PARIS, France – French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, December 16, celebrated his birthday at the iconic chateau of King Francois I, a choice denounced by critics as an example of how he is "cut off from the people."

Macron, who turns 40 on Thursday, is spending the weekend with his wife Brigitte and extended family at the chateau of Chambord in France's Loire Valley, the French daily La Nouvelle Republique reported.

With its fairy tale facade, elaborately turreted roofline and vast grounds, Chambord is probably the valley's best-known Renaissance chateau, located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Paris.

Macron and his family will stay at one of the cottages on the vast estate, French media said, with a birthday gala to be held Saturday evening in one of the castle's 440 rooms.

The estate has several 4-star guest houses which can be rented for 800 to 1,000 euros ($950 to $1,200) per weekend.

The Elysee Palace said Macron and his wife were using private funds to pay for their stay.  

But the choice of venue was still criticised by some French politicians.

"Why is he celebrating his birthday at Chambord?" asked radical-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, quoted in the newspaper Le Figaro.  

"What a strange idea! I am so republican that everything about royal symbols exasperates me, I find it ridiculous," he said.

"While the French suffer from taxes, insecurity, immigration, Macron celebrates his 40th birthday at Chambord," rightwing politician Nicolas Dupont-Aignan said on Twitter.

"Eras go by but the oligarchy remains cut off from the people," he said.

The 'pharaonic' president

Commissioned nearly 500 years ago by King Francois I (1494-1547), the immense chateau remains the largest of the Loire grand estates, boasting 365 chimneys and a 5,500-hectare (21-square mile) estate.

It also has boasts the largest enclosed forest park in Europe, a long-time favourite for presidential hunts.

The chateau, which attracts some two million visitors each year, has been listed as a regional UNESCO World Heritage cultural site.

Macron, a media darling during his campaign, has seen his image as a monarchical or even "pharaonic" leader climb from the night of his election, which featured a theatrical production at the foot of the Louvre pyramid in Paris.

Several newspapers have also expressed unease over the growing concentration of power in the presidency, and critics have said his use of executive orders to ram through landmark reform in September did not help matters.

In July, the cover of the left-wing Liberation newspaper mockingly depicted him as Jupiter, the Roman king of gods, and accused him of failing to share power – an accusation echoed by Le Monde daily.

Jupiter is now regularly used by Macron's critics who accuse his centrist government of favoring the rich.

The president also on Saturday visited Beauval Zoo, home to France's first panda cub, which Brigitte baptised -- becoming the fluffy bear's "godmother" -- earlier in the month.

Macron, his wife and several relatives went to the zoo in the village Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher after having lunch at the nearby Le Bacchus restaurant, an AFP correspondent said.

Brigitte, in one of her most high-profile outings since her husband's election, cooed over the panda cub at a ceremony on December 4 before a Chinese minister unveiled its name as Yuan Meng, which means "making a dream come true" in Chinese. 

The French first lady became "godmother" of the panda, along with her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuan. – Rappler.com

UNITED NATIONS – The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution finding any change to the status of Jerusalem has no legal effect and must be reversed, after the US recognized the city as Israel's capital.

Egypt circulated the draft text on Saturday, December 16, and diplomats said the council could vote on the proposed measure as early as Monday, December 18.

Breaking with the international consensus, US President Donald Trump this month announced that he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, sparking protests and strong condemnation.

The draft resolution obtained by Agence France-Presse stresses that Jerusalem is an issue "to be resolved through negotiations" and expresses "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem," without specifically mentioning Trump's move.

"Any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition" of Jerusalem "have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded," it says.

Diplomats said they expected the United States to use its veto power to block the measure while most, if not all, of the 14 other council members were expected to back the draft resolution.

US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Jerusalem on Wednesday, December 20, wading into the crisis over one of the most controversial issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel seized control of the eastern part of the city in the 1967 Middle East war and sees the whole of Jerusalem as its undivided capital. The Palestinians view the east as the capital of their future state.

No embassies in Jerusalem

The draft resolution calls on all countries to refrain from opening embassies in Jerusalem, reflecting concerns that other governments could follow the US lead.

It demands that all member-states not recognize any actions that are contrary to UN resolutions on the status of the city.

Several UN resolutions call on Israel to withdraw from territory seized during the 1967 war and have reaffirmed the need to end the occupation of that land.

The Palestinians had sought a toughly-worded draft resolution that would have directly called on the US administration to scrap its decision.

