MANILA, Philippines – Speaking before the families of cops slain during a bungled operation last year, President Benigno Aquino III vowed justice for the police command while hitting "leaders who fell short of their duty."

Aquino was the guest of honor on Monday, January 25, during the Philippine National Police (PNP)'s tribute to the "SAF 44" – elite police commandos slain during an ill-fated operation one year ago in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The President led the awarding of posthumous Medals of Valor to families of 2 SAF troopers and Medals of Kabayanihan to the 42 others. "Ang panawagan natin sa Kongreso: Suriin ang PNP Law; tukuyin natin ang mga probisyong pumipigil sa agarang pagpapataw ng parusa sa mga pinunong nagkukulang sa kanilang tungkulin," said the President, alluding to retired Police Director Getulio Napeñas, SAF chief when the operation took place. (We ask Congress: Scrutinize the PNP Law; identify the provisions that prevent the organization from punishing commanders who are remiss in their duty.)

The President met privately with the families of slain SAF troopers after the awarding. But not all of the SAF 44 were represented.

The families of 3 troopers opted not to send a representative to claim the awards while a handful asked classmates or SAF comrades to accept the award on their behalf.

In past speeches and pronouncements, Aquino pinned the blame on Napeñas who he said failed to follow his instructions to coordinate with military forces in the area. Napeñas is running for senator under the party of United Nationalist Alliance standard-bearer Vice President Jejomar Binay. 

The pinned down SAF troopers – members of the 55th and 84th Special Action Companies (SACs) – were caught in intense clashes against Muslim rebels. The SAF asked for support in the form of artillery, but the military was unable to send any, supposedly because they lacked
sufficient information.

Aquino to blame instead?

But there are those who accuse the military – and Aquino – of withholding much needed artillery support because of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, the result of a peace deal between the administation and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (READ: Enrile: I'll prove Aquino did nothing to save SAF) 

The Senate, in fact, is re-opening its probe into the incident on Wednesday, January 27. (READ: What did Aquino know?)

But on Monday, the President stressed: "Ayaw po nating maulit ang mga trahedyang dulot lamang ng pagsuway sa mga patakaran. Hindi makatwirang magpatuloy ang sistema kung saan may karaniwang indibidwal na pumapasan ng mas mabibigat na obligasyon dahil sa kapabayaan ng iilan." (We don't want a repeat of the tragedy caused by violations of rules. It's unfair to allow a system where ordinary people are made to suffer for the neglect of the few.)

While he's been consistent in blaming Napeñas for the carnage, Aquino rarely mentions another police general involved in the planning of the operation: former PNP Alan Purisima, a close friend of his who was suspended at the time of the operation.

The President, in a January 9 briefing with police officials in his official residence Bahay Pangarap, instructed them to coordinate with the military prior to the operation.

Napeñas had told probers that Purisima's assurance that he would coordinate with then AFP chief of staff General Gregorio Catapang made him assume that coordination would be Purisima's task.

In the end, the SAF only coordinated with the military and other top police officials "time on target" or only after the target was killed. 

Amid accusations of a cover-up, Aquino's ratings plummeted to their lowest in the aftermath of the clash.

Justice delayed

One year since, there have been no arrests made in connection with the death of the 44 SAF troopers, the 17 MILF fighters or the 3 civilians who die dad a result of the operation.

Speaking to grieving families, Aquino said he too was "impatient" with the pace of the country's justice system.

"Alam po natin: Sa kabila ng mga parangal at ayuda, hindi kailanman matutumbasan ang pagkawala ng inyong mga mahal sa buhay. Hindi maghihilom ang sugat sa nangyaring trahedya kung, isang taon na ang nakalipas, ay mailap pa rin ang hustisya sa kanilang pagkamatay," he
said.

Aquino added: "Gaya ninyo, ako man po ay naiinip sa bagal ng pag-usad ng sistemang pangkatarungan sa ating bansa. Ika nga: Justice delayed is justice denied. Makakaasa kayo, kasabay ng pagsigurong nabibigyan ng suporta ang pamilya ng SAF 44, puspusan ang ating pagsisikap para makamit ang hustisya." (Please be assured of support for the families of SAF 44 and our resolve to give them justice.) – Rappler.com

VIENTIANE, Laos – US Secretary of State John Kerry sat down Monday, January 25, to discuss the deadly legacy of unexploded American bombs in Laos and China's influence in Southeast Asia during a high-profile visit to the reclusive communist state.

The trip to Vientiane also paves the way for a summit hosted next month by US President Barack Obama in California with the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Laos has assumed this year's chairmanship of the regional bloc and will see a flurry of diplomatic activity culminating in an autumn visit by Obama – the first by a sitting US leader to the resource-rich but impoverished nation.

Kerry's trip is only the third since 1955 by a US Secretary of State to a country carpet-bombed by America during the Vietnam War.

Welcoming America's top diplomat in a cavernous room at his Soviet-era offices, Laos' Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong said the visit was a "landmark in... bilateral relations".

