HONG KONG – A cold snap gripped Hong Kong on Sunday, January 24, with residents shivering as temperatures plunged to the lowest point in nearly 60 years and frost dusted the mountaintops of a city accustomed to a subtropical climate.

Weather officials issued a frost warning saying an "intense cold surge" was in place, coupled with chilling monsoon winds. 

Morning temperatures dropped to 3.3 Celsius (38 Fahrenheit) in urban areas of the southern Chinese city, where most buildings lack central heating, and below freezing on the hills.

It is the coldest weather in 59 years, senior scientific officer Wong Wai-kin told Agence France-Presse. 

"It is the coldest day since 1957. The daily minimum dropped to 3.3 degrees Celsius, the previous record was 2.4 degrees in February of 1957," he told Agence France-Presse.

While the cold snap is by no means on the scale of the weather now affecting the US and swathes of mainland China, such temperatures are a novelty for many residents.  

"It is very cold and windy over Hong Kong. People are advised to put on warm clothes and to avoid prolonged exposure to wintry winds," read a note published on a city government website.

As the mercury dropped, curious residents flocked to higher ground in search of frost, according to local broadcaster Cable TV.

"It's very cold, my feet feel numb," a young visitor to Tai Mo Shan, the highest mountain in Hong Kong, told the broadcaster.

Screenshots of flakes also swamped social media but weather forecasters said the precipitation was "rain with small ice pellets" rather than snow.

About 20 participants of a cross country race were sent to hospital after experiencing symptoms associated with hypothermia, according to local media. 

Conditions are not expected to warm up until the middle of the week, said weather forecasters.

According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the coldest weather occurred in January 1893, when temperatures plunged to 0 C. – Rappler.com

CEBU CITY, Philippines (UPDATED) – An international Catholic conference begins in Cebu City on Sunday, January 24, and is seen to touch on modern issues such as terrorism and climate change in relation to faith.

“There are many social ills in relation to the Eucharist,” said Fr Francis Lucas, president of the Catholic Media Network, explained in an interview with Rappler on Sunday, the start of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu City.

The Eucharist, better known as the Mass, is the main topic of the huge Catholic event that runs until next Sunday, January 31. (READ: From airport to mall, IEC vibe fills Cebu City)

Lucas said there is one important reason why a high-profile list of speakers – including Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan – will likely tackle modern problems in the IEC.

He said, “What is outside starts from the inside.”

Lucas continued: “What are we willing to do? Are we willing to be broken to sacrifice in loving others, in changing the world? Because climate change itself is caused by us; poverty is also caused by us. It’s not caused by any other thing.”

He said sin, after all, “is also social.”

“The strongest type of sin that destroys the world is social sin that you do against each other. It’s a conglomeration of all the different evils that come together to destroy the world itself,” he said.

Tagle on IEC and Paris attacks

In an earlier news conference, Tagle already stressed the significance of the IEC in the face of world events like the terror attacks in Paris that killed more than 120 people in November 2015. (READ: Cardinal Tagle: Gift of self can overcome hatred)

Referring to the IEC’s importance in the context of the Paris attacks, Tagle told reporters, “The Eucharist is the sacrament not of violence but it’s the sacrament of love.”

The cardinal recounted the Last Supper, the night before Jesus Christ was crucified. It was about “friends betraying a friend,” Tagle said.

Tagle said: “But how did Jesus respond to that betrayal? Instead of equal violence, instead of retribution, instead of hatred, Jesus said: ‘This is my body for you. This is my blood for you.’ Hatred can be overcome by a gift of self.”

He continued: “This is the power of the Eucharist – how to instill faithful love, love for peace, seeing a brother or a sister, even in an enemy. It’s not easy, but we need that grace. We need it now. At a time when people are suspicious of each other, we need the power of the Eucharist to discover a friend. There’s hope.”

The IEC touches on modern issues because it is more than a theological conference. This is because for Catholics, the topic of the IEC – the Eucharist or the Mass – has a “social dimension.” This means it has to affect the way Catholics live their daily lives.

Tagle, for instance, delivered a scathing rebuke of modern evils such as capitalism at the 49th IEC in Quebec.

Tagle said: “It is sad that those who worship idols sacrifice other people while preserving themselves and their interests. How many factory workers are being denied the right wages for the god of profit? How many women are being sacrificed to the god of domination?

“How many children are being sacrificed to the god of lust? How many trees, rivers, hills are being sacrificed to the god of 'progress'? How many poor people are being sacrificed to the god of greed? How many defenseless people are being sacrificed to the god of national security?”

In the same event, he also condemned luxurious treatment for Catholic priests.

“Ecclesiastical customs and persons, when naively and narrowly deified and glorified, might become hindrances to true worship and compassion,” the Manila archbishop said.

He also said: “I am disturbed when some people who do not even know me personally conclude that my being a bishop automatically makes me closer to God than they could ever be. ‘My words are God’s words, my desires are God’s, my anger is God’s, and my actions are God’s.’”

For the 2016 IEC, other speakers include Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, former Dominican head and now Vatican consultor Fr Timothy Radcliffe, and Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron, said to be "the most followed Catholic leader on social media" next to the Pope.

The Pope also sent a representative or papal legate to the IEC – Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Myanmar. He arrived in Cebu City on Sunday as the Catholic Church also expects around 12,000 delegates to attend the IEC. – Rappler.com

Follow Rappler’s special coverage of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress.