But some US allies on the council such as Britain, France, Egypt, Japan and Ukraine were reluctant to be too hard-hitting and insisted that the proposed measure should reaffirm the position enshrined in current resolutions, diplomats said.

Backed by Muslim countries, the Palestinians are expected to turn to the UN General Assembly to adopt a resolution rejecting the US decision, if, as expected, the measure is vetoed by the United States at the council.

Aside from the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia can veto any resolution presented at the council, which requires nine votes for adoption. – Rappler.com

LOS ANGELES, USA – Evacuation orders were issued Saturday, December 16, for areas in California's Santa Barbara County as the state battles its third-largest wildfire since 1932, with winds and dry conditions threatening to help the blaze grow.

Santa Barbara's Office of Emergency Management announced a series of mandatory evacuation orders as well as voluntary evacuation warnings for parts of the county on its Twitter account.

The OEM said that "due to extreme traffic on the County Website it has shut down."

The so-called Thomas fire menacing Santa Barbara has already burned 259,000 acres (105,000 hectares) of land, destroyed over 1,000 structures and cost more than $100 million since it broke out on December 4, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said.

Conditions including winds, dry fuel and low humidity "will continue to support fire growth," Cal Fire said.

More than 8,000 people are involved in battling the blaze, which is now 40 percent contained.

Cal Fire also warned that conditions were ripe for new wildfires to emerge.

"Over the weekend winds across northern California are expected to reach 30-40 MPH (48-64 kilometers per hour). Wildfires can strike anywhere at any time," it warned in a Facebook post.

Only two fires have burned more acreage in California so far this century: the Cedar Fire of 2003, and the Rush Fire of 2012, which scorched 273,246 and 271,911, respectively.

Cal Fire's list of the top 20 largest wildfires in the state dates back to 1932, as earlier records "are less reliable, and this list is meant to give an overview of the large fires in more recent times," it says.

The Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 reportedly burned 300,000 acres, which would make it the largest.

A series of fires broke out in California this month, most of which have since been contained.

The Thomas fire is the only one to have resulted in deaths.

San Diego-based Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson died fighting the Thomas fire in Ventura County, while a 70-year-old woman was killed in an accident as she fled in her car.

This year is the worst on record for wildfire devastation in California.

California Governor Jerry Brown has said that the wildfires ravaging his state should serve as a warning to parts of the world threatened by climate change.

"The important fact is that these fires are going to become a very frequent occurrence. That's what the science is telling us," Brown said.

"It's a real indicator of bad things to come, and hopefully will serve to wake up people who right now are too complacent." – Rappler.com

LONDON, United Kingdom – British Prime Minister Theresa May has hit back at critics of her handling of Brexit, writing in the Sunday Telegraph that she had "proven the doubters wrong" after securing an interim deal.

Pressure lifted on the embattled leader after she struck a deal with the European Union over Britain's divorce terms last Friday, December 15, enabling talks to turn to the country's future trading relationship after months of fraught negotiations.

"We have proven the doubters wrong and are making progress towards a successful exit from the EU," she wrote in the centre-right broadsheet, calling the agreement "a watershed" in negotiations. 

"Amid all the noise, we are getting on with the job," she added. "We will not be derailed from this fundamental duty to deliver the democratic will of the British people."

The prime minister said it was important to work out the exact terms of an implementation period, designed to soften the effects of Brexit after the March 2019 leave date, "as soon as possible... to provide invaluable certainty for employers."

She also played down fears of Brexit voters that Britain would end up being bound by EU rules, insisting that the country would regain "control of our borders, and set our own laws".

However, prominent Brexit campaigners in her own cabinet appeared concerned that Britain would be restricted by EU rules during the transition period, which is expected to last for around two years.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told the Sunday Times that Britain risked becoming a "vassal state" of Europe if it did not fully leave the jurisdiction of European courts or the customs union, which would prevent it from striking trade deals with other countries.

His comments came shortly after finance minister Philip Hammond said Britain would "effectively replicate the status quo" during the transition period, highlighting May's task in uniting her cabinet ahead of the second phase of negotiations.

She also faces battles with her own MPs, 11 of whom rebelled last week to deliver the government a damaging parliamentary defeat on the bill that will enshrine Brexit into domestic law

A BMG Research poll for The Independent newspaper on Sunday found 51 percent of Britons now favored staying in the EU compared with 41 percent who backed Brexit, the widest margin since the June 2106 vote – although the poll was carried out before the interim deal was announced. – Rappler.com

NEW YORK CITY, USA – The Boeing 747, the original jumbo jet that was the favorite American presidents and key to affordable mass market air travel in the United States, will pass into aviation history this week.