Kerry, fresh from a trip to Saudi Arabia, hailed growing economic and security ties, as well as Laos' chairmanship of ASEAN, as the "defining" issues of a new friendship.

Earlier, Kerry told reporters he would also discuss the removal of ordnance.

"We have been working on this project of clearing mines and undoing effects of war for a long time and it continues," he said.

The US diplomat, who is due in Cambodia later Monday, arrives days after the 5-yearly congress of the Laos' Communist Party, which chose 78-year-old vice-president Bounnhang Vorachith as its next leader. 

The Communist Party has ruled since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, tightly controlling the country of around 6 million.

50,000 deaths

Unexploded bombs across the region are the result of the massive US bombing campaign aimed at disrupting North Vietnamese supply routes through landlocked Laos.

It is "a problem, of course, that resulted from our actions in the Vietnam War in the '70s", the US State Department official conceded.

Those actions turned Laos into the most bombed nation in the world per capita, with more than 250 million bombs dumped on the country. 

Around 30% failed to explode, including cluster munitions.

Around 50,000 people have been killed by leftover ordnance since the end of the war, with tens of thousands of others maimed, including children.

That grim legacy carries a particular resonance for Kerry, a decorated Vietnam war veteran wounded during combat.

In the intervening years relations between the two countries have often been hostile, with American support for ethnic Hmong anti-communist insurgents still raw in the memory of the Laos' leadership. 

Laos' poor human rights record is also a sticking point, embodied by the 2012 disappearance of prominent activist Sombath Somphone, who was last seen on CCTV footage at a police checkpoint in Vientiane.

Kerry's visit comes as the US deepens its courting of Southeast Asia, a region where Chinese heft is strong – particularly over small nations.

"Laos is a country like Cambodia, where China has been the dominant player both in economic and in political terms," the State Department official said.

"So it's significant that the Lao have – particularly in the last few years and certainly in 2015 – shown so much interest in strengthening and building relations with the United States."

The Obama administration has made relations with Asia a diplomatic priority, in particular bolstering ASEAN as a counterpoint to Chinese regional power.

Several ASEAN states are embroiled in an increasingly bitter spat with China over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

The US says it takes no position on ownership of the various reefs and islets under dispute, but insists freedom of navigation in the vital shipping lane must be maintained. – Nicolas Revise, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Ninoy Aquino International Airport runways will be closed for commercial operations on Tuesday, January 26 – from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm  – and on Sunday, January 31 – 11am to 12 noon – for the arrival and departure of Japan Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) issued notice to airmen (notam) on Monday, January 25, informing them of the closure of runways to accommodate special operations for the visit.

“The royal family will be flying on flight JF001 on board a Boeing B747-400 of Japan air force and will be accompanied by his entourage on board flight JF002 with the same aircraft type,” CAAP said in a statement.

President Benigno Aquino III is set to welcome the two on Wednesday, January 27, at the Malacañang Palace.

Their state visit marks the 60^th anniversary of the 2 countries’ diplomatic relations, earlier marred by the Second World War and the Japanese occupation of the country. Their last visit to the country was in 1962. 

“Their Majesties’ State Visit is a major highlight and fitting start to the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations of the Philippines and Japan in 2015,” Palace Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma earlier said. 

On January 29, the two royals will visit Caliraya and Los Baños in Laguna to visit memorial sites of Filipino and Japanese veterans. They are also expected to meet with Filipino-Japanese communities during their 5-day visit. (READ: Japanese emperor to honor WWII dead during PH state visit) 

The Japanese royals’ visit comes at a time when the two countries are consolidating their forces in the wake of China’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea.

In June 2015, the two nations signed a Declaration for a Strengthened Strategic Partnership and its Action Plan, which was strongly condemned by China. (READ: PH beefs up defense deals amid dispute with China)

In a bilateral meeting in November, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan is considering providing large patrol vessels to the Philippine Coast Guard, the main agency tasked to secure the almost 40,000-km coastline of the country. – Rappler.com

MILAN, Italy – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrives Monday, January 25, in Italy, beginning his first European tour since a nuclear deal saw sanctions lifted against the Islamic Republic.

The visit, whose chief aim is to boost economic ties and which will see Rouhani visit France later this week, had been planned for last November but was cancelled after the deadly jihadist attacks in Paris. 

The 3-day trip comes a week after Tehran's deal with world powers came into force, allowing the United States and the European Union to lift economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear activities.

Tehran said Sunday, January 24, it will buy 114 Airbus planes to revitalise flag carrier Iran Air's ageing fleet – the first major commercial deal since sanctions were lifted – and the deal is expected to be signed during the Paris leg of the visit.

The Iranian leader has hailed the agreement as a "new chapter" for Iran as its economy returns to global markets.

After a working lunch with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, Rouhani will meet Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

He is also to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican, in the first official visit by an Iranian president there since Mohammad Khatami in 1999.

Francis is due to urge Rouhani to put pressure on his Syrian ally President Bashar al-Assad and to seek improved relations with Saudi Arabia.

Heading a high-powered business delegation, Rouhani is also to speak at an economic forum.