BANGKOK, Thailand – The Thai military is examining whether a chunk of metal debris washed up on a beach is from an aircraft, an official said on Sunday, January 24, stirring local media speculation it may belong to missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.

The large two meter by three meter curved piece of debris, was found by fishermen on Saturday on a beach in southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province in the Gulf of Thailand, according to a local official.

Thai army aviation experts inspected the debris, took photographs and agreed it was likely to be from an aircraft – although further testing is needed to make an official confirmation, Thanyarat Phatikongphan, district chief of Pak Phanang, said.

"It is likely to be a part from the aircraft's nose because there are electronic wires, insulators on it," he said, adding numbers on the panels should help identification.

District police also said the panel was probably from an aircraft.

Although there is no official confirmation it is part of an aircraft, Thai media swiftly speculated that it may have come from flight MH370.

The Malaysia Airlines plane vanished on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

In July last year, a two-meter-long flaperon wing part washed up on a beach on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, several thousand kilometres south of Thailand.

Experts traced it to the ill-fated flight, marking the first concrete evidence that it met a tragic end.

Unlike Reunion, the Gulf of Thailand is not in the path of ocean currents from the remote area of the Indian Ocean where it is believed the plane went down.

Nothing has been found since the Reunion discovery, despite more than 80,000 square kilometers of the seafloor being searched. – Rappler.com

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Held every 4 years, the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) is one of the biggest events in the Catholic Church. Cebu City is hosting the IEC from January 24 to 31, with 15,000 delegates expected.

During the IEC, high-caliber Catholic speakers discuss their most important form of worship: the Eucharist, better known as the Mass. 

The speakers also discuss the “social dimension” of the Eucharist, as Catholics believe that prayer doesn’t end inside the church building. Previous IECs, in fact, even touched on topics such as capitalism and human trafficking. (READ: IEC: The event that helped make Tagle a ‘papabile’)

The list of IEC speakers includes the following: 

• Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle
• Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo
• New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan
• Former Dominican head and now Vatican consultor Fr Timothy Radcliffe
• Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron

This is the second time the IEC is happening in the Philippines.

Manila hosted the IEC when it was first held in the Philippines in 1937. (READ: First IEC in PH: Cardinal Vidal’s First Communion, too)

Watch the livestream of the IEC here. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – A year after the failed Mamasapano operation that happened on January 25, 2015, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman said the region and people have already recovered from the unfateful incident. 

Hataman said time has “[healed] all wounds,” even as questions remain unanswered on why the botched operation, which killed at least 60 people, happened and who is responsible for it. The Senate is set to re-open the Mamasapano probe on Wednesday, January 27. (READ: TIMELINE: Mamasapano clash)

Forty-four of those killed were members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP SAF), part of “Oplan Exodus,” an operation targeting international terrorists that took a wrong turn and led to clashes with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and private armed groups (PAGs). (READ: SAF 44: The women they left behind)

“Time heals all wounds, we've been told. It has been a year, but it wasn't just the past twelve months that allowed us to recover and rebuild. It was our peoples' capacity for mutual understanding and our refusal to act in unjust ways despite the anger, that has allowed us to move forward together,” Hataman said in a statement Sunday, January 24.

Hataman said “fear and doubt” were the “most difficult” issues to address during the past one year.

Citing the symbolic wooden bridge near the area where the operation happened, Hataman said it is a constant reminder of what happened.

“The old bridge still stands, however, a striking reminder of what happened a year ago – that we need to remember, that we need to overcome, and that which still needs to be done.”

National government helped us

The earlier Senate probe has pinpointed President Benigno Aquino III as responsible for the botched operation. Despite issues against Aquino, Hataman said the administration has continuously helped them in their recovery – building of schools, roads, mosques, and other infrastructure developments, among others. 

Hataman said the national government has reaffirmed its commitment for peace and development of Mamasapano and the entire ARMM, even as the administration-backed Bangsamoro Basic Law remains pending in Congress as a result of the deadly clash between rebels and government troops.

“This continuous process of healing and rebuilding is not without its challenges. It is easy to stoke the flames of conflict and to act in anger, without thought but, as we have always done, we continue to choose what is best for our people,” he said. – Rappler.com 

BANGKOK, Thailand – Thai health officials are trying to trace dozens of people who may have come into contact with an elderly Omani man who tested positive for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the Health Ministry said on Sunday, January 24.

The 71-year-old arrived in Thailand on Friday with a fever which doctors in Oman could not treat, the ministry statement said.

"He tested positive for the MERS virus," and was quarantined in a Bangkok hospital, the statement said, adding "He is tired but conscious".

But authorities are looking for more than 250 people who may have come into contact with the man.

Of those, 37 were at "high risk" of contracting the virus, the ministry said, without giving further details.

It is the second recorded case of the virus in a kingdom which is visited by millions of people each year and is a hub for medical tourism. 

The first case was also of an elderly Omani man, who was admitted to hospital in June last year but discharged weeks later after he was treated and declared virus-free.

The MERS virus first appeared in 2012 in Saudi Arabia.

South Korea was hit hard by an outbreak in 2015 which killed 36 people and caused panic across Asia's fourth-largest economy.

The virus is considered a deadlier but less infectious cousin of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed hundreds of people when it appeared in Asia in 2003. – Rappler.com

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran will sign a contract this week to buy 114 Airbus planes from France, during a visit to Paris by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Tehran's transport minister said on Sunday, January 24.