Nearly 50 years after the its debut, the 747 will take its final commercial flight with an American carrier Tuesday, December 19, on Delta Air Lines' Seoul-to-Detroit route. 

It "made flying available for everyone," said Boeing chief company historian Michael Lombardi said of the iconic jet. "The 747 gave wings to the world."

Aerospace consultant Michel Merluzeau said the plane changed travel. "All of a sudden, you could go from Singapore to London in less than 24 hours. It made everything more accessible."

Delta's sendoff for the storied aircraft includes special flights on Wednesday for employees and top customers. Ticket prices for these "farewell tour" flights have soared owing to demand from nostalgic consumers.

The 747 will still be in the skies for Lufthansa, British Airways and Korean Air Lines. 

And Boeing also will still build the jet as a freight carrier and for a few unique clients, including the US president, who has used a specially-outfitted 747 as Air Force One since 1990.

But the American aerospace giant has been shifting to more fuel-efficient models for commercial travel.

Original 'jumbo jet'

"The 747 was a major milestone in the history of flight," said Bob Van der Linden, curator of the aeronautics department at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. 

"It's big, very comfortable, beautiful, it has a staircase on it," Van der Linden added. "It's a symbol of economic power."

Nicknamed the original "jumbo jet" because of the huge hump, the plane is able to carry upwards of 600 passengers.

Its origins date to the early 1960s when Boeing's then chief Bill Allen was approached by Juan Trippe, head of now-defunct Pan Am Airlines, to build a bigger plane to address the growing problem of airport crowding. 

Boeing originally considered a double-decker aircraft, but the companies concluded that it would be difficult to evacuate passengers in case of an emergency, opting instead for a twin-aisle "wide body" design.

The next challenge, Lombardi said, was to commit enough resources to the program at a time when Boeing already was building other aircraft such as the 707 and the new 727, while also working on the Apollo space program. 

Lacking construction capacity to manufacturer the new behemoth, Boeing built a new assembly plant in the northwestern state of Washington state.

"There is always a calculated risk launching a new commercial plane," Lombardi said. "The customer was interested and the leader here at Boeing saw that there was a future for this plane."

Since its debut in February 1969, more than 1,500 of the 747s have been delivered, and 500 are still in service, according to Flightglobal Ascend. 

As it began to phase out the 747, Boeing has downsized its aircraft. The 777, introduced in 1995, is smaller, seating up to 550 and requires less fuel because of its two engines.

"Frankly we really don't see much demand for really big airplanes," Randy Tinseth, Boeing vice president of marketing, said in June.

"There will be just a handful moving forward. Things we do for VIPs, things we do for the president, military operations, but we don't see a significant demand for passenger 747s." – Rappler.com

SYDNEY, Australia – A Sydney-based "loyal agent of North Korea" has been charged with trying to sell missile parts and technology on the black market to raise money for Pyongyang in breach of international sanctions, Australian police said Sunday, December 17.

The 59-year-old naturalized Australian citizen of Korean descent was attempting to broker illicit deals that could have generated "tens of millions of dollars" for North Korea, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.

The man was involved in discussions to set up a ballistic missile production facility and the supply of missile construction plans in addition to components, software and the transfer of technical expertise from Pyongyang, police alleged.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan told reporters the case was "like nothing we have ever seen on Australian soil", alleging that the man was in contact with high-ranking North Korean officials.

"This man is a loyal agent of North Korea, believing he was acting to serve some higher patriotic purpose."

The alleged agent's plans did not involve other governments or officials, police said. Authorities did not reveal which individuals or entities the man was allegedly trying to trade with.

North Korea is under tough United Nations sanctions aimed at choking off revenue to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

"This is a very important arrest, the charges laid are the greatest nature," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.

"It is vitally important that all nations ... enforce those sanctions."

The man, who has lived in Australia for three decades, allegedly used encrypted communication services to facilitate the attempted trades, which included the transfer of coal from North Korea to entities in Indonesia and Vietnam.

He is in custody and faces a total of six charges, with maximum penalties of up to 10 years in jail.

Investigators would not rule out further charges, and are probing other attempted commodity trades involving oil and gemstones.

This is the first time charges have been laid for breaches under Canberra's Weapons of Mass Destruction Act and for violating UN sanctions against North Korea in Australia.