Since 2012, trade between Iran and Italy has slumped from 7 billion euros (around $7.6 billion) to 1.2 billion euros a year.

But now sanctions have been lifted, Italian businessmen are eager to renew ties.

"Italy was Iran's leading economic and trade partner before the sanctions," Italian economic development minister Federica Guidi said a few months ago, seeking to ensure her country regains that position.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Italy's exports to Iran are in the mechanics sector, followed by chemical products at eight percent.

Focus on energy, infrastructure

In welcoming the Iranian leader, Europe is seeking to regain some of the business terrain it has lost in recent years to Russia and China and emerging economies such as Turkey.

Some 500 Italian entrepreneurs are expected to attend Tuesday morning's economic forum.

In November, deputy economic development minister Carlo Calenda led a large business delegation to Tehran representing 178 companies, 20 business associations and 12 banking groups.

Among the companies represented were energy giant Enel, petrol group Eni and cables manufacturer Prysmian.

A new delegation of Italian entrepreneurs is set to return to Iran in February, with a focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors, a ministry official said.

But the road to Iran's re-integration into the global economy will not be easy.

For major companies a priority is for Iran to be reconnected to the global network of SWIFT banking transactions to enable companies present in Iran to transfer funds directly, analysts say.

One area in need of urgent investment is the creaking oil sector.

Iran, which has the world's fourth-biggest oil reserves, has seen its production fall to less than 3 million barrels per day (bpd) since 2012.

Its oil exports have roughly halved to about 1.3 million bpd, from 2.5 million bpd in 2011.

Iran also has the world's largest reserves of gas and was the number 4 producer last year. – Céline Cornu, AFP / Rappler.com

HONG KONG – Snow, sleet and icy winds across Asia caused deaths, flight cancellations and chaos over the weekend as areas used to basking in balmier climates struggled with record-low temperatures. 

Weather-related deaths were reported in Japan and Taiwan, with hundreds of flights cancelled across the region, tens of thousands of holidaymakers stranded in South Korea, and freezing conditions in sub-tropical Hong Kong causing mayhem on its tallest peak.

While the cold snap is by no means on the scale of the weather now affecting the snow-bound eastern United States, such temperatures are a novelty for many residents of the region.  

In Bangkok, a city that rarely sees the thermometer dip below 20-25ºC (68-77ºF), temperatures dropped to around 16ºC late Sunday, January 25.

It left Bangkokians, whose normal attire generally includes flip-flops and shorts, digging through their closets for jackets and jumpers.

In Japan 5 people died and more than 100 were injured Sunday, January 24, with record-breaking heavy snowfall and low temperatures in the country's western and central regions and rare snow in subtropical areas, officials and local media said.

The small subtropical island of Amami observed snow for the first time since 1901, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

In China, 24 weather stations around the country recorded all-time low temperatures between Friday, January 22, and Sunday.

At Eergu'Na in Inner Mongolia, the temperature on Saturday, January 23, hit a record low of -46.8ºC.

The southern city of Guangzhou saw rare sleet, the first in 60 years, in its downtown area, the provincial meteorological station announced on Sunday.

In Hong Kong, primary schools and kindergartens were closed Monday after temperatures plunged to a 60-year low. 

A 100-kilometer ultra-marathon race was abandoned as competitors crossing the city's tallest peak, Tai Mo Shan, slipped on icy slopes buffeted by freezing winds.

The peak became the scene of "carnage", as one race official described it, as hundreds of curious "frost-chasing" citizens became stranded, with dozens stricken with hypothermia and hapless firemen called in to rescue them filmed slipping and sliding on the icy roads.

Close to 90,000 people were stranded on the South Korean resort island of Jeju on Monday after the biggest snowfall in three decades shut the airport for the third straight day.

Taipei registered a low of 4ºC over the weekend, the coldest in 44 years, with the Taiwan media reporting 90 deaths due to the cold weather, and rare snowfall drawing enthusiastic crowds to Yangmingshan National Park. 

In Vietnam, temperatures in Hanoi dropped to 6ºC at night over the weekend, which state-run media said was the coldest weather the country has experienced for some two decades. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Residents of the US heartland state of Iowa will cast the first votes in the presidential nominations process on February 1, ahead of the November 8 election.

Here are 10 key things to know about the US presidential campaign:

Republicans everywhere

The Republican field, with more than a dozen candidates at the start, is unusually large and fractured. 

The rare absence of establishment-backed Republicans atop the field – even as relative political novices like Donald Trump have flourished – has led some to predict a serious splintering of the party.

Feel the Bern

The success of Bernie Sanders has stunned many observers, especially as a self-proclaimed democratic socialist in a country where the "socialist" label has been political poison. 

But while some young and liberal Democrats have embraced his blunt populist message, his lack of foreign policy experience could hurt him. 

Teflon Don(ald)?

Trump has taken Teflon politics to new heights, soaring in the polls despite (or because of) a steady stream of provocative statements that would have doomed many a candidacy. 