Abbas Akhoundi, quoted by Iranian media, said the deal "will be signed between Iran Air and Airbus" when Rouhani is in Paris on Wednesday on the final day of his first official European visit.

Rouhani's trip follows the implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers that curbs Tehran's atomic activities in exchange for the lifting of punishing economic sanctions. 

Iran desperately needs to modernize its ageing passenger plane fleet, which has only 150 operational planes out of more than 250, according to Akhoundi. 

"We have been negotiating for 10 months" for the purchase of planes but "there was no way to pay for them because of banking sanctions," Iranian state media quoted Akhoundi as saying.

"We need 400 long- and mid-range and 100 short-range planes," he added.

Rouhani is to visit Italy and France on January 25-27 to boost Iran's economic ties with Europe. – Rappler.com

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Coming from a poor country like the Philippines, a representative of Pope Francis called for a “Third World War” against poverty as he opened a global Catholic congress in Cebu City.

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon in Myanmar, also slammed death penalty and abortion– hallmarks of the “culture of death” – at the opening Mass of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in the Philippines.

The IEC is a week-long event where the biggest names in the Catholic Church discuss the Eucharist or the Mass, as well as its impact on society. (READ: IEC 2016: Terrorism, climate change seen on agenda)

In his homily on Sunday, January 24, Bo said: “The Eucharist calls for a Third World War – a Third World War against poverty; a Third World War against the cruelty of dogs getting fed with sumptuous, organic food, while poor children scamper for crumbs from the table; a Third World War against a world that produces more weapons while more than half a million do not get enough food every day.” 

“'Till that happens,” he added, “the Eucharist will remain a revolutionary flag hoisted every day on millions of altars, crying for justice, like the prophets of old: ‘The real fasting I need is breaking the chains of injustice.’”

Bo, 67, is the first cardinal from Myanmar – a country which, in his words, has “faced war and conflict for the last 60 years.” 

Pope Francis made him a cardinal in February 2015. Months later, Francis appointed him as his representative or papal legate to the IEC, which the Philippines is hosting for the first time since 1937. (READ: First IEC in PH: Cardinal Vidal’s First Communion, too)

Eucharist and the poor

Before the Mass, Filipino Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, communications head for the IEC, described Bo as “an Asian cardinal who will be one with us,” and “a cardinal who is in touch with the masses.”

Bo’s homily on Sunday proved Vergara right.

In his 25-minute sermon, Bo indeed spoke for the poor when he said that “the Eucharist and the poor are inseparable.”

The cardinal then quoted one of the early Church Fathers, John Chrysostom: “Do you wish to honor the Body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. He who said, ‘This is my body,’ is the same who said, ‘You saw me hungry and you gave me no food.’”

“The Eucharist calls us to justice,” he said.

At the same time, Bo rejected the “culture of death” that also affects the most vulnerable.

“Adoring Jesus in the Eucharist is also accepting our fellow men and women as created in the image of God,” he said.

The cardinal from Myanmar continued: “In a world that kills children in the womb, in a world that spends more on arms than on food, in a world that continues to have millions of poor, the Eucharist is a major challenge to the whole of humanity. Can we feel the presence of God in our brothers and sisters?” – Rappler.com

Follow Rappler’s special coverage of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress.

A study in contrast. That’s what Rodrigo Duterte and Alan Peter Cayetano are. 

One is from Luzon, the other from distant Mindanao. One is a senator, the other a local mayor. One was intent on seeking a higher position, the other seemingly wishy-washy about running. One is for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the other against it (although that seems to have changed recently). One is comfortable in designer shoes, the other in unbranded loafers sans socks. One is sacrilegious; the other said to be religious. 

If there’s one thing they probably have in common, it’s irreverence, or maybe, a fighting demeanor.

Before they formalized their team as one aiming for the presidency-vice presidency (VP) posts in May 2016, one camp was looking the other way. Some Duterte supporters said it was more strategic to team up with vice president wannabe Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr whose name still has strong drawing power in the north. 

Some Marcos supporters also wanted Duterte because of the strongman appeal. Yet the same reasoning appealed to some Cayetano supporters, too, who believed that the contradictions between the two men was precisely what would make the tandem work.

In the end, after all the hemming and hawing and the wooing and naying, it was Cayetano who emerged the most persistent and patient. Though torn between two VP choices, the strongman from the south was left with the senator from the south of Manila. Duterte's team, even in their choice of VP bet for their candidate, was unconventional: “matira matibay (strong man standing).”

Though a pair, the two gentlemen were separate. They filed their certificates of candidacy separately at the Commission on Elections, with voters unsure up until the last few days that Duterte would run for president. 

When he filed his COC on October 16 without the Davao mayor, Cayetano said he remained “hopeful” Duterte would too. It was not until November 27, however, when Duterte filed his candidacy for president, through a representative, at the poll body. Two days later, the deal between Rody Duterte and Alan Peter Cayetano was sealed.

At a concert in the city of Taguig, bailiwick of Cayetano, the two candidates finally made an appearance together before their Metro Manila audience. Making known his final choice for vice president, Duterte declared, “Alan Peter Cayetano. Committed na ako. Isang salita lang ako.” (I am committed. I have one word.)