Global anxiety about North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's authoritarian government has steadily risen this year, with Washington calling on other UN members to cut ties with Pyongyang in order to squeeze the secretive regime. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The number of stranded passengers due to tropical depression Urduja (Kai-tak) rose to 16,449 as of Sunday morning, December 17. 

The Philippine Coast Guard said passengers in the following regions were affected: National Capital Region, eastern and southern Visayas, Bicol, and Southern Tagalog. 

At least 118 vessels, 1,711 rolling cargoes, and 37 motor bancas were also stranded, according to the coast guard. 

UPDATE as of 8AM today, 17 December. Stranded due to #TDUrduja in the affected areas of NCR, Eastern & Southern Visayas, Bicol and Southern Tagalog; Passengers–16,449 Vessels– 118, Rolling Cargoes-1,711 and motor bancas-37. pic.twitter.com/Gn4u8Pqd0b

— PhilippineCoastGuard (@PhilCoastGuard1) December 17, 2017

Urduja has left at least 3 people dead and 6 others missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). It had made landfall in San Policarpo, Eastern Samar early Saturday afternoon, December 16.

Urduja weakened late Sunday morning.  It was at the vicinity of Mobo, Masbate, moving west southwest at 15 kilometers per hour (km/h) as of 11 am. (READ: EXPLAINER: How tropical cyclones form) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Several domestic flights were cancelled Sunday, December 17, as Tropical Depression Urduja (Kai-tak) continues to bring bad weather in parts of the Visayas.

Here are the cancelled flights to and from Manila on Sunday, according to the Manila International Airport Authority.

Cebu Pacific
5J 321/322 Manila-Legazpi-Manila
5J 821/822 Manila-Virac-Manila
5J 901/902 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
5J 905/906 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
5J 891/892 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
5J 375/376 Manila-Roxas-Manila
5J 895/896 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
5J 899/900 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
5J 339/340 Manila-Kalibo-Manila

CebGo
DG 6031/6032 Manila-San Jose-Manila
DG 6111/6112 Manila-Naga-Manila
DG 6041/6042 Manila-Busuanga-Manila
DG 6055/6056 Manila-Busuanga-Manila
DG 6113/6114 Manila-Naga-Manila
DG 6117/6118 Manila-Naga-Manila
DG 6177/6178 Manila-Masbate-Manila
DG 6073/6074 Manila-Tablas-Manila

PAL Express
2P 2981/2982 Manila-Tacloban-Manila
2P 2203/2204 Manila-Roxas-Manila
2P 2921/2922 Manila-Legazpi-Manila
2P 2043/2044 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
2P 2041/2042 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
2P 2053/2054 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
2P 2031/2032 Manila-Busuanga-Manila

Philippines AirAsia
Z2 715/716 Manila-Kalibo-Manila
Z2 711/712 Manila-Kalibo-Manila
Z2 709/710 Manila-Kalibo-Manila
Z2 219/220 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
Z2 221/222 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
Z2 223/224 Manila-Caticlan-Manila

SkyJet
M8 715/716 Manila-Busuanga-Manila

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The number of injuries due to the onslaught of storm Urduja (Kai-tak) is now at 19, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Sunday, December 17.

The injuries were sustained mostly from falling debris, vehicular accidents, and landslides, according to Romina Marasigan, spokesperson of the NDRRMC, based on a report of the Department of Health (DOH).

Three others were earlier reported dead on Saturday, December 16. Marasigan said the government is still collating reports from the ground. 

She added that most of the landslides were minor but they are still waiting for other reports to come in. "We are looking into this. We are trying to get details," she said.

Urduja was hardly moving for a couple of days in the eastern seaboard of the Visayas, dumping rains that caused massive flooding.

"Scattered to widespread 'yung rains na naranasan natin so talagang malaking mga areas talaga ang binaha. Hindi ba naging almost stationary 'yung bagyo, kaya malaking lugar talaga 'yung binaha," Marasigan said.

(The rains were scattered to widespread, causing flooding in various areas. Urduja was almost stationary so it really caused floods)

Urduja, a tropical storm which has since weakened into a tropical depression, maintained its strength as it moved in the vicinity of Romblon early Sunday afternoon after weakening in the morning.

It still has maximum winds of 55 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gustiness of up to 90 km/h. Fewer areas are under signal number 1. (READ: EXPLAINER: How tropical cyclones form) – Rappler.com

QUETTA, Pakistan (4th UPDATE) – At least 8 people were killed and 30 wounded when two suicide bombers attacked a church in Pakistan during a service Sunday, December 17, just over a week before Christmas, police said.