Instead, he has dominated the spotlight with what even critics say has been a masterful use of social media.

GOP marathon

Republican leaders had hoped to avoid a long and costly primary battle that could pull the ultimate victor too far to the right. 

Yet analysts say that the nominating season could extend well into the spring, and that Republicans might not even know their candidate's name until the party's nominating convention in July.

Lesser of the evils?

Many people in both parties might be holding their noses in the voting booth. Both Trump and Hillary Clinton have strong supporters, but also unusually high negatives in nationwide polls.

A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey found nearly half of US voters had negative views of Clinton, and six in 10 had such views of Trump. 

Super PACs

The Supreme Court's "Citizens United" ruling in 2010 made it far easier for the independent political groups known as Super PACs to raise and spend huge amounts of money in favor of candidates, potentially a difference-maker. 

Yet someone like the billionaire Trump, as he often points out, need not be beholden to big-money donors.

Madame President?

Despite the unexpectedly strong challenge from Sanders, Clinton remains well-positioned to become the first woman to capture a major party's nomination. 

She could then make history as the country's first woman president – in which case the ever-controversial Bill Clinton would become the first First Husband.

Third time unlucky

Yet, history and voter fatigue do not favor the continued grip on power of a party that has already controlled the White House for two terms. 

There are exceptions, of course – most recently, the 1988 election of Republican George H.W. Bush after the eight-year Ronald Reagan presidency.

Hispanic vote

The Hispanic factor is worth watching. Both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have Cuban roots, and backers say they could help the party among traditionally Democratic Latino voters (70 percent of whom were Obama voters in 2012).

But the two men have been jousting fiercely over which would be tougher on immigration. At the same time, many Latinos say Obama has not done enough for immigrants.   

Wild cards

As in every election, wild-card issues can drastically alter the dynamics. 

Some possibilities: a major terror attack involving Americans, new troubles in the Middle East, a contentious Supreme Court ruling on immigration, another hot summer of racial tensions, a damaging FBI report on Clinton's handling of State Department emails, and of course the fate of the oh-so-rocky US economic recovery.  – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – If you're an American voter and have provided personal information to a company, chances are data groups have shared it with political parties to help them target potential supporters.

One of the main players is NGP VAN, which manages the Democratic National Committee's database. 

Its name recently surfaced in connection with a data breach blamed on a technical glitch that enabled the campaign of presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders to access voter data belonging to rival Hillary Clinton.  

The incident raises questions about the reach of the database.

"Everyone" is in there, Kevin Thurman, who served as Clinton's deputy Internet director during her last campaign in 2008, said with a laugh.

"Every voter in America, since 2004, dead or alive."

NGP VAN estimates the number at about 195 million people, far more than the 146 million currently registered as voters. Voter registration is not mandatory in the United States.

The database even includes adults who don't vote but who the campaigns hope to convince to turn out ahead of the November presidential election.

All Democratic candidates – be they involved in local elections or a major presidential campaign – use NGP VAN's data.

The group helps candidates better target potential voters by avoiding those who will probably never cast a ballot for them, thereby reducing campaign expenses.

Other companies provide similar services, including for Republicans.

"If you're Trump, you're not going to lose time targeting the Clinton list," explained Brandi Travis, spokeswoman for NGP VAN competitor Aristotle.

Companies sell data

The Democratic Party has been collecting information on American voters since 2004.

The data – which includes a registered voter's age, address and history of election participation – is based on publicly available information.

Through brokers, the party then buys information that private companies own on their clients. CVS pharmacies, for example, sell this information.

The National Rifle Association, America's leading gun lobby, also shares data on its members.

"They buy information from corporate databases... or newspaper subscriptions," Thurman explained.

Clients may not necessarily be aware of this practice, which is legal.

"They want to know what type of product you bought," said Sasha Issenberg, a journalist who has published a book, The Victory Lab, on the issue.

These groups also sell their clients' email address.

With NGP VAN's information, the Democratic Party can also learn about someone's educational history and, often, his or her ethnic background.

Then comes the analysis.

A 30-year-old woman living in a major city and subscribed to a literary magazine, for example, has more chances of voting for Clinton than a 60-year-old man living in a southern rural area and subscribed to a magazine for weapons enthusiasts.

When they go knocking on doors, volunteers can then further refine the data by asking whether the targeted voter cares more, say, about climate change or ending unemployment.

Among NGP VAN's dozens of competitors, some, like Aristotle, build their own databases. 

NationBuilder told Agence France-Presse that French political parties have sought its services ahead of next year's presidential election in France.

The Republicans have a similar database.

'I agree'

Data collectors stress that all information is obtained legally, even if Americans are often unaware of the extent of parties' knowledge of details of their personal lives.

"When you click the 'I agree' button online, you don't read the text, but you accept that your information can be sold," said Joe Curran, founder of Filpac, which works with the Republicans. 

"It's public, but people just don't know it."

Thurman agreed – people simply don't realize what they've signed up for when they register on a website.

"There is no way our information can compete with the information the private companies have on Americans," Thurman added. 

