack on the residence of the police chief of Yemen's southern city of Aden, security official said.

"A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden minibus at the entrance of the house of General Shalal Shaea," in the neighbourhood of Tawahi, the official told Agence France-Presse.

The police chief was not hurt, he said.

But another official said "at least six people, including four civilians, were killed in the attack".

It was the latest attack in a wave of unrest that has rocked the port city, ised as a base for the government, which was forced to flee Sanaa in September 2014 after Iran-backed Huthi rebels swept into the capital.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing.

The Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have established a strong presence Aden. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – The United States is to repay Iran a $400 million debt and $1.3 billion in interest dating to the Islamic revolution, Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday, January 18.

The repayment, which settles a suit brought under an international legal tribunal, is separate from the tens of billions of dollars in frozen foreign accounts that Iran can now access after the end of nuclear sanctions.

But the timing of the announcement, one day after the implementation of the Iran nuclear accord, will be seen as  pointing to a broader clearing of the decks between the old foes.

US President Barack Obama defended the settlement in a televised statement from the White House, saying it was for "much less than the amount Iran sought."

"For the United States, the settlement could save us billions of dollars that could have been pursued by Iran. There was no benefit to the United States in dragging this out," he said.

Kerry said the claim was in the amount of a $400 million trust fund used by Iran to purchase military equipment from the United States prior to the break in diplomatic ties, plus $1.3 billion in interests.

Iranian-US ties broke down in 1979 after revolutionaries -- angered at US support for the Iran's deposed monarch -- stormed the American embassy and took hostages.

In 1981, the Iran-US Claims tribunal was established in The Hague to settle outstanding debts between the two countries, and Tehran filed a suit demanding the arms payment be returned.

Kerry described Sunday's payment of the 35-year-old trust as a "fair settlement," but it is sure to draw the ire of those in Washington who think he had already made too many concessions to secure the nuclear deal.

"Iran will receive the balance of $400 million in the Trust Fund, as well as a roughly $1.3 billion compromise on the interest," he said, in a statement.  

"Iran's recovery was fixed at a reasonable rate of interest and therefore Iran is unable to pursue a bigger tribunal award against us, preventing US taxpayers from being obligated to a larger amount of money."

Kerry went on to say all of the US claims against Iran at the tribunal had long been settled and had netted American companies and individuals $2.5 billion.

But he added there are more Iranian claims pending and that the United States would try to negotiate to resolve them. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) – Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II has gained a key ally in what is shaping to be a tight 2016 presidential race: Mayor Guia Gomez of San Juan City, a member of the influential Ejercito-Estrada clan.

Roxas on Monday, January 18, was the guest of honor and keynote speaker during the city’s flag raising ceremony at the San Juan City Hall. Gomez and other local officials attended the event.

During the flag-raising ceremony, Gomez heaped on praises for Roxas for helping San Juan when the latter was DILG chief, saying he transcended party lines.

Now, Gomez said, it is her turn to transcend party lines by endorsing Roxas' presidential bid.

In a chance interview with reporters, the San Juan mayor clarified that her endorsement does not mean the entire clan also endorses the LP bet. She said the family will still discuss the matter among themselves.

None of the Ejercitos attended the Monday event, which was was dubbed “San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez opens door to Mar Roxas.”

Gomez is one of the partners of former president-turned-Manila Mayor Joseph "Erap" Estrada, and Senator JV Ejercito’s mother. It was Estrada who started the Ejercito-Estrada dynasty in San Juan when he was elected mayor in 1969. Senator Ejercito was once mayor of the city.

This slate unites the erstwhile squabbling factions of the family: that of detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada's and Senator Ejercito's.

It will also run head-to-head with former allies, the Zamora, for control over the city.

The Zamoras are supporting the presidential bid of Senator Grace Poe.

JV's mom, Jinggoy's daughter

Gomez is being challenged by incumbent vice mayor Francis Zamora while Councilor Janella Ejercito, daughter of detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada is running for vice mayor against Councilor Totoy Bernardo.

Zamora's father, re-electionist Representative Ronaldo Zamora is facing off against Jana Ejercito, a cousin of the two senators. (READ: Mayoral bet Francis Zamora: Time to end 'Estrada option' in San Juan)

Picking a presidential candidate to support will prove crucial to the Ejercitos since the Zamoras have already declared support for Poe. Representative Zamora is among Poe’s key advisers in her presidential campaign.

Despite Gomez' endorsement of Roxas, Senator Ejercito said that he continues to support Poe's candidacy. "I respect the decision of my mother to support the candidacy of her palangga, Secretary Mar Roxas. We agreed to disagree on our presidential preferences as I will remain supporting my 'kapatid' Senator Grace Poe," Ejercito said in a statement to media.   

How about Erap?

Despite the nod from one of the Ejercitos of San Juan, however, the endorsement of the clan’s patriarch is still up for grabs, according to sources.

Gomez and Senator Ejercito earlier told reporters that its possible for the clan to support different presidential bets in 2016.

The popular former president, who was ousted in 2001, has played coy about his preference, namedropping nearly all of the leading presidential candidates including Roxas, Poe, and opposition standard-bearer Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Poe is the adopted daughter of Estrada’s longtime friend, movie legend Fernando Poe, Jr. while Binay was Estrada’s running mate during the latter’s failed bid for the presidency in 2010. Estrada and Binay also joined forces in 2013 under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), which was then a coalition.

Sources close to Estrada, however, said Estrada is picking between Poe and Binay. But this a tricky option given the situation in San Juan.

Will Estrada support Poe, whose bets in San Juan are threatening to end the reign of his family? (READ: Jinggoy Estrada, the Ejercitos and San Juan politics)

In 2010, Binay won over Roxas in San Juan City with over 29,000 votes compared to Roxas’ 20,000.