Two women were among the dead at a Methodist church in the restive southwestern city of Quetta in Balochistan province, said provincial Home Secretary Akbar Harifal.

Several of the wounded were in serious condition, police added.

Officials said security forces intercepted and shot one bomber outside but the second attacker managed to reach the church's main door where he blew himself up.

"Police were quick to react and stop the attackers from entering into the main hall," provincial police chief Moazzam Jah told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Balochistan provincial home minister Sarfraz Bugti said around 250 people normally attend the church on Sundays, but the congregation had swelled to around 400 because it was close to Christmas.

"God forbid, if the terrorists had succeeded in their plans more than 400 precious lives would have been at stake," tweeted the home minister.

An AFP reporter at the scene saw shattered pews, shoes and broken musical instruments littered across the blood-smeared floor of the church.

No group has claimed the attack.

Christians make up an estimated 1.6% of Pakistan's 200 million people and have long faced discrimination – sidelined into lowly paid jobs and sometimes the target of trumped-up blasphemy charges.

Along with other religious minorities, the community has also been hit by Islamic militants over the years.

In 2016 Lahore suffered one of Pakistan's deadliest attacks during the Easter season – a suicide bomb in a park that killed more than 70 people including many children.

The bombing was later claimed by the Jamaat ul Ahrar faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

Police and troops have been battling Islamist and nationalist insurgencies in mineral-rich Balochistan for more than a decade.

Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is the largest of the country's 4 provinces but its roughly 7 million inhabitants have long argued they do not get a fair share of its vast gas and mineral wealth.

Efforts to promote peace and development have reduced the violence considerably in recent years.

The push includes ongoing work on a mammoth Chinese infrastructure project – the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor – which will provide Beijing with a modern-day Silk Road to the Arabian Sea through Balochistan's deep-sea port of Gwadar. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The camp of Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Sunday, December 17, reiterated that the allegations thrown against her during recent impeachment hearings were "personal and administrative matters" and are not impeachable offenses.

In a statement on Sunday, Sereno's spokesperson Winnie Salumbides said the testimonies of SC Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Francis Jardeleza, and Noel Tijam, as well as that of retired associate justice Arturo Brion, were "personal and administrative matters that have been threshed out by the Supreme Court en banc, as these primarily pertained to its own internal rules."

"We go back to the crucial question: are those really impeachable offenses? Definitely they are not," he said.

This week, De Castro, Jardeleza, Tijam, and Brion stood as witnesses in an impeachment complaint filed against Sereno.

Sereno's camp noted that statements made inside and outside the hearings of the House justice committee "were purely hearsay, personal opinions, innuendos, and optics to persuade the public into thinking that there's basis to oust the Chief Justice."

Aside from the 4 justices, there were also reports that SC Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has yet to decide on whether he will appear in the impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives.

"Everyday they float new names and personalities of those who are supposed to testify against the Chief Justice," Salumbides said.

He added: "People can only conclude that this is all part of the propaganda to make it appear that Chief Justice Sereno is losing support among her colleagues in the Supreme Court."

Salumbides then urged the House justice committee to expedite the impeachment proceedings and transmit the appropriate articles to the Senate, which would sit as an impeachment court.

"If some members of the panel feel there's 'overwhelming' evidence against the Chief Justice, they should simply elevate the proceedings to the Senate. There is no good reason to delay," he said.

But as it is, Salumbides noted, the committee still wants to build up the complaint filed by Larry Gadon "as some members probably know that the allegations are baseless and will not prosper." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Sunday, December 17, said the Philippine government's decision not to declare a suspension of military operations (SOMO) with communist rebels during the Christmas season stays.

"Our defenders would not stand down as there has been call on the other side to launch offensives against state forces," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement on Sunday.

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he will not recommend a declaration of SOMO this year.

He said they "can always break" the military tradition of declaring a SOMO during holidays – a move also reciprocated by the New People's Army (NPA).

On Sunday, Roque said the Philippine government has "lost scores of our brave defenders" in the past, when the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) conducted "treacherous" attacks despite a unilateral ceasefire.

"Declaring a SOMO now is not to the nation's best interest as it would only expose our defenders to enemy attacks and embolden them to commit more atrocities, especially during their anniversary," he added.

But Roque said they do not "discount possibilities" that circumstances may arise for the government to "reconsider" its present position.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed a proclamation declaring the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization last December 5 – the same day Lorenzana announced the decision not to declare a holiday ceasefire with the communist rebels. – Rappler.com

MATNOG, Philippines (UPDATED) – Landslides triggered by Tropical Storm Urduja (Kai-Tak) have killed 26 people and 23 more are missing in the eastern Philippines, authorities said Sunday, December 17.