"Compared to them, we are weak." – Léo Mouren, AFP / Rappler.comg

WASHINGTON DC, USA – The US capital struggled to plow and shovel its way back to life Monday, January 25, after a blizzard smothered the East Coast, with mountains of snow lining streets, and schools and the federal government shut down.

The storm was blamed for at least 33 deaths as it slammed a dozen states from Friday, January 22, into early Sunday, January 24, many of them people who suffered heart attacks while shoveling, or killed on icy roads, though several died of carbon monoxide poisoning trying to keep warm in cars or homes.

Washington's subway and bus network, closed all weekend, resumed service Monday but on a very limited basis with trains running for free.

More accustomed to heavy snowfall, New York City seemed to bounce back more easily with schools in the Big Apple open and the mass transit system up and running for the most part.

But for many the thrill of a weekend spent playing in the snow, or in warm homes watching a stunning display of nature's power, gave way to the realization that, in Washington at least, the cleanup will be long and messy.

"From my estimation we got more snow than I have ever seen in Washington, D.C.," Mayor Muriel Bowser told CNN. "We are working hard to dig out all of our residential streets."

Under a sunny sky, the normally bustling avenues around the White House were all but deserted.

Heavy machinery equipped with powerful vacuums sucked at chest-high drifts of snow and spat it into 18-wheel trucks moving alongside at a snail's pace. 

Dump trucks laden with the stuff rumbled through the streets and crews in bright red shirts went at it with shovels. Everywhere, there was snow.

The few people out and about trudged through slush and ice and picked their way through drifts left by plows. Most restaurants, office buildings and stores remained closed. 

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

More than 22 inches (56 centimeters) of snow paralyzed Washington, while the 26.8 inches (68 centimeters) that fell in New York's Central Park was the second-highest accumulation since records began in 1869.

Close to all-time records

"We now know this blizzard came within .1 inch of being the biggest snowfall in history" in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday morning. At one point, 2,500 snow plows were operating.

"We were getting as much as three inches in an hour. So this really was the big one," he added.

Near-record-breaking snowfall blanketed 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.

Fatalities occurred in Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

In Passaic, New Jersey, a 23-year-old and her one-year-old son died of carbon monoxide poisoning during the storm, while the family's three-year-old daughter was hospitalized in critical condition.

"The father was shoveling their car out and the wife and kids wanted to stay inside the car to keep warm," Detective Andrew White told Agence France-Presse. "The car's exhaust pipe was covered and blocked with snowing causing carbon monoxide to enter the car."    

Some 85 million residents in the storm's path were told to stay indoors for their own safety, and hundreds of thousands were left without power, including nearly 150,000 outages in North Carolina alone, emergency officials said.

Beyond New York and Washington, 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.

As the storm ended and temperatures rose, New York emerged from total shutdown and lifted a sweeping travel ban on Sunday.

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

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.

But in Washington residents were bracing for the disruption to drag on for days, with the House of Representatives opting to remain out of session for the coming week due to the severity of the winter storm – with no votes set until February 1.

Much of the subway system's above-ground stretches remained closed.

"We're not going to wait to reopen the whole above-ground system in one fell swoop," Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said. "We'll open segments of the lines as soon as we're able." – Daniel Woolls, AFP / Rappler.com

MIAMI, USA – The amount of sea level rise that comes from the oceans warming and expanding has been underestimated and is likely about twice as much as previously calculated – with the waters just off the Philippines having the highest increase globally, a study revealed Monday, January 25.

The findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal, suggest that increasingly severe storm surges could be anticipated as a result.

Sea level can mount due to two factors – melting ice and the thermal expansion of water as it warms.

Until now, researchers have believed the oceans rose between 0.7 to one millimeter per year due to thermal expansion.

But a fresh look at the latest satellite data from 2002 to 2014 shows the seas are expanding about 1.4 millimeters a year, said the study.

"To date, we have underestimated how much the heat-related expansion of the water mass in the oceans contributes to a global rise in sea level," said co-author Jurgen Kusche, a professor at the University of Bonn.

The overall sea level rise rate is about 2.74 millimeters per year, combining both thermal expansion and melting ice.

Sea level rise was also found to vary substantially from place to place, with the rate around the Philippines "5 times the global rate."

Meanwhile, sea level on the US West Coast is largely stable because there is hardly any ocean warming in that area, said the findings. – Agence France-Presse / Rappler.com

Image courtesy Shutterstock

CHICAGO, USA – A lead poisoning scandal has struck a second US town, with schools closed Monday, January 25, in Sebring, Ohio, and the water treatment plant operator accused of falsifying reports.

Elevated lead levels were detected months ago but local officials failed to warn residents until last week despite pressure from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Some 8,100 people rely on the Sebring water system.

The agency said it has "reason to suspect that the operator falsified reports" and has asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency's criminal division for help with the investigation.

The Ohio case comes as a special prosecutor was appointed to investigate how the city of Flint, Michigan, exposed 100,000 residents to lead poisoning after cutting water treatment costs.