They sat side by side then stood shoulder to shoulder in front of a supportive crowd whose stamina and patience got a boost till the wee hours from bands, celebrities, and stand-up comics. The “DC tandem”, awkward as it seemed, was officially born.

The whisperer

Fast forward to the Rappler forum on #TheLeaderIWant last week. Observers noticed that the two entered the huge hall at De La Salle University separately, again. Duterte first and then Cayetano. Even prior to the event itself, the two were not conversing as partners normally would in preparation for a major forum, at the very least to coordinate responses and exchange quick notes.

They came together only on stage when Cayetano stood to the right of his presidential candidate who spoke in a roundabout manner about what he would do as president. He rambled for close to 20 minutes.

When his turn finally came, Cayetano picked up and elaborated in a more organized and structured manner what his principal said about their platform. No extrajudicial killings, only killings when there is resistance to arrest. Federalism to disperse development more equitably. Equality under the law.

He continued that if Davao – which is triple the size of Metro Manila is Exhibit A –  Taguig, his own city, is Exhibit B. “There is no fear in Davao, there is love, there is respect, there is pride,” he added, extolling the achievements of his running mate. 

Cayetano pushed for his candidate, narrating how he decided to cast his lot with Duterte. He recalled telling Duterte when he had not yet made clear his decision to run for president, “Mayor, kung tatakbo ka, sa ’yong sa ’yo na kami (Mayor, if you’re running, we are all yours).”

He ended his spiel with: “I urge you, support his man, give him 6 months, he will not disappoint you.”

For the most part of the forum, the two fielded questions that ranged from ISIS to congestion in the metro, to slow Internet, drugs, peace and order, and yes, the BBL. Many observed how Cayetano continued to play the role of explainer, some even calling him the “Duterte whisperer”.

Perceived as ambitious and predisposed to being confrontational in the Senate, the 45-year-old Cayetano beside the 70-year-old Duterte is more deferential, almost careful to show he does not mind being upstaged by the cussing, irreverent, sometimes uncouth mayor.

Offstage, there is a level of discomfort between the two men and their respective staff. After all, they do not belong to the same political party and had not been together in previous campaigns.

Separate ways

Philippine election results are replete with examples of winning pairs that didn’t really see eye to eye. When Cory Aquino became president in 1986, there was a lot of distrust for her vice president, Salvador “Doy” Laurel. Fidel V. Ramos of Lakas-NUCD won in 1992 but his running mate Lito Osmeña, former governor of Cebu, lost to actor Joseph Estrada, then under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

In 1998, Estrada, who had his own Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino won as president, but his partner, then senator Edgardo Angara of Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, lost to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was then with Lakas.

In 2004, three years after the ouster of Estrada, the economist Arroyo ran for president and won with broadcaster Noli de Castro as her vice president. De Castro, who ran as independent, eventually allied himself with Lakas.

In 2010, the Liberal Party’s Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III won as president but his running mate Mar Roxas lost to Jejomar Binay of PDP-Laban. Holding disparate views and values, Binay was left out by the administration party.

Of the other president-VP teams for 2016, it is only Roxas and Leni Robredo (Liberal Party), and Binay and Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan (United Nationalist Alliance) who share the same party. The rest are an assemblage of candidates brought together by political convenience or convergent interests.

For the DC tandem, Cayetano is Nacionalista, while Duterte is with the more left-leaning PDP-Laban. On the campaign trail, will they grow into each other more? Will Cayetano remain the explainer and the whisperer? Assuming they both win, will Duterte-Cayetano be able to do better than their predecessors?

After the ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, we’ve seen 3 presidents with vice presidents they were uncomfortable with, and whose plans and priorities, even positions on key issues, did not necessarily jibe with their own. Having to choose individual candidates (even if they belonged to opposing parties), rather than political parties, has left us with disjointed programs of government and a great deal of discontinuity.

Perhaps it’s about time we choose our leaders on the basis of how well they can work together, and how well they agree on where to take us. – Rappler.com

“The Scrum” is Rappler's take on issues and personalities of the 2016 elections. Derived from a media term that refers to reporters surrounding politicians to press them to answer questions and respond candidly, “The Scrum” hopes to spark smart conversations on politics and election.

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Held every 4 years, the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) is one of the biggest events in the Catholic Church. Cebu City is hosting the IEC from January 24 to 31, with 15,000 delegates expected.

During the IEC, high-caliber Catholic speakers discuss their most important form of worship: the Eucharist, better known as the Mass. 

The speakers also discuss the “social dimension” of the Eucharist, as Catholics believe that prayer doesn’t end inside the church building. Previous IECs, in fact, even touched on topics such as capitalism and human trafficking. (READ: IEC: The event that helped make Tagle a ‘papabile’)

The list of IEC speakers includes the following: 

• Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle
• Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo
• New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan
• Former Dominican head and now Vatican consultor Fr Timothy Radcliffe
• Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron

This is the second time the IEC is happening in the Philippines.

Manila hosted the IEC when it was first held in the Philippines in 1937. (READ: First IEC in PH: Cardinal Vidal’s First Communion, too)

Watch the livestream of the IEC here. – Rappler.com 

WASHINGTON DC, USA (2nd UPDATE) – The eastern United States emerged wearily from a massive blizzard that dumped huge amounts of snow and killed at least 25 people, but Washington was still reeling, with government offices and schools to remain closed Monday, January 25.