The Ejercito-Estrada clan in San Juan are all members of their patriarch’s Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), which coalesced with UNA in 2013. The LP did not field any candidates in the city during the mid-term elections. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Democratic presidential candidates square off for a crucial debate Sunday, January 17 (Monday, January 18 in Manila), with frontrunner Hillary Clinton feeling the heat from challenger Bernie Sanders in a tightening nomination race two weeks before the first vote is cast in Iowa.

The pair, along with Maryland former governor Martin O'Malley, take the stage in Charleston, South Carolina with the temperature rising in the primary battle.

All 3 are aware that their performance – the final Democratic debate before the Iowa caucuses on February 1 – could have a crucial impact on who wins the state.

Even before the debate began, Clinton and Sanders took aim at each other across the airwaves in interviews on Sunday television talk shows, on issues like gun control, health care and regulating Wall Street.

"She doesn't have a plan. That's the concern," groused Sanders when asked about Clinton's plan for paid family and medical leave in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation."

In a separate segment on the same show, Clinton wryly congratulated the Vermont senator for having "flip-flopped" on a proposal that she has advanced to end gun makers' immunity from lawsuits.

Establishment Democrats are wary of a repeat of 2008, when Clinton led all rivals into the Iowa home stretch, only to lose the state to little-known senator Barack Obama, who pulled the rug out from under his rival and eventually won the nomination and the White House.

Clinton is the presumptive favorite again. But last year's scandal about her use of a private email account and private server while secretary of state has lingered, and her favorability ratings are lower than those of Sanders.

O'Malley, despite stage time with the other candidates, has made no substantial headway in polls and is seen by many as an also-ran.

While leading nationally, Clinton suddenly finds herself under threat of losing the first two state contests, in February 1 in Iowa, where the pair are neck and neck in the polls, and February 9 in New Hampshire, where Sanders has a significant lead.

All too aware of the Sanders surge, Clinton sharpened her offensive against him this past week, highlighting her policy differences with the self-declared democratic socialist on guns, health care and taxes.

'Pick a side'

Charleston was the scene last year of the horrific murder of 9 African-Americans gunned down in a church, and gun control is likely to feature prominently in Sunday's debate.

Clinton has assailed Sanders for being weak on gun control. This past week she released an ad knocking Sanders on firearms, in particular his votes against a landmark bill requiring background checks for gun sales.

"It is time to pick a side," Clinton says in the spot. "Either we stand with the gun lobby or we join the president and stand up to them."

Sanders, for his part, has accused the former first lady of having cozied up to billionaires and said she would not be tough enough on Wall Street banks. He will mine that vein further on Sunday.

America's battle against Islamic State extremists is also expected to be on the agenda.

One sticking point is the peculiarity of the Democratic debate schedule.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) scheduled its first debate on a Tuesday in October – while the Republicans began debating in August. 

Since then the Democrats have held weekend affairs only. The latest came during the Christmas shopping rush on the same day – to the surprise of some political observers – that the much-awaited new "Star Wars" movie was opening.

Republicans seized on the schedule to accuse Democratic leadership of seeking to protect Clinton from excessive on-stage criticism that would be seen by millions.

The DNC "could be doing a much better job of showcasing its candidates," the Las Vegas Review Journal wrote in a recent editorial, adding, "Nowhere is this more evident than in the DNC's curiously weak debate schedule."

Last Thursday's Republican debate was engaging, rowdy, bizarre and tense. 

All six Republican showdowns have been must-see TV for political junkies and for Republican voters eager not only to study the difference between the several candidates, but to wonder at the bombast of frontrunner Donald Trump. – Michael Mathes, AFP / Rappler.com

LOS ANGELES, USA – SpaceX's unmanned Falcon 9 rocket broke apart Sunday, January 17, as it tried to land on a floating platform in the Pacific, marking the fourth such failure in the company's bid to recycle rockets.

However, the primary mission of the launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California went as planned, propelling into orbit a $180 million US-French satellite called Jason-3 to study sea level rise. 

"Well, at least the pieces were bigger this time!" Elon Musk, the CEO of the California-based company, wrote on Twitter.

SpaceX is trying to land its rockets back on Earth in order to re-use the parts in the future, trying to make spaceflight cheaper and more sustainable than before.

The firm succeeded in landing its Falcon 9 first stage – the long towering portion of the rocket – on solid ground at Cape Canaveral, Florida in December.

Even though an ocean landing is more difficult, SpaceX wants to perfect the technique because ship landings "are needed for high velocity missions," Musk tweeted.

"Definitely harder to land on a ship," he added after the latest foible.

"Similar to an aircraft carrier vs land: much smaller target area, that's also translating and rotating."

Currently, expensive rocket components are jettisoned into the ocean after launch, wasting hundreds of millions of dollars.

Competitor Blue Origin, headed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, succeeded in landing a suborbital rocket in November.

However, no other company has attempted the ocean landing that SpaceX is trying to achieve.

In the end, the problem on Sunday was not due to high speed or a turbulent ocean, but came down to a leg on the rocket that did not lock out as anticipated.

"So it tipped over after landing," Musk said.

SpaceX said the rocket landed within 1.3 meters (yards) of the droneship's center.

Oceans satellite

There was no hitch in the launch itself, and the blast off at 10:42 am local time (1842 GMT) of the rocket and satellite went flawlessly.

The satellite aims to offer a more precise look at how global warming and sea level rise affect wind speeds and currents as close as 0.6 miles (one kilometer) from shore, whereas past satellites were limited to about 10 times that distance from the coast. 

The technology will monitor global sea surface heights, tropical cyclones and help support seasonal and coastal forecasts.