The deaths were reported in the small island province of Biliran, a day after the storm pounded the east of the archipelago nation.

Urduja tore across the major islands of Samar and Leyte on Saturday, December 16, toppling power lines in 39 towns or cities and damaging roads and bridges, the national disaster agency said.

Some 87,700 people were forced from their homes in the region. But the previous death toll had stood at just 3.

Sofronio Dacillo, provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the deaths occurred in 4 towns in Biliran at the weekend.

"Rocks as big as cars fell on concrete houses after 3 days of continuous, heavy rain," chief inspector Lilibeth Morillo, Biliran police information officer, told AFP as she described a landslide in the mountainous district of Lucsoon.

"There were 6 families living there but they did not evacuate," she said, adding 7 bodies were recovered in the area.

Gerardo Espina, governor of the island province just east of Leyte, gave the same overall death toll of 26 in an interview on ABS-CBN television. He said 23 people were missing.

The national disaster risk reduction agency could not immediately confirm if the 26 deaths included the initial 3 fatalities it announced on Saturday.

Urduja weakened on Sunday afternoon, with gusts of up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) an hour, and was downgraded to a tropical depression, state weather forecasters said.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he would soon fly to the storm-hit areas.

"There is so much destruction there. There are places where the bridge was destroyed and I would like to see for myself what government can do better," Duterte said in a speech.

Thousands stranded

Disaster officials warned that more floods and landslides were possible and said 15,500 passengers were stranded because ferry services remained suspended in parts of the region.

"I've been stranded for 3 days, sleeping in the bus, and I just want to get home to my family for Christmas," Eliaquin Pilapil, a 55-year-old farmer, told AFP from a port in the town of Matnog in the eastern province of Sorsogon.

The Christmas holidays are a busy travel season in the mainly Catholic Philippines, with people heading home to the provinces.

The nation is battered by about 20 major storms each year.

Samar and Leyte bore the brunt in 2013 of Super Typhoon Haiyan which left more than 7,350 people dead or missing.

In the Leyte city of Tacloban, Saturday's storm brought flash floods of up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) and strong winds that left the city without power and water, according to its disaster office chief.

"The storm moved so slowly that it brought so much rain to our city. The floods resulted from 4 days of rain," Ildebrando Bernadas, head of Tacloban's disaster risk reduction office, told AFP.

Bernadas said 82% of Tacloban's districts were flooded.

The storm also damaged farms and crops, bringing more misery to people who had been recovering from Haiyan's destruction.

"We had a phobia from (Haiyan) which destroyed our coconut trees. We planted lettuce and eggplant but the new storm took them away too. It's devastating," Remedios Serato, a 78-year-old farmer in Leyte, told AFP. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – The special counsel probing whether US President Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia  has unlawfully received tens of thousands of emails, a lawyer for Trump's transition alleges, according to US media.

In a letter to congressional committees, Kory Langhofer says the General Services Administration (GSA) "unlawfully produced" the private materials, including privileged communications which special counsel Robert Mueller then used as part of his Russia probe, Axios news site reported on Saturday, December 16.

GSA is the government agency which supports presidential transitions.

The accusations by Langhofer, representing Trump's transition team, are the latest by Republicans seeking to raise doubts about the credibility of Mueller's investigation, which has already led to charges against Trump's former national security advisor and 3 other people linked to the presidential campaign.

Langhofer wrote that Mueller's office "received from the GSA tens of thousands of emails, including a very significant volume of privileged material," according to a copy of the letter published by Politico.

The letter suggests that a warrant should have been obtained for such materials, and says that the incident undermines the Presidential Transition Act.

A spokesman for Mueller, Peter Carr, responded on Sunday, December 17, to the accusations, according to CNN.

"When we have obtained emails in the course of our ongoing criminal investigation, we have secured either the account owner's consent or appropriate criminal process," CNN quoted him as saying.

Reaction also came from California Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell.

"This is another attempt to discredit Mueller as his #TrumpRussia probe tightens," he said on Twitter, in response to the Langhofer accusations.

Some members of Trump's Republican party have already urged that a second special counsel be named to investigate Mueller's operation.

The special counsel's critics have seized upon the case of Peter Strzok, a senior FBI agent whom Mueller removed from his team for sending text messages critical of Trump.