The storm – dubbed "Snowzilla" – walloped a dozen states from Friday, January 22, into early Sunday, January 24, affecting an estimated 85 million residents who were told to stay indoors and off the roads for their own safety.

The 26.8 inches (68 centimeters) of snow that fell in New York's Central Park was the second-highest accumulation since records began in 1869, and more than 22 inches paralyzed the capital Washington.

Near-record-breaking snowfall was recorded in other cities up and down the East Coast, with Philadelphia and Baltimore also on the receiving end of some of the worst that Mother Nature could fling at them.

But as the storm ended and temperatures rose, New York emerged from total shutdown and lifted a sweeping travel ban. Roads were reopened throughout the city, on Long Island and in New Jersey.

Thousands of people flocked to parks, tobogganing, organizing snowball fights and strapping on cross-country skis, as children delighted in a winter wonderland under glorious sunshine.

Broadway resumed shows, which were canceled on Saturday, and museums reopened, as snow plows quickly cleared the main avenues and temperatures hovered at about 32ºF (0ºC).

Jessica Edwards, a filmmaker from Canada, joined in the fun, pulling 4-year-old daughter Hazel down a hill on a sled in a New York park.

"Oh my God, she's so excited – we left the house this morning and we packed a bunch of stuff to make a snowman," she told Agence France-Presse.

Caution advised

But as the storm-related death toll rose, authorities advised caution despite the picture postcard scenes outside.

"We urge all New Yorkers not to travel on our roads except when necessary, and to be extremely careful when driving," Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference.

"Our tireless sanitation workers are out in full force and we must give them space to clear the roads. If you go outside, use caution and stay alert for ice and cold temperatures," he added.

In the nation's capital, which is not as adept at handling winter weather as the Big Apple, authorities struggled to get the city back up and running.

Major roads were clear downtown, but side streets were still piled high with snow. Public schools were to remain closed and only limited public transportation was to resume Monday.

Metro fares were to be waived as trains would begin running only every 20-25 minutes, and only at underground stations on 3 of the city's 6 lines. Only a few key bus lines were to be in operation Monday from 12-5 pm.

Limited flight operations were to resume from Washington's Reagan National and Dulles International airports on Monday, a day after officials battled in New York to get some aircraft off the ground.

The House of Representatives opted also to remain out of session for the coming week due to the severity of the winter storm and related travel woes – with no votes set until February 1.

Trash to linger

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said while there had been "a lot of progress" Sunday, there would be no trash collection on Monday and Tuesday, January 26, and urged people to keep vehicles off the roads for at least another 24 hours.

"We expect that with the temperature dropping tonight and for every night this week, that we will see continued slick and dangerous roadways," she told a news conference.

"We want to have tomorrow to continue to keep cars off the road so that we can clear those major arteries and also clear the places where many people who come to our downtown would normally park."

Beyond the Big Apple and the US capital, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia were the hardest-hit areas. A few locations surpassed one-day and two-day snow records, said the National Weather Service.

The fatalities occurred in Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia.

In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential contender who left the campaign trail to oversee the emergency response in his state, asked people to take care.

"This is very heavy snow so I ask that they please be careful as they clean up their own property today or their businesses," he said.

Many of the storm-related deaths were people who suffered heart attacks while shoveling.

Hundreds of thousands were left without power at the height of the storm, including nearly 150,000 outages in North Carolina alone, emergency officials said. – Peter Stebbings, with Jennie Matthew in New York, AFP / Rappler.com

BEIRUT, Lebanon – The Islamic State (ISIS) group released a video Sunday, January 24, purporting to show 9 jihadists involved in the November Paris attacks that killed 130 people, in which they threaten "coalition" countries including Britain.

The video posted on jihadist websites is entitled "Kill wherever you find them," and shows 4 Belgians, 3 French citizens and two Iraqis said to be responsible for the attacks.

It also depicts the 9 carrying out atrocities before the rampage in Paris, including beheading and shooting people described as hostages. 

In the video the jihadists, speaking in French and in Arabic, say their "message is addressed to all the countries taking part in the (US-led) coalition" that has been fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq since September 2014.

The footage also shows a picture of British Prime Minister David Cameron accompanied by the words in English: "Whoever stands in the ranks of kufr (unbelievers) will be a target for our swords."

The video, produced by ISIS's Al-Hayat Media Centre, describes the attackers as "lions" who "brought France to its knees".

The footage shows images of the Paris strike claimed by ISIS as well as security operations by French special forces during the onslaught.

It was not clear why the group released the video more than two months after the November 13 bloodshed in which jihadists armed with guns and suicide belts launched coordinated attacks on Paris bars, restaurants, and a concert hall.

Seven of them died during the attacks and two in a subsequent police raid but the total number of those directly involved is still unclear.

Among the men purportedly shown in the video is suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, identified by his nom de guerre Abu Umar al-Baljiki, or Abu Umar the Belgian.

Abaaoud, who was widely thought to have been in Syria fighting with ISIS forces in the past, was killed in a shootout with French police days after the bloodiest attacks to hit Europe since the Madrid train bombings in 2004.

French President Francois Hollande has said that the Paris attacks were planned in Syria but prepared and organised in Belgium.

Belgian authorities have formally charged 10 people in the case, including a number from the troubled Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek where a number of extremists have stayed over the last two decades.