During a 5-year mission, its data will also be used to aid fisheries management and research into human impacts on the world's oceans.

The satellite is the fruit of a 4-way partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US space agency NASA, the French space agency CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – The richest one percent of the world's population now own more than the rest of us combined, aid group Oxfam said Monday, January 18, on the eve of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

"Runaway inequality has created a world where 62 people own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population – a figure that has fallen from 388 just 5 years ago," the anti-poverty agency said in its reported published ahead of the annual gathering of the world’s financial and political elites in Davos.

The report, entitled "An Economy for the 1%", states that women are disproportionately affected by the global inequality. 

"One of the other key trends behind rising inequality set out in Oxfam International’s report is the falling share of national income going to workers in almost all developed and most developing countries... The majority of low paid workers around the world are women."

Although world leaders have increasingly talked about the need to tackle inequality "the gap between the richest and the rest has widened dramatically in the past 12 months," Oxfam said.

Oxfam’s prediction, made ahead of last year’s Davos meeting, that the richest one percent would soon own more than the rest of us, "actually came true in 2015," it added.

While the number of people living in extreme poverty halved between 1990 and 2010, the average annual income of the poorest 10% has risen by less than $3-a-year in the past quarter of a century, a increase in individuals’ income of less than one cent a year, the report said.

'Few dozen super-rich people'

More than 40 heads of state and government will attend the Davos forum which begins late Tuesday, January 19, and will end on January 23.

Those heading to the Swiss resort town for the high-level annual gathering also include 2,500 "leaders from business and society", the WEF said in an earlier statement. 

Describing the theme – the Fourth Industrial Revolution – WEF founder Klaus Shwab has said it "refers to the fusion of technologies across the physical, digital and biological worlds which is creating entirely new capabilities and dramatic impacts on political, social and economic systems."

Oxfam International Executive Director Winnie Byanima, who will also attend Davos having co-chaired last year’s event, said: "It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the world’s population owns no more than a few dozen super-rich people who could fit onto one bus."

World leaders' concerns about the escalating inequality crisis have "so far not translated into concrete action –- the world has become a much more unequal place and the trend is accelerating," she warned.

End tax-havens era

As a priority, Oxfam is calling for an end to the era of tax havens which has seen the increasing use of offshore centres to avoid paying taxes. 

"This has denied governments valuable resources needed to tackle poverty and inequality," the report said.

As much as 30% of all African financial wealth is estimated to be held offshore, it added, costing an estimated $14 billion in lost tax revenues every year.

Getting hold of the proper level of taxes will be "vital" if world leaders are to meet their goal, set last September, of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030.

Byanima challenged those attending the Davos meeting "to play their part in ending the era of tax havens, which is fuelling economic inequality and preventing hundreds of millions of people lifting themselves out of poverty".

Of the 62 people said to hold as much wealth as the poorest 50%, Oxfam said that 53 are men and just 9 are female, highlighting that women are ill-represented even at the highest levels.

The headline Davos guests include British Prime Minister David Cameron, US Vice President Joe Biden, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and newly-elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

President Mauricio Marci of Argentina, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alexis Tsipars, the Greek prime minister, are also due to attend. 

Oxfam said it had calculated the wealth of the richest 62 people using Forbes’ billionaires list. – Rappler.com

JERUSALEM (UPDATED) – Two knife attacks inside Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including the fatal stabbing of a woman in her home, boosted tensions Monday, January 18, after months of violence and raised fears of an escalation.

As a manhunt was under way for the assailant in Sunday's (January 17) fatal stabbing, a new knife attack Monday on a street in another West Bank settlement wounded a 30-year-old pregnant woman.

The 17-year-old Palestinian assailant was shot by security personnel and taken to hospital in severe condition after the attack in Tekoa, south of Jerusalem.

While the attacks were part of a months-long wave of violence, the stabbings have usually occurred in public areas such as checkpoints, at junctions and entrances to Jerusalem's Old City rather than inside Jewish settlements.

The new attacks triggered fears that the unrest was worsening and Israel would impose a harsh security crackdown on Palestinians.

Palestinians who work in settlements in the south of the occupied West Bank were not allowed in on Monday, the army said, in an order that affected several thousand labourers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled further security measures, pledging to "strengthen the communities" in response to the deadly stabbing in the Otniel settlement near the flashpoint city of Hebron in the southern West Bank.

"Whoever tries to harm us, we will bring him to justice," Netanyahu said. "In the end he will be found and he will pay the full price."

The woman killed was identified as Dafna Meir, a 38-year-old nurse and mother of 6.

At least some of her children, aged 4 to 17, were home at the time, but none was hurt. The attacker remained at large on Monday.

Five months pregnant

Michal Froman, who was stabbed on Monday, was 5 months pregnant. Her injuries were not considered life-threatening.

She is the daughter-in-law of the late Rabbi Menahem Froman, a Jewish settler and peace activist who was one of the few Israelis to have talked with Hamas, the Islamist group which calls for Israel's destruction.

Meir's funeral in Jerusalem on Monday was attended by hundreds of mourners, including Israeli politicians and Jewish settlers carrying rifles.

Her husband sat in the front row sobbing with two of their children in his lap. 

"One hour before everything happened, we were still discussing what nail polish I should wear," their 17-year-old daughter Renana said at the funeral. "Now you won't escort me to my wedding."

Located near Otniel, the Palestinian village of Karma was sealed off Monday as the army guarded entrances. 

"Yesterday ... the village was raided and they arrested all the young men, and people were detained until 3 in the morning," Talab Mahmud Abu Sheikha, head of the local village council, told Agence France-Presse.

Meir's death brought the toll in the spate of violence to 24 Israelis and 155 Palestinians killed since October 1.

Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli forces during protests and clashes.

Israel's government had already come under heavy pressure over the spate of attacks and Sunday's killing provoked fresh outrage.

Many of the Palestinian attackers have been young people, including teenagers. A number of them have attempted attacks with kitchen knives in what some analysts have described as virtual suicide missions.

Near-constant tension

The Israeli army said it would ban Palestinian workers from entering Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday, citing "security reasons".

US ambassador Dan Shapiro on Monday condemned the stabbings as "barbaric acts of terrorism," but also questioned Israel's policies concerning settlements in the West Bank.

The European Union agreed a statement on the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process after resolving differences over wording which some felt was too critical of Israel.

"The EU firmly condemns the terror attacks and violence from all sides and in any circumstances, including the death of children," it said.

Some 400,000 Israeli settlers live in the territory in near-constant tension with 2.5 million Palestinians.

The settlements are seen as major stumbling blocks toward peace efforts since they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

"We are concerned and perplexed by Israel’s strategy on settlements," Shapiro told a security conference in Tel Aviv.

"This government and previous Israeli governments have repeatedly expressed support for a negotiated settlement that would involve mutual recognition and separation.

"Yet separation will become more and more difficult" if Israel continues to expand settlements, he said.

Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the fractured Palestinian leadership.

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and news media has been a main cause of the violence. – Laurent Lozano, AFP / Rappler.com

LONDON, United Kingdom – A sugar tax could be introduced in English hospitals in a move to tackle obesity that the National Health Service (NHS) said Monday, January 18, could raise up to £40 million a year.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said that the levy on high-sugar drinks and snacks sold in hospital vending machines and cafes could be introduced by 2020, in an interview with the Guardian newspaper.

It is hoped the scheme would raise between £20 million ($28.5 million, 26.2 million euros) and £40 million.

"We will be consulting on introducing an NHS sugar tax on various beverages and other sugar-added foods across the NHS," he said.

"By 2020, we've either got these practices out of hospitals or we've got the equipment of a sugar tax on the back of them," he added.

NHS England did not say at what rate the tax would be set, but medical groups and health charities want it to be 20%.

The health administrator said that bad diet had now overtaken smoking as the country's main cause of lifestyle-linked illness.

"Smoking still kills 80,000-plus people a year, smoking is still a huge problem. But it turns out that diet has edged ahead," he said.

"All of us working in the NHS have a responsibility not just to support those who look after patients but also to draw attention to and make the case for some of the wider changes that will actually improve the health of this country," he added. – Rappler.com

('Close-up of granulated sugar in spoon and sugar pile' image courtesy Shutterstock)

MANILA, Philippines – The United Kingdom on Monday, January 18, said it is crafting a new defense agreement with the Philippines that could, among other things, allow British troops to train their counterparts here. 

In a roundtable discussion with reporters, British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad said the Philippines and the UK have an existing defense agreement. Still, both parties “want to establish a new one” before the end of 2016. 

He said the expanded agreement can be expected “well before October.”

Asked if British troops could train their counterparts in the Philippines, Ahmad said, “That is part of the discussion that is actually taking place.”

He added: “I wouldn’t describe them as British troops coming here, because that sounds a bit emotive. I would say British expertise coming here. Two hundred fifty-one years ago, when we sent British troops here, they liked it so much, they stayed.” 

The British ambassador, however, said this agreement is not a forerunner of a Visiting Forces Agreement, like the controversial VFA between the Philippines and the United States that the Philippine Senate ratified in 1998. (READ: Scrap VFA? It's part of PH 'defense strategy')

“I don’t think so,” Ahmad said. “I think, basically, it codifies what we’re already doing and some of the ambitions that we have. I don’t think it translates into something more than that.” 

In particular, he said, the Philippines and the UK want to incorporate the lessons they learned during Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013.

South China Sea row a factor?

Yolanda, considered as the strongest typhoon in history, killed more than 6,300 people mostly in central Philippines. 

The UK is one of the countries that helped the Philippines the most after Yolanda. (READ: British royal Princess Anne visits Yolanda survivors)

Ahmad said that when Yolanda struck, however, much of the cooperation between the Philippines and the UK “was done very informally – when we picked up the phone saying, ‘Can we do this?’”

“We don’t have too many written protocols as to how this is done. And we want to regularize that,” Ahmad said. 

The ambassador was also asked if the Philippines and the UK decided to revise their defense agreement because of the dispute between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea, and the threat of terrorism, among other things.

Ahmad said: “It’s sort of all of the above, but plus more. What has happened is, the old one was so lacking in ambition that it really allowed us very little scope to do anything.”

On the South China Sea, the ambassador also stressed the need for diplomacy.

“I always say that if you’re starting to talk in terms of military intervention, then diplomacy has failed. It’s the tool of last resort,” he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – It all boils down to the President.

A week before the Senate is set to re-open its probe into a controversial police operation, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile said he has “evidence” of President Benigno Aquino III’s involvement – or apparent lack thereof – in "Oplan Exodus," from when it was planned to its actual implementation.

Speaking before the Senate plenary on Monday, January 16, Enrile said Aquino was “actively and directly” involved in the planning of the operation, was “monitoring the operation” real-time en route to Zamboanga, and “didn’t do anything” to save elite police troopers caught in fierce gun battles with Muslim rebels in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao.

“I’m going to prove this evidence in that hearing,” said Enrile, referring to the scheduled re-opening of the probe into the Mamasapano clash on January 27, two days after the one-year mark of the 2015 operation.

The Mamasapano clash, the bloodiest one-day operation in Philippine National Police (PNP) history and the biggest crisis to hit the Aquino administration, was triggered by a Special Action Force (SAF) operation targeting terrorists wanted by both the Philippines and the United States.