In addition to whether Trump's campaign team colluded with Russia to help him win last year's election, the special counsel is also looking at possible obstruction of justice, after Trump fired FBI director James Comey.

Trump has repeatedly denied that there was any collusion. – Rappler.com

SANTIAGO, Chile – Chileans voted Sunday, December 17, in a presidential run-off election but the outcome of Sebastian Pinera's comeback bid is far from certain after an unexpected surge from the left.

About 14 million people are eligible to cast ballots at more than 43,000 polling stations which opened at 8 am local time (1100 GMT).

Pinera is a conservative billionaire who previously held the nation's highest office from 2010-2014.

He is trying to return as the successor to center-left incumbent Michelle Bachelet, who is constitutionally excluded from standing again.

But his plan could be upset by Alejandro Guillier, a senator and former TV presenter who is independent but supported by Bachelet.

In the first round, on November 19, Pinera went in as the runaway favorite – but then garnered a lower-than-expected 37% of the vote to Guillier's 22%.

Most problematically for Pinera, a surprising 20% of ballots went to anti-austerity radical-left candidate, Beatriz Sanchez, and many could now go Guillier's way.

"The election will probably come down to a difference of less than 20,000 votes," said political scientist Marcello Mella at the University of Santiago.

With a possibly tight race before them, both candidates fiercely wooed the electorate.

High turnout to help Guillier

A high turnout would benefit Guillier, analysts said.

Pinera, who is worth $2.7 billion according to Forbes magazine, has painted himself as the most experienced steward of the economy.

"I'm not promising heaven and earth, but I promise that Chile will grow robustly," he said in a debate.

Though copper exports, which contribute greatly to Chile's wealth, are increasing thanks to demand from China and from the burgeoning manufacture of electric cars, the country is struggling relative to previous years.

Its GDP, a major measure of economic performance, is forecast to expand a modest 1.4% this year, the slowest pace in 8 years.

Pinera, 68, and Guillier, 64, are also promising to expand free university tuition brought in under Bachelet – a measure with historical resonance in Chile because paid tuition was introduced under the 1973-1990 military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

For Pinera, the vow was a U-turn, contradicting an earlier statement he made that "free things mean less commitment."

Bachelet's exit will be her second as president. She became the country's first female head of state in 2006. Pinera took over in 2010. Then Bachelet returned in 2014.

Whoever wins Sunday's election will take office from March 2018 until 2022. – Rappler.com

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) is likely to get a representative from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

After revealing that he wants Efren Peñaflorida and Davao City's Randy Halasan to be part of the PCUP, President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday, December 17, that he is looking for a "bright" and "honest" person to represent the LGBT community in the PCUP.

"Kindly do it. I'll give you until second week of January," Duterte told a gathering of the LGBT community here in Davao City.

"Give me a bright person. He might be gay, [she] might be a lesbian. I'd like to nominate somebody to be [a] representative of the LGBT sector," he said.

Duterte made this announcement a couple of days after he said he would like Peñaflorida, 2009 CNN Hero of the Year, and Halasan, 2014 Ramon Magsaysay awardee, to join the PCUP.

The President had sacked officials of the PCUP, led by its chairman, former Kabataan representative Terry Ridon.

In a Christmas party Duterte hosted for Davao City-based media, he called Ridon "buang" (crazy) over the latter's overseas travels.

But Ridon said the trips were justified as they were approved by the President himself. – Rappler.com

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, December 17, threatened communist rebels whom he said were allegedly molesting women in the hinterlands.

Speaking at a gathering of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in Davao City, the President said he received reports that some of the rebels have been roaming around, "sexually abusing" women in the mountains.

"At 'yung iba ninanakaw ninyo ang asawa (They even steal wives)! Is that the kind of revolution? We have been fighting for 50 years,"  he said, referring to the New People's Army (NPA).

The President did not reveal where his information came from.

But Duterte, during his speech, warned the communist rebels that he would take a "strong" stand on the issue.

"If I catch you [doing that], I will treat you just like a drug lord – beyond that, you make your own guess," he said.

Duterte's latest tirade against the NPA comes after he signed a proclamation declaring it a terrorist organization.

Just recently, the President also cited atrocities committed by the NPA as one of the reasons why he wanted martial law to be extended in Mindanao. – Rappler.com

MIAMI, USA – SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship arrived on Sunday, December 17, at the International Space Station, carrying supplies and experiments for the astronauts in orbit.

"Capture confirmed," a NASA commentator said at 5:57 am (10:57 GMT), when the space station's robotic arm, operated by one of its astronauts, attached itself to the cargo ship as it floated over Australia and Papua New Guinea.