Officials are accused of ignoring months of health warnings about foul-smelling water, even as residents complained it was making them sick.

US President Barack Obama weighed in on the Flint crisis last week, saying he would be beside himself if the health of his children had been placed at risk in such a way.

Lead exposure is harmful to everyone, but it can have devastating impacts on young children by irreversibly harming brain development. It has been shown to lower intelligence, stunt growth and lead to aggressive and anti-social behavior.

'Do the right thing'

A spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said she could not release further details about what types of reports were allegedly falsified or speculate as to why Sebring officials failed to warn the public.

"We were working with them for quite a while trying to get information out of them and get them to do the right thing," Heidi Griesmer told Agence France-Presse.

"The games the village of Sebring was playing – they gave us incomplete data time and time again, and were not providing documents when they were due," she said.

"It made it difficult for our field office to determine whether or not they notified their customers."

The agency is still trying to piece together exactly what happened.

It appears as though the problem was detected when the local OEPA field office was reviewing Sebring's routine testing reports, Griesmer said. Those tests found elevated lead levels in 6 houses.

Rather than immediately implementing corrosion control strategies, the local plant operator wanted to keep taking more samples to see if he could get an average lead level low enough to avoid action, according to a September 25 e-mail released by the OEPA.

The state agency eventually issued its own warning on December 3 about lead contamination in the Sebring water supply but most people in town did not hear about it until last week.

That's when the agency's director stepped in. 

The schools were closed for testing, the county's public health department issued an advisory and village officials were given a formal notice of violation.

Pregnant women and children were asked to have their blood tested for elevated lead levels at a free clinic on Sunday and officials also began distributing bottled water and filtration systems.

Water treatment working?

"It has become apparent that our field office was too patient in dealing with the village of Sebring's 'cat and mouse' game and should have had closer scrutiny on the water system meeting its deadlines," Ohio EPA Director Craig Butler said late Sunday.

"We are in the process of developing new protocols and appropriate personnel actions to ensure that our field staff takes action when it appears that a water system is not complying and taking their review seriously."

The OPEA eventually convinced officials to alter their water treatment in order to reduce the water's acidity and decrease the chances that lead would leach out of old pipes.

The treatment appears to be working, Griesmer said: follow-up tests found that four of the six houses with high lead levels are now below the danger zone.

However, additional tests detected elevated lead level in water from a drinking fountain in one of the town's schools and at least three homes also have lead in their water.

Schools remained closed Monday. The OEPA issued an emergency order Monday removing the head of the water treatment plant and requiring the plant to comply with state rules.

Ohio Governor John Kasich's office issued a statement saying he was "encouraged to learn of the improving water situation" and supported the Ohio EPA's work to force Sebring "to get serious about taking corrective action."

The contaminated water advisory will not be lifted until Sebring achieves two rounds of lead-free sampling in consecutive six month periods. – Mira Oberman, AFP / Rappler.com

SYDNEY, Australia – Australian authorities have charged a teenager with collecting documents that could facilitate terrorist acts, officials said Tuesday, January 26.

The 18-year-old from the western Sydney suburb of Guildford was arrested late Monday, January 25, and charged with "3 counts of collecting documents likely to facilitate terrorist acts," the New South Wales joint counter-terrorism team said.

Officials did not release further details about the case.

Canberra has been increasingly concerned about home-grown extremism and raised the nation's terror threat alert level to high in September 2014.

Authorities have conducted a series of counter-terrorism raids in various cities, while the government has passed new national security laws.

The government has also cracked down on Australians attempting to travel to conflict zones including Syria and Iraq.

A 17-year-old was last week charged with making threats on social media that led to Sydney's iconic Opera House being evacuated last week in a security scare.

In December, 5 people including a 15-year-old boy were charged in Sydney over a terror plot targeting a government building.

And in October, a civilian police employee was shot dead by a boy, also 15, outside police headquarters in western Sydney. The teenager was killed in an exchange of gunfire with officers. – Rappler.com

LONDON, United Kingdom – A senior US Treasury official has directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of corruption, in a BBC program that aired Monday, January 25.

The US government imposed sanctions against a number of Kremlin insiders in 2014 after Russia's annexation of Crimea in Ukraine, but did not accuse Putin of direct involvement in corruption.

However, during a Panorama investigation into Putin's "secret riches", Adam Szubin, the acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the US Treasury said Putin was a "picture of corruption".

"We've seen him enriching his friends, his close allies, and marginalizing those who he doesn't view as friends using state assets," Szubin, who oversees US Treasury sanctions, told the Panorama program, in an unusually strong statement from the government on Putin's personal finances.

"Whether that's Russia's energy wealth, whether it's other state contracts, he directs those to whom he believes will serve him and excludes those who don't. To me, that is a picture of corruption."

The US government has known about this for "many, many years", he added.

The program cited a secret CIA report from 2007 stating that Putin's wealth stood at around $40 billion (37 billion euros).

"He supposedly draws a state salary of something like $110,000 a year," said Szubin. "That is not an accurate statement of the man's wealth, and he has long-time training and practices in terms of how to mask his actual wealth."