More than 60 Filipinos died in the clashes that following the operation, including at least 17 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and 3 civilians. The clash also prompted several lawmakers to change their position on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the result of peace negotiations between the Aquino government and the MILF.

When the clash happened in Mamasapano, Aquino and several key Cabinet if officials were in Zamboanga City to check on the security situation following a car bomb blast. Previous hearings had established that Aquino was already informed of the clashes in Mamasapano as early as 5:45 am, through a text message from then PNP chief Alan Purisima. 

Aquino's involvement prior to the actual operation is pretty clear as well. Purisima and then SAF chief Getulio Napeñas briefed the President at his official residence, Bahay Pangarap. Text messages exchanged between Aquino and Purisima on January 25 itself showed the depth of Aquino's knowledge of the operation. 

The Senate committee had wrapped up its probe mid-2015 but Enrile moved to re-open it, citing personal knowledge and “new evidence.” Enrile was detained at the PNP General Hospital for his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam when the Mamasapano probe began.

Several reports, including the Senate’s draft committee report, have either fully or partly pinned the blame on Aquino for the carnage in Mamasapano. The Senate sub committee said the President was “ultimately responsible” while the PNP’s Board of Inquiry pointed out that Aquino “bypassed” the PNP’s chain-of-command and failed to guide the SAF chief then of the mission’s implications on peace process in Muslim Mindanao.

But Aquino’s political allies and administration officials have sought to downplay the extent of the President’s involvement. The Ombudsman, in its motu propio probe, cleared the President of any criminal liability while charging more than 10 police officials for their actions connected to the operation.

Enrile, in media interviews, said he would be zooming in on Aquino’s involvement in the controversial operation, implying that the President lacked in his response to the crisis.

Critics, administration allies in particular, have cried foul over the re-opening of the probe, saying it’s politics – and much-needed media attention – that are motivating senators. (READ: Political foes 'taking advantage' of Mamasapano probe – Aquino)

Several members of the Senate are also candidates in the coming 2016 elections, including committee chairman Senator Grace Poe and her running mate Senator Francis Escudero. (READ: LP to 2016 bets: Hands off Mamasapano probe)

At least 4 other senators are also seeking the vice presidency: Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes IV, Gregorio Honasan, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The chief of the SAF during the operation, retired police director Getulio Napeñas, is running for a senate seat under the party of opposition standard-bearer Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Former interior secretary Manuel Roxas II, who was kept in the dark until after the body count rose, is the standard-bearer of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) of which Aquino is chairman.

But the senators involved in the hearing insist that the truth, and not politics, is their primary reason for wanting to re-open the investigation. – Rappler.com

MADRID, Spain (UPDATED) – The number of international tourists rose by 4.4% worldwide in 2015 to hit a record 1.18 billion despite concerns over extremist attacks, the United Nations World Tourism Organization said Monday, January 18.

France remained the world's most popular tourist destination, followed by the United States, Spain and China, according to the Madrid-based body which tracks the number of tourists who made an overnight stay at an international destination.

"2015 results were influenced by exchange rates, oil prices and natural and man-made crises in many parts of the world," the head of the UN body, Taleb Rifai, told a news conference.

Falling oil prices reduced transport costs but weakened demand for travel in oil-exporting nations while the weakness in the euro currency made travel to Europe for Americans more attractive, he said.

But the sector was marked mainly by the threat of extremism in 2015 with deadly attacks in Egypt, France, Lebanon, Tunisia, Mali and other nations.

"We are facing now, with regard to safety and security, a global threat," said Rifai, a former Jordanian tourism minister.

"We cannot anymore say this is the problem of Egypt or France or Tunisia or Turkey or Thailand or Indonesia," he added in reference to nations that suffered attacks last year claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

"We must continue to travel. We must never allow the pretext of safety and security to curb and reverse our attitude towards making this world more open."

'Grow strongly'

The UN World Tourism Organization said 2015 was the sixth consecutive year of above-average growth in global tourism since the economic crisis.

It had initially predicted international tourism arrivals would increase by 3 to 4% in 2015.

Global tourism figures were hard hit by the global financial crisis, declining 4% in 2009 as an outbreak of swine flu also contributed to cash-strapped people staying at home.

But they have risen each year since.

The UN body predicts international tourism arrivals will increase by 4 percent in 2016. It forecasts the number of tourists who make an overnight trip abroad will hit 1.4 billion by 2020.

"International tourism continues to grow strongly," said Rifai.

The attacks carried out last year "will not have any medium and long-term impact" on the growth of travel, he added.

Some destinations did suffer drops in visitor numbers last year due to fears of attacks.

The number of international visitors to Tunisia – which was shaken by an attack on the Bardo museum in Tunis followed by one in the resort of Sousse that killed 59 tourists – fell to 5.2 million last year from 7.2 million in 2014.

China top source nation

Tourism arrivals to North Africa overall fell by 8% last year. In sub-Saharan African they were down by 1 percent in part due to fears over the outbreak of Ebola.

Europe, the world's most visited region, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas all recorded growth of around 5 percent in the number of international arrivals last year.

China was once again the top source country for international tourists, which benefitted Asian destinations such as Japan and Thailand, as well as the United States and several European nations, the UN body said.

Chinese travellers were also the biggest spenders last year with China posting double-digit growth in tourism expenditure every year since 2004.

By contrast expenditure from Russia and Brazil declined "significantly" last year "reflecting the economic constraints in both countries and the depreciation of the ruble and the real against virtually all other currencies", the UN body said in a statement. – Laure Fillon, AFP / Rappler.com

BAGHDAD, Iraq – US and Iraqi authorities are searching for 3 Americans who were kidnapped in Baghdad, the latest group of foreign nationals abducted in recent months.

Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi condemned the rise in "cases of foreigners being kidnapped in Iraq," saying it would harm the country's relations with other states.

"The kidnapping of the American citizens yesterday, and before them the Qatari hunters, whose fate is still unknown, without a doubt indicates the increasing work of organised gangs in Iraq," Juburi said in a statement on Monday, January 18.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the day before that: "We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq."

Qataris and Turks were recently seized but it has been years since Americans were abducted. Iraqis have suffered the most from kidnappers seeking ransoms or to settle scores.

The Islamic State group, which overran large areas in 2014, has abducted thousands of people and carried out a slew of executions, while Shiite paramilitary forces opposed to the jihadists have also carried out kidnappings and killings.

"We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals," Kirby said, without providing details about their number or the circumstances of their disappearance. 

An Iraqi police colonel said on condition of anonymity that three Americans and an Iraqi translator were kidnapped in southern Baghdad.

The colonel said on Monday that the search was at this point mainly an intelligence effort.

The officer earlier said that according to information he had received, the kidnappers were militiamen wearing military uniforms.

"We don't know what their work is," the colonel said of the kidnapped Americans.

Iraq turned to paramilitary forces dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias to help combat the Islamic State jihadist group, which overran large parts of the country in 2014.

Qataris and Turks kidnapped

These groups, which fall under an umbrella organisation known as the Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation units, have played a key role in the fight against the jihadists.

But they have also been accused of abuses including summary executions, kidnappings and destruction of property.

The US is leading a coalition of countries that have bombed thousands of IS targets in Iraq and Syria and which are providing training to Baghdad's forces.

Washington has also dispatched special forces to Iraq to carry out raids against the jihadists.

Both American forces and Shiite paramilitaries are battling IS, but relations between the two sides have been tense, especially due to fighting between them in the years after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

IS also has ample motive to target Americans, but while it is able to carry out bombings in Baghdad, it does not have a major presence in the city.

Dozens of foreign nationals have been kidnapped in two incidents during the past five months, but kidnappers also frequently target Iraqis.

Last month, gunmen kidnapped more than two dozen Qataris who had come to southern Iraq to hunt.

Their whereabouts are still unknown, as are the identities of their kidnappers. But Shiite militia groups have a major presence in southern Iraq, while IS does not.

The kidnapping of the Qataris came a little over three months after gunmen seized 18 Turks in Baghdad. They were later released unharmed.

The kidnapping of the Turks was claimed by an organisation that presented itself as a Shiite group called "Furaq al-Mawt", or "Death Squads", in a video claiming the abductions. 

Iraqi security forces clashed with fighters from the powerful Ketaeb Hezbollah militia during the search for the kidnapped Turks.

It has been years since an American was kidnapped in Iraq.

Issa T. Salomi, an American of Iraqi origins, went missing in Baghdad in January 2010 and was later freed by Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a powerful Shiite group that is now one of the leading forces in the Hashed al-Shaabi. – Rappler.com

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines – The death of her husband in the Mamasapano clash in January 2015 has left Sarah Langayen, 20, the responsibility of raising their young children. But in a place where decent-paying jobs are scarce, she is forced to leave them and seek employment far away.

The wife of slain farmer Badrudin, one of the civilians killed in the crossfire between elite cops and Muslim rebels, is waiting for her plane tickets for Oman to work as a domestic helper there. She said her mother will take care of her two children while she’s away.

As the Philippine Senate is scheduled to re-open next week the probe into the bloodiest police operation in recent history, Langayen lamented how justice remains elusive. Her husband was found dead, his body riddled with bullets in the aftermath of the encounter in Barangay Tukanalipao on January 25 last year.

The nation mourned the death of 44 elite cops who joined the operation to kill bomber Zulkifli bin Hir, a Malaysian terrorist wanted by the United States. But little attention was given to the civilians killed in the crossfire, much less to the rebels who died in an operation that the police admitted was "defective from the beginning" and was "poorly implemented."

The Mamasapano clash disturbed the relative peace the war-torn town had enjoyed since the resumption of the talks between the government and the dominant Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The blame game that followed derailed the negotiations.

While politicians and various government and non-governmental organizations granted the families of the dead SAF troopers cash and scholarships, Langayen said the aid they received was barely enough. 

“Life remains the same, it is still difficult,” she said.

Langayen said she hopes to earn enough money abroad to repair the dilapidated hut that her husband built for their family and to send her two children to school until they finish college. 

While the peace talks hang in the balance, Langayen said she continues to dream that the nightmare will be over when she returns to Mamasapano. – Ferdh Cabrera 

LONDON, United Kingdom – Muslim women who fail to learn English to a high enough standard could face deportation from Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron announced Monday, January 18.

He said lack of language skills could make Muslims in Britain more vulnerable to the message of extremist groups.

"I am not saying there is some sort of causal connection between not speaking English and becoming an extremist, of course not," he told BBC radio. 

"But if you are not able to speak English, not able to integrate, you may find therefore you have challenges understanding what your identity is and therefore you could be more susceptible to the extremist message."

 Cameron's comments came as his center-right Conservatives launched a £20 million (*$28.5 million) language fund for women in isolated communities as part of a drive to build community integration.

Immigration rules already force spouses to speak English before they come to Britain to live with their partners.

But Cameron said they would also face further tests after two and a half years in the country to make sure their language skills were improving.

"You can't guarantee you will be able to stay if you are not improving your language," he told BBC radio. "People coming to our country, they have responsibilities too."

Cameron's government estimates that around 190,000 Muslim women in England – about 22 percent – speak little or no English.

There are estimated to be around 2.7 million Muslims in England out of a total population of some 53 million.