Four suspects remain at large, including Salah Abdeslam who allegedly drove suicide bombers to the French national stadium outside Paris, as well as Mohamed Abrini, suspected of having helped scout out the attack sites. Both are from Molenbeek. – Rappler.com

CALAIS, France – French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Sunday, January 24, vowed to maintain "order" in northern Calais, a day after dozens of migrants boarded a ferry triggering the temporary closure of the key port.

"The government is completely determined to ensure public order is maintained in Calais," Cazeneuve said.

A day earlier, some 30 to 40 migrants briefly boarded the moored "Spirit of Britain" ferry in the French port in an attempt to reach Britain, before police removed them from the ship.

The boarding – a rare occurrence in the heavily-guarded port – came after around 2,000 people protested nearby over living conditions in the notoriously squalid camp known as "the Jungle".

Four migrants and two protesters will face a court on Monday over the incident.

Though it was brief, the boarding of the ferry and the temporary closure of the port heightened tensions in Calais, with around protesters taking to the streets in the city Sunday to demand tougher government controls.

"What happened yesterday (Saturday, January 23) is a failure of the government," said Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart, who led the Sunday protest.

The conservative official meanwhile demanded that President Francois Hollande "come to Calais to solve the problems related to the camp", which is located at the outskirts of the city.

For two hours people marched through the city, with locals peering out of their windows and applauding the demonstrators, an Agence France-Presse journalist said.

"My port is nice, my city is beautiful – support our city, our port, our businesses and our jobs," read the banner held up by the leaders of the march.

While migrants have for years sought to cross over to Britain from Calais, the numbers have shot up since the refugee crisis went into overdrive last year. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – On the one-year mark of an ill-fated police operation that claimed the lives of more than 60 Filipinos, including 44 elite cops, the head of the interior department made an appeal: don't put politics into the mix.

"Maraming sundalo, napakaraming pulis na nagbubuwis ng kanilang buhay in the service of our country. Sana huwag natin haluan ng pulitika. Sana huwag natin kalimutan ang kanilang sakripisyo at hindi pagpiyestahan dahil sa ibang motibo," Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento told reporters Monday, January 25, on the sidelines of the police force's 25th anniversary celebration in Camp Crame.

(Many soldiers and police sacrificed their lives in the service of our country. Let's not politicize it. Let us not forget their sacrifice; let us not feast on it for other motives.)

January 25 is also the one-year mark of the controversial "Oplan Exodus," a Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) operation that targeted known terrorists. While the SAF was able to take down one of its targets, clashes triggered by the operation saw two companies pinned down in Mamamasapano town, Maguindanao.

Forty-four troopers from the SAF died while 17 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and 3 civilians also lost their lives.

The clash was also one of the lowest points for the Aquino administration and the police force. President Benigno Aquino III was criticized for his perceived indifference, extent of involvement, and for allowing his friend, former PNP chief Alan Purisima, to play a role in the operation despite the latter's suspension.

Aquino saw his numbers plummet to their lowest in the aftermath of the clash, which also erased hopes for the quick passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, the result of peace negotiations between the administration and the MILF.

One year later, the ghosts of Mamasapano continue to haunt Aquino, who critics and political rivals say is responsible for the carnage in Mamasapano.

Opposition senator Juan Ponce Enrile, out on bail for plunder charges, claims he has evidence to prove Aquino did nothing to help the beleaguered SAF.

A retired police general has also claimed to possess a recording that supposedly proves a cover-up of the clash for the sake of the BBL.

Both Sarmiento and PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez downplayed the supposed proof, pointing out that they haven't heard the recording themselves.

Marquez, the Philippine Military Academy classmate of the general, says even he wasn't allowed to listen to the recording prior to its public release.

Both Sarmiento and Marquez were appointed to their positions after the clash. Last year, it was retired Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina who was PNP officer in charge while Manuel Roxas II was interior secretary.

Roxas is now the standard-bearer of the ruling Liberal Party, which Aquino chairs and which Sarmiento is part of. Sarmiento used to be the LP's Secretary General.

"Tignan natin ang kanilang sakripisyo as it is," added Sarmiento. (Let's view their sacrifice as it is.)

Also on Monday, the PNP will pay tribute to the 44 slain troopers and their families. All 44 will be receiving awards – 42 the Medalya ng Kagitingan and 2 others, the Medal of Valor.

Most of the families of the slain troopers are in Camp Crame for the tribute, but at least 3 familes begged off from attending.

Marquez, talking to reporters, said they don't begrudge families who chose to skip the event. The PNP will be shouldering all expenses for the trip to Manila.

The awards of those whose families are skipping the event will be received by the SAF on their behalf. –Rappler.com

LONDON, United Kingdom – Britain's finance minister and tech billionaire Bill Gates unveiled a plan to spend billions to defeat "the world's deadliest killer" malaria on Monday, January 24.

Chancellor George Osborne and Gates announced £3 billion ($4.28 billion, 4 billion euros) in funding over the next 5 years for research and to support efforts to eliminate the mosquito-borne disease, in a joint article in The Times.

"When it comes to human tragedy, no creature comes close to the devastation caused by the mosquito," the two wrote.

"We both believe that a malaria-free world has to be one of the highest global health priorities."

The fund would be made up of £500 million a year from Britain's overseas aid budget for the next 5 years, as well as $200 million this year from The Gates Foundation, with more donations to follow.