The program also featured an interview with Dimitry Skarga, who used to run state shipping company Sovcomflot.

He alleged he managed the transfer of a $35-million yacht to Putin from Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, whose lawyers dismissed the claims as speculation.

Putin's spokesman told the BBC that "none of these questions or issues needs to be answered, as they are pure fiction".

The Russian president earned about 3.7 million rubles ($104,000, 75,000 euros) and owns 3 Russian-made cars, a 77-square-metre flat, a garage and a plot of land, according to a declaration of assets published on the Kremlin's website in 2014.

Putin's modest declared earnings are by far the lowest among Kremlin officials, and below most ministers, many of whom boast fleets of luxury vehicles and multiple houses in European countries.

Putin, a former KGB agent, has previously scoffed at claims he was Europe's richest man, saying: "It's simply rubbish. They just picked all of it out of someone's nose and smeared it across their little papers."

Moscow also on Thursday dismissed as a "joke" a British inquiry's findings that Putin "probably approved" the killing of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko a decade ago in London. – Rappler.com

DES MOINES, USA – Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz intensified their feud Monday, January 25, with frontrunner Trump branding his rival a nasty "whack job" and Cruz challenging Trump's conservatism, one week before Iowa kicks off the US presidential nominations contest.

Both men are counting on victory in the heartland state, which holds the first-in-the-nation vote in the long march to election day in November, to propel their candidacy into the top spot heading toward primaries in coming weeks in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. 

They are pouring resources into Iowa, with Cruz in the midst of a days-long multi-county tour and Trump engaging in more retail politicking in recent days.

Ten other Republicans are scrambling for respectability in Iowa, including Senator Marco Rubio, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Florida governor Jeb Bush. 

But it is increasingly looking like a two-horse race in Iowa, where Trump and Cruz are miles ahead of other candidates in the polls.

Cruz, a first-term senator from Texas, met voters in Manchester, Iowa to tell them "we're in the final sprint. 172 hours. One week from today the Iowa caucuses will decide."

The conservative firebrand again questioned Trump's record, arguing the New York real estate billionaire has been out of step with the party when it comes to issues like taxes, gun and abortion rights, and the size of government.

"I'm happy to have a conversation about how Donald's and my records differ," Cruz said.

But as for engaging in the brutal personal counterpunching that Trump is known for, Cruz was not taking the bait.

Trump "is now insulting me every day. He can do that, that is his prerogative," Cruz said. 

"I will not respond in kind because the people of Iowa... and the people of this country deserve something better."

'Nasty guy'

And yet the tenor of the campaign has turned tense one week from the vote, with Cruz unveiling an anti-Trump television ad Monday, less than one hour before Trump took the stage at a rally.

"Donald Trump. New York values, not ours," a voiceover says in the ad, hitting Trump for flip-flopping on issues like abortion and repeating Trump's comment, made years earlier, that "my views are a little bit different than if I lived in Iowa."

Trump knocked Cruz's ad campaign during his New Hampshire rally, part of his increasing verbal assaults on Cruz.

"I think the establishment actually is against me, but really coming online, because they see me as opposed to Cruz, who is a nasty guy who can't get along with anybody," Trump told CNN.

"We can't have a guy who stands in the middle of the Senate floor and every other senator thinks he's a whack job, right? You have to make deals.

"And Ted can't get along with anybody. He's a nasty person."

Trump continued his assault via Twitter, assailing Cruz as "a nervous wreck" who is sinking in the polls.

He also repeated his charge that Cruz's birth in Canada is anything but a resolved issue in terms of his presidential eligibility. 

"It's time for Ted Cruz to either settle his problem with the FACT that he was born in Canada and was a citizen of Canada, or get out of race," Trump tweeted.

Trump is riding high in polls, with Cruz second. Trump secured the endorsement last week of conservative icon Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice presidential nominee.

Cruz, for his part, earned the endorsement Monday of former campaign rival Rick Perry, the onetime Texas governor who last year called Trump a "cancer on conservatism." – Ivan Couronne, with Michael Mathes in Washington DC, AFP / Rappler.com

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The head of the Organization of American States' poll observers in Haiti on Monday, January 25, urged the country's political camps to get behind efforts to stage an election.

The impoverished Caribbean state had been due to elect a successor to President Michel Martelly in a second-round run-off vote on Sunday, January 24, but polling was called off.

Opposition activists had taken to the street claiming Martelly and his foreign backers are bent on rigging the poll in favor of his chosen candidate.

Martelly is constitutionally prohibited from standing for re-election himself and his legal term in office ends on February 7, when he had hoped to hand over power.

His favored candidate, the previously little-known Jovenel Moise, won October's first round race with around a third of the vote and remains the favorite.

But opposition flag-bearer Jude Celestin was close behind and refused to campaign ahead of Sunday's planned vote, alleging the government was working against him.

The international community, especially the United States – which contributed millions of dollars to try to ensure a smooth transition – was dismayed.