Cameron's comments drew criticism from Muslim groups and opposition parties.

Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, which campaigns for better community relations, accused Cameron of "disgraceful stereotyping."

"David Cameron and his Conservative government are once again using British Muslims as a political football to score cheap points to appear tough," he added.

Andy Burnham, home affairs spokesman for the main opposition Labour party, accused Cameron of a "clumsy and simplistic approach" which was "unfairly stigmatising a whole community." – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Monday, January 18, named three gunmen who killed at least 29 people in an attack on a top hotel in Burkina Faso, including several foreigners.

AQIM said the hotel attacked on Friday night, the four-star Splendid Hotel, was "one of the most dangerous dens of global espionage in the west of the African continent," according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.

The three gunmen were identified in the statement as Battar al-Ansari, Abu Muhammad al-Buqali al-Ansari and Ahmed al-Fulani al-Ansari.

AQIM also published photos of the three young men dressed in military fatigues and wielding weapons.

The operation, claimed by AQIM in the early hours of Saturday morning while the attack was still ongoing, was a "drop in the sea of global jihad," the statement said.

In their earlier statement, AQIM said the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of notorious Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

Authorities in Burkina Faso have already said that the bodies of three assailants had been identified.

However, several witnesses said they saw more than three attackers and a manhunt is still underway for accomplices. 

Burkinabe authorities have given differing tolls for the number of foreigners killed -- either 14 or 15 depending on the source.

Highlighting the fragile security situation, an elderly Australian couple were kidnapped on Friday in Burkina Faso's northern Baraboule region, near the border with Niger and Mali. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines said Monday, January 18, it would install a civilian flight-tracking system in the disputed South China Sea after China landed several aircraft on one of its man-made islands in the potential flashpoint region.

The automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) machine, which detects aircraft positions using satellite signals, will be operational by November on Pagasa island, the biggest Filipino-occupied feature in the disputed Spratlys, said Rodante Joya, acting director of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

An average of 200 civilian flights pass over the Spratlys daily, Joya told AFP, adding the Pagasa surveillance system was part of a broader 10-billion-peso ($209 million) effort to expand the country's commercial flight radar coverage to 80 percent from the current 30 percent.

"Our objective is to track all commercial flights passing over our airspace," Joya said, adding the radars would not be used to monitor military aircraft.

China has built massive structures over South China Sea reefs claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan, including a 3,000-metre (9,842-foot) runway on Fiery Cross reef.

The Philippines has expressed concern that China's test landings on Fiery Cross reef earlier this month would lay the groundwork for the declaration of an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) similar to the one Beijing claimed over the East China Sea in 2013 that riled Japan.

Joya said a CAAP plane received a radio message as it was about to land on Pagasa island on January 6, warning against landing in "Chinese territory". 

The message, which was in English, appeared to have been taped, he said. The Filipino crew ignored the message and proceeded to land and survey the site for the plane-tracking ADS-B machine.

Presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma told reporters the Philippine foreign affairs department has been informed of the incident.

The Philippines has asked a United Nations-backed tribunal to declare China's sea claims as invalid and expects a decision early this year. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte met with  the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), the country's second largest political party, on Monday, January 18, to talk about his platform for the 2016 elections.

The meeting did not lead to an immediate endorsement from the NPC, but Duterte is the last presidential bet the party intends to consult with before finally announcing its favored candidate.

NPC spokesman and Quezon First District Representative Mark Enverga said the meeting with Duterte wraps up NPC’s consultation with presidential candidates.

“We’ve been inviting all presidential candidates to hear their platforms so...it took a while before we had a chance to meet with Mayor Duterte,” he told media.

The consultation is part of a larger selection process that is supposed to culminate in NPC’s announcement of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Final decision

Enverga said that by the start of the campaign season on February 9, NPC should have announced its picks. 

He said the party has created an Executive Committee composed of 15 members tasked with making the final decision.

“We have members from Congress, former members who are with us in the committee. So it will take some time. Mayor Duterte would be the last for NPC to interview and interact with. So now, maybe the Executive Committee can really sit down and discuss on the possibility of whom to support in 2016,” explained Enverga.

NPC created the committee after realizing it faced a "difficult" scenario with some of its members choosing candidates for "personal reasons, personal attachments," said Enverga.

After the Executive Committee decides on the presidential bet, it will move on to choosing the vice-presidential candidate. NPC may choose to support a tandem or it could be a “split” decision with the candidates coming from different tandems or parties.

Asked what the party looks for in its candidate of choice, Enverga said, “Integrity, clear platform of economic development for the country, a government that will be reactive to the people’s needs.”

The candidates’ performance in election surveys would also be a factor.

“We would want the leader we will be choosing to be one of the top choices of the Filipino people. But not necessarily the number one. It doesn't work that way for us,” said Enverga.

Duterte is among the top 3 presidential candidates in two recent voter preference surveys. In the January SWS survey, he was statistically tied with Manuel "Mar" Roxas II in 3rd place. In the December Pulse Asia survey, he shared 2nd place with Grace Poe.

'No expectations'

“We were not talking of a political arrangement. Congressmen just wanted to be educated about my stand in governance,” Duterte told reporters in the NPC’s clubhouse in Quezon City where he met with the party’s officers and members on Monday.

Among the topics thoroughly discussed during the two-hour meeting were Duterte’s focus on peace and order, his fight against corruption and drugs, the situation in Mindanao, and his advocacy for a federal form of government. 

Duterte described the meeting as “jovial and sometimes serious,” given the heavy topics on the agenda.

He said he arrived at the gathering with no expectations. 

“I was not really expecting anything – an endorsement, being adopted as a presidential candidate. It’s really their call, not mine,” he said.