There were 438,000 malaria deaths in 2015, most of them of children aged under 5, and the majority of them in Africa, according to the World Health Organization.

Efforts to control the disease have made significant progress in the last 15 years, but are threatened by the spread of resistance to antimalarial drugs and to insecticide, the WHO said in its World Malaria Report 2015.

"If new insecticides are not introduced by 2020, the situation will become critical and deaths could surge," Osborne and Gates wrote, adding that fighting diseases required collaboration between private companies, governments and charities.

"We are optimistic that in our lifetimes we can eradicate malaria and other deadly tropical diseases, and confront emerging threats, making the world a safer place for all," the article concluded.

It comes days after the philanthropist Gates announced plans for a $100 million scheme to cut malnutrition in Nigeria. – Rappler.com

SYDNEY, Australia (UPDATED) – Australian state leaders threw their support behind a republic on Monday, January 25, with one saying the nation should not have to wait for the end of Queen Elizabeth II's reign to cut ties with the British monarchy.

Ahead of Australia Day on Tuesday, January 26, 7 of the nation's 8 state and territory leaders signed a declaration calling for an Australian head of state to replace the reigning royal in London.

The only state leader not to sign up, Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett, said he also supported a republic but just did not think "the time is right".

Federal Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is already a noted republican, having passionately led the cause ahead of a failed referendum in 1999, as is opposition Labor leader Bill Shorten.

Australian Republican Movement chairman Peter FitzSimons seized on the new enthusiasm.

"All of Australia's political leaders now support an Australian head of state," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Never before have the stars of the Southern Cross been so aligned in pointing to the dawn of a new republican age for Australia," he said, referring to a constellation in the southern hemisphere sky which appears on the Australian flag.

FitzSimons, who wants the process on a referendum over becoming a republic to start by 2020, said the declaration sent a message to the prime minister.

Turnbull has previously said that he has more pressing priorities than turning the nation into a republic.

"My own view... is that the next occasion for the republic referendum to come up is going to be after the end of the Queen's reign," he said last year.

'What are we waiting for?'

But South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill said it would be "the ultimate act of respect" if the Queen presided over the transfer of Australia from a monarchy to a republic.

"I think that's something that she could preside over and do it in the elegant and expert way in which she has handled her relationship as head of Australia," he told the ABC.

"I mean if you think about it, what are we waiting for? Are we waiting for her to die? I would have thought that it's much more respectful to have her supervise this transition."

The British crown's power in Australia is seen as largely symbolic, and while Queen Elizabeth II is hugely popular Down Under the monarchy is viewed by some as an anachronistic colonial relic.

When then prime minister Tony Abbott knighted the Queen's husband Prince Philip last Australia Day, it was met with ridicule and disbelief.

The media dubbed it a "knightmare" for Abbott who was later dumped by his party for Turnbull. 

But Gabrielle Hendry, a spokeswoman for the Australian Monarchist League, said while debate was healthy and democratic, "the system works" as it stands and there was no need to change it.

"It gives us an impartial head of state," she told Agence France-Presse.

The league's national chairman, meanwhile, told the ABC: "The fact is, our constitution is based on the Crown which always represents the people."

Support for a republic has wavered over the years, with a Fairfax-Nielsen poll in 2014 finding that 51% of the 1,400 people surveyed favored the status quo compared to 42% supporting a republic.

Weatherill, however, said there had always been "an underlying sense of support for a republic" despite the 1999 referendum failing by 45 to 55%.

"It's just a question of rekindling that," he said. – Rappler.com

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines—On January 25, 2015, 44 police commandos, 17 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters, and 3 civilians lost their lives in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano town, Maguindanao.

Troopers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) went here to take down 3 targets: Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir (alias Marwan), Filipino bomb maker Abdul Basit Usman, and Malaysian Amin Baco.

The SAF troopers killed Marwan, but the operation triggered a deadly clash with the MILF, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and private armed groups (PAGs). (READ: Mamasapano survivor: Never for self, always for country)

It has been a year since that fateful day.

Nearly 6 months after the tragedy, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed charges against more than 100 members of the MILF, BIFF, and PAGs.

The MILF countered that government forces violated the peace agreement by failing to disclose and coordinate the police operation well ahead, leading to the bloody clash.

The encounter in Mamasapano and its implications on the peace process are now among the key issues for candidates running in the May elections.

It has also affected the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Since the clash, officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) have facilitated the implementation of P100 million worth of development projects in the town.

These include the construction of an 880-meter concrete road from the highway leading to the site of encounter, and a 120-meter steel-wood "peace bridge."

A year later, however, the pain is still fresh for some of the families who live here. The scars of January 25, 2015 run deep.

–Rappler.com

PARIS, France – The world's latest health scare is a seemingly minor illness that carries a killer wrapped inside: Zika, the mosquito-borne virus sweeping Latin America, usually lasts less than a week, except when it derails a whole life.

Zika, which resembles a light case of the flu, is often so mild that people don't realize they have it.

But health officials in Latin America say the tropical fever is linked to neurological problems and a surge in microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads. The defect can cause brain damage and death.

The outbreak has led authorities in some countries to urge couples not to get pregnant, while the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has warned pregnant women to avoid traveling to 22 affected countries.

Here are some questions and answers on the virus.

What's Zika?