"It's a great day to see Dragon back at ISS again," said another NASA commentator.

The recycled spaceship blasted off on Friday, December 15, carrying 4,800 pounds (2,200 kilograms) of food, supplies and experiments – including one to study thyroid cancer and another to grow barley in space.

{source}<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Critical science &amp; supplies are making their final approach to <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a>’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dragon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dragon</a> cargo vehicle. Watch: <a href="https://t.co/ZuxLDtzW9c">https://t.co/ZuxLDtzW9c</a> <a href="https://t.co/QeRKoYcr1r">pic.twitter.com/QeRKoYcr1r</a></p>&mdash; NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/942344314444660739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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It was the first time SpaceX launched both a rocket and a cargo ship that have flown before.

Three minutes after launch the booster and second stage of the rocket separated.

The second stage continued to propel the Dragon toward the International Space Station, while the rocket booster landed upright on solid ground at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The California-based SpaceX company headed by Internet tycoon Elon Musk aims to lower the cost of spaceflight by reusing costly rocket components.

It was the 14th recovery of a booster for SpaceX this year.

The Dragon cargo ship previously flew to the ISS in 2015.

NASA is SpaceX's most important customer, and this mission is SpaceX's 13th of 20 under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

The arrival comes as a 3-man space crew featuring American and Japanese rookie astronauts as well as an experienced Russian cosmonaut blasted off from Kazakhstan on Sunday for a 6-month mission at the International Space Station. – Rappler.com

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – In the same year he rejected the idea of same-sex marriage in the Philippines, could President Rodrigo Duterte be changing his mind?

Addressing a gathering of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in Davao City on Sunday, December 17, Duterte clarified that he has nothing against same-sex marriage, but the law must be amended.

"Ako gusto ko, same-sex marriage. Ang problema, we'll have to change the law, but we can change the law," he said as the crowd applauded.

(I want same-sex marriage. The problem is, we'll have to change the law, but we can change the law.)

Back in March, Duterte himself said the country cannot legalize same-sex marriage, citing the Civil Code.

Following that, Senator Risa Hontiveros took a swipe at Duterte in June, saying the President has failed the LGBT community with his "macho politics."

But with his pronouncement on Sunday, will Duterte fulfill one of his campaign promises?

Since the 2016 campaign period, the President has said he supports the LGBT community. According to Duterte, the LGBT community is on equal footing with the rest of society in his hometown of Davao City.

In Davao City, he once told TV host Vice Ganda, "No gay person is disrespected. Because I don't like oppression." – Rappler.com

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey on Sunday, December 17, slammed the incoming Austrian government, a coalition between conservatives and the far-right, for "discrimination" and "racist approaches" after its program pledged Vienna would not agree to Ankara joining the EU.

The landmark coalition deal, marking the return to power in Austria of the Freedom Party (FPOe), has sparked ripples of concern throughout Europe after a year of successes for far-right movements.

The chancellor-elect, Sebastian Kurz of the conservative People's Party (OeVP), already has a deeply-fractious relationship with Ankara due to his staunch opposition to Turkey's EU bid while serving as foreign minister.

"This baseless and short-sighted statement in the new Austrian government's program unfortunately confirms concerns about a political trend based on discrimination and marginalization," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik meanwhile said the incoming Austrian government had "started attacking fundamental democratic values without delay."

In a barrage of tweets, he said Kurz was "even more radical than the far right".

Slamming the EU for not condemning the government program, he said: "Ignoring the racist approaches in the Austrian government program... is a weakness."

"Islamophobic, antisemitic, xenophobic and anti-migrant parties are on the rise. Now this movement is in power in Austria," Celik said. "Austria should draw lessons from recent history."

Accusing the incoming government of "dishonesty", the Turkish foreign ministry warned that if realized, the program would bring Austria "to the brink of losing Turkey's friendship" and be met with "the reaction that it deserves".

Turkey's decades-long ambition to join the EU has hit the buffers in recent months as the bloc sounded the alarm over the crackdown that followed the 2016 coup bid aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

While Austria has called for the accession process to be formally halted, this has met with opposition from key EU members, notably Germany.

Meeting Erdogan on his trip to Greece earlier this month – the first by a Turkish president in 65 years – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras also backed Turkey's EU bid.

But last month, the EU cut funds destined to Turkey in the 2018 budget, citing doubts about Ankara's commitment to democracy and human rights in a move supported by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. – Rappler.com