The Davao mayor also found that some NPC congressmen agree with his push for federalism, a form of government that gives more autonomy and resources to local government units.

Enverga confirmed this, but said other congressman needed more time to study federalism and its potential impact on the country.

Duterte explained that it was Davao First District Representative Karlo Nograles, son of his political rival and former Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr, who arranged his meeting with the NPC. 

The idea was for Duterte to present his “program of governance, not really me as a candidate,” he said.

NPC leaders

NPC, with its nationwide machinery and large membership, would be a boost to Duterte's campaign. The Davao City mayor admits he needs campaign funds.

NPC leaders and congressmen representing districts in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao attended the meeting with Duterte.

Present were NPC president and Isabela Representative Giorgidi Aggabao, NPC chairman and Isabela Governor Faustino Dy Jr.

Also in attendance were Representatives Sherwin Gatchalian (Valenzuela City), Pryde Henry Teves (Negros Oriental), and Susan Yap (Tarlac), among others.

Gatchalian is part of the senatorial slate of Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz” Escudero – the tandem that many believe the NPC would support.

The meeting is held on the eve of the Supreme Court oral arguments on the disqualification cases against the presidential candidacy of Poe.  

But Duterte also faces the possibility of disqualification after petitions were submitted to the Commission on Elections seeking to nullify his candidacy. 

NPC was part of Team PNoy in 2013, the administration coalition that fielded a shared senatorial slate in the last national elections. The NPC has also helped pass priority administration measures.

The political party was founded by Aquino’s uncle, businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, when he ran for president in 1992.

But Enverga said that while Cojuangco is the party’s chairman emeritus, he no longer participates in the party’s decision-making process on which candidates to support. – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – There is no reason to stop clinical trials in France, the country's health minister said Monday, January 18, despite the death of a man during testing for a new drug.

"There is a major problem – massive, unprecedented in France – and we must understand what happened, but there is nothing to justify stopping clinical trials," Marisol Touraine told France's RTL radio. 

Touraine voiced concern that she was only informed of the accident four days after the patient, who eventually died, was rushed to hospital.

"A quicker alert would have been appreciated," she said.

"Faced with such a serious situation, we would expect the laboratory to approach the health authorities more quickly."

Six people were hospitalized after taking part in a Phase I trial for a new pain and mood disorder medication being tested by French laboratory Biotrial on behalf of Portuguese pharmaceutical company Bial.

One died on Sunday, January 17, after being rendered brain dead. The other 5, aged 28 to 49, were said to be in stable condition.

"The molecule was produced by a Hungarian company and conditioned by an Italian enterprise," Bial said, adding that both were certified by the EU.

A total of 108 volunteers took part in the trial, 90 of whom received the drug at varying doses while the rest were given placebos. Those hospitalized had received the highest dose.

Three separate probes have been launched to determine whether the tragedy was caused by a procedural error or by the substance being tested.

The minister said she expected results from at least one of the probes by the end of January.

Biotrial, which has been carrying out drug trials since 1989, said Sunday that the situation is "even more upsetting given that there is as yet no explanation." – Rappler.com

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Mexican prosecutors have formally asked actress Kate del Castillo to testify on her links with drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, authorities said Monday, January 18.

The US-Mexican star has come under scrutiny since it was revealed last week that she exchanged affectionate text messages with Guzman and brokered a meeting between the Sinaloa drug cartel honcho and US actor Sean Penn.

An official at the attorney general's office told Agence France-Presse that the request for Del Castillo to testify as a witness was sent over the weekend.

Since Del Castillo lives in Los Angeles, Attorney General Arely Gomez told El Universal newspaper the actress could give her testimony to investigators at the Mexican consulate in the California city.

Officials told Agence France-Presse last week that investigators wanted to speak to Penn and Del Castillo about their meeting with Guzman, but only the actress has been formally approached.

El Universal published on Monday alleged text messages between Del Castillo and Guzman's attorney, Andres Granados, in which they appeared to discuss the possibility of the drug lord investing in her tequila company, Honor Del Castillo.

A federal government official confirmed to Agence France-Presse the authenticity of the text messages written in April and July, before Guzman escaped from prison on July 11.

Mexican law considers financial transactions with illegally-acquired funds as constituting money laundering. 

The US Treasury Department forbids American citizens and companies from conducting financial transactions with designated drug suspects.

Last week, another set of texts leaked to the media showed that Guzman and Del Castillo exchanged warm messages between September and November.

Del Castillo, 43, who is famous for her role as a drug lord in the TV show "Queen of the South," wrote on Twitter last week that the reports about her "aren't truthful."

Guzman, 58, was recaptured in a military raid on January 8 in Guzman's northwestern home state of Sinaloa.

Authorities say the discovery of Guzman's meeting with the actors in October, subsequent military operations in his mountain stronghold and the drug lord's desire to see Del Castillo again contributed to his arrest.

New text messages

In the text messages published by El Universal on Monday, the lawyer allegedly tells the actress he wants to talk to Guzman about her tequila company.

"Who knows (maybe) he's interested and you become partners," the lawyer writes. The actress answers: "Incredible!!!"

Officials said last week that authorities were investigating the "actions" that took place during the meeting with Guzman, not people directly.

Alejandro Hope, a security analyst and former Mexican intelligence agency official, said prosecutors have to find evidence of a monetary transaction in order to charge someone of a financial crime.

Otherwise, Hope told Agence France-Presse, "there is nothing, there is no crime."

An individual also has "no obligation" to tell the authorities the whereabouts of a fugitive, he said. 

In Del Castillo's case, she apparently did not know the exact location of the meeting with Guzman, which Penn described in a Rolling Stone article as a "jungle" clearing. – Leticia Pineda, AFP / Rappler.com