The virus was first identified in a monkey in Africa in 1947. Its name comes from a forest in Uganda where the first infected rhesus monkeys were found. Within several years the virus had jumped to humans in Uganda and Tanzania, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Like dengue fever and chikungunya, two similar diseases, Zika is transmitted by mosquito species found in tropical and sub-tropical regions: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, or tiger mosquitoes.

How do I know if I have it?

In 70% to 80% of cases, the disease goes unnoticed. The symptoms resemble a mild case of the flu – headache, muscle and joint pain, and mild fever – plus a rash.

Symptoms usually last two to 7 days.

Why are experts worried?

The disease is suspected of causing two serious complications: neurological problems and birth defects in babies born to infected women. But while there appears to be a connection with Zika, researchers have not definitively confirmed a causal link.

The main neurological complication is Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, causing weakness and sometimes paralysis. 

Most patients recover, but the syndrome is sometimes deadly. Cases linked to Zika have been reported in Brazil and French Polynesia.

Microcephaly and other brain deformities in newborns have also been reported, particularly in Brazil. Microcephaly cases in the giant South American country surged from 163 per year on average to 3,893 after the Zika outbreak began last year. Forty-nine of those babies have died.

What's the treatment?

There is no vaccine for Zika, and no specific treatment – patients simply take pain-killers and other medication to combat the symptoms.

The virus is transmitted through mosquito bites, so prevention entails fighting mosquitoes and avoiding contact with them. Health officials recommend covering up, using insect repellant and keeping windows closed or screened.

Authorities have responded to the outbreak by fumigating and cleaning up the standing water where mosquitoes breed.

Authorities in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica have advised couples to avoid pregnancy for the time being.

In Brazil, authorities have announced a crackdown on mosquito breeding grounds ahead of the Olympics, which will bring hundreds of thousands of travelers from around the world to Rio de Janeiro in August.

Where is Zika now?

The virus was first reported in Africa, Asia and the Pacific before leaping to the Americas last year.

It is now spreading locally in some 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, as far north as Mexico. Brazil has been the hardest hit.

Travelers have also brought it back to the US states of Florida, Hawaii and New York. A woman in Hawaii gave birth to a baby with microcephaly after traveling to Brazil.

So far there have been no locally transmitted US cases reported, though the Aedes aegypti mosquito's habitat stretches into the United States.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says on its website that "there is no evidence of transmission (of) Zika virus in Europe to date and imported cases are rare."

FURTHER INFORMATION

- US Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/

- European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/zika_virus_infection/Pages/index.aspx

- Pan American Health Organization: http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_topics&view=article&id=427&Itemid=41484

– Rappler.com

SYDNEY, Australia – An underwater sonar vehicle used in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370 has now been lost to the deep ocean floor after hitting an undersea volcano, Australian officials said Monday, January 25.

The "towfish", pulled behind a search ship and fitted with survey instruments, plunged to the bottom of the remote southern Indian Ocean on Sunday, January 24.

"The towfish collided with a mud volcano which rises 2,200 metres from the sea floor resulting in the vehicle's tow cable breaking," the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) announced.

"The towfish and 4,500 metres of cable became separated from the vessel and are now resting on the sea floor," the statement added.

Australia is leading the search for the Boeing-777 that vanished on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people onboard.

The aircraft is thought to have crashed after diverting from its course but the undersea hunt has so far found no sign of it.

Last July, a two-meter-long wing part known as a flaperon washed up on a beach on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, giving the first firm evidence that the flight met a tragic end.

Another barnacle-encrusted piece of metal found in Thailand at the weekend has prompted speculation it too could be from MH370 with a specialist team due to examine it, however ocean current modelling suggests it is unlikely to be from the missing plane.

Australian officials said there were no injuries to crew in Sunday's incident onboard the Fugro Discovery and it was thought that the towfish could be recovered.

The ship was Monday returning to the western Australian port of Fremantle so a replacement cable could be fitted, a journey which is expected to take until Saturday, January 30.

"During the journey, the spare towfish on board Fugro Discovery will be readied for future search activities," the JACC statement said.

The key instruments in the towfish are side scan sonar and multi-beam echo sounders that look for man-made objects on the sea floor.

Earlier this month searchers uncovered a 19th century shipwreck deep underwater, their second wreck find in the nearly two-year long mission. – Rappler.com

RABAT, Morocco (3rd UPDATE) – A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck early Monday, January 25, in the Mediterranean between Morocco and Spain, the US Geological Survey said.

The shallow quake hit at 4:22 am local time (0422 GMT) 62 kilometers (39 miles) north of the Moroccan city of Al Hoceima and 164 kilometets east-southeast of Gibraltar, the USGS said. 

It was followed by a 5.3-magnitude tremor.

In its initial assessment of the quake's impact, the USGS said there was "a low likelihood of casualties and damage".

Tremors were felt in the south of Spain and in the Spanish enclave of Melilla bordering Morocco, but the authorities reported no victims.

"For the moment there has been only material damage and we haven't detected any that is very serious," Isidro Gonzalez, a Melilla official, told Cadena Ser radio.

"Some high buildings have cracks," he said, adding that part of facades and balconies had collapsed.

Authorities in Melilla have decided to keep schools closed as a precautionary measure to review the state of the buildings.

In the Malaga area in southern Spain, on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, many inhabitants also felt the earthquake.

In February 2004 a strong 6.3 earthquake that hit near Al Hoceima killed nearly 630 people. – Rappler.com