But Celso Amorim, the Brazilian diplomat leading the Organization of American States' observer mission – appealed for compromise from both sides. 

"The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) told us the decision to postpone was for security reasons," he told Agence France-Presse in an interview.

"But obviously, even if that wasn't the reason given, I think an un-competitive selection with a single candidate, would have been very problematic, even if it could have been technically legitimate."

Celestin's decision to boycott what he dubbed "a selection, not an election" is seen as having stirred the anger of the protesters who burned polling stations.

"Legitimacy and popular assent for the new executive would have been very weak and that would have caused problems that would have been difficult to face," Amorim said.

"A power vacuum can provoke violence and generate a vicious circle," he warned.

"I hope we can at least get to the minimum consensus needed to elect representatives with broader legitimacy."

In the run-up to the failed vote, Haiti's numerous political factions and stakeholder groups held intense discussions to find a way out of crisis.

But Amorim fears the spirit of compromise was lacking in a country with a patchy history of electoral politics.

"I don't know all the details but I sense, from what I've read and heard, that there was an effort to negotiate a way forward," he said.

"Were we able to involve all the players that should have taken part in this dialogue? I can't say.

"Important figures from the economic and political realms were involved, and I think they had this hope," he added.

"That's democracy: To understand that one can't have everything one wants. You must recognize others, make concessions.

"As this country has known very long periods of dictatorship, it's hard. You need a spirit of reconciliation.

"I'm moderately optimistic – going by what I'm hearing – but I'm not sure we'll succeed."

'Haiti lacks confidence'

A UN stabilization mission has been in Haiti for 12 years and critics of the international presence say the abandoned poll proves it has failed.

But Amorim said not all the blame could be left at the United Nations' door.

"One can't and shouldn't do the Haitians dirty for them." he argued.

"They need to understand what is needed for democracy: pluralism, different viewpoints, respect for others and fair elections.

"You can't impose that from outside. You can only ensure favorable conditions to encourage it.

"I think Haiti lacks confidence. What can the international community do? The police can prevent crime but can't make people love on another.

"The OAS is not here to support the opposition or the government," he said.

"The problem is one of credibility and only the Haitian people can judge that – not the OAS, the United States or the European Union." – Amelie Baron, AFP / Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – US President Barack Obama announced a ban on solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons Monday, January 25, citing the "heartbreaking" case of a teenager who spent two years in solitary after stealing a backpack and later killed himself.

Obama, who is pushing to reform America's overcrowded and expensive correctional system before the end of his presidency, wants to cut the number of people incarcerated in prisons, curb use of solitary confinement in general and end mandatory minimum sentences.

Writing in an op-ed that was to appear in The Washington Post on Tuesday, January 26, the president said placing juvenile prisoners in solitary confinement is used too much and can have terrible psychological effects.

He announced a series of executive actions that also ban corrections officials from dumping prisoners responsible for "low-level infractions" in solitary.

The president's reforms were expected to affect about 10,000 inmates and he said he hoped they would serve as a model for US states to rethink their rules.

"How can we subject prisoners to unnecessary solitary confinement, knowing its effects, and then expect them to return to our communities as whole people?" the president wrote.

"It doesn't make us safer. It's an affront to our common humanity."

Obama begins his opinion piece – titled "Why we must rethink solitary confinement" – by detailing the case of Kalief Browder, who in 2010, aged 16, was accused of stealing a backpack and was sent off to the notorious Rikers Island prison complex in New York to await trial.

"He reportedly endured unspeakable violence at the hands of inmates and guards – and spent nearly two years in solitary confinement," Obama wrote.

Browder was released in 2013 having never stood trial but struggled to cope from the trauma of being locked up all alone for 23 hours each day and killed himself at the age of 22.

"Solitary confinement gained popularity in the United States in the early 1800s and the rationale for its use has varied over time," Obama wrote.

"Today, it's increasingly overused on people such as Kalief, with heartbreaking results – which is why my administration is taking steps to address this problem."

According to Obama, as many as 100,000 people are held in solitary confinement in US prisons, including juveniles and the mentally ill.

Obama made his announcement after the Justice Department completed a review of the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons.

Nearly a quarter of the world's prison population is concentrated in American jails. However, the United States accounts for less than five percent of the world's population.

Black and Latino Americans represent 60% of the prison population while around 30% of prisoners are white. – Rappler.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (2nd UPDATE) – The Saudi royal family was the source of a $681 million "donation" that has engulfed Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in scandal, his attorney general said on Tuesday, January 26, in a statement clearing the premier of graft allegations.

Mohamed Apandi Ali said a review of evidence compiled by the country's anti-graft agency showed that the money was a "personal donation from the Saudi royal family."

He gave no further details on the source.

Najib, 62, has for months fended off accusations that the huge payment made into his personal bank accounts in 2013 was syphoned off from a now-struggling state-owned company that he had launched.

But until now, the origin of the money has not been specified, other than claims by Najib's government that it came from unnamed Middle Eastern donors.

"I am satisfied that there is no evidence to show that the donation was a form of gratification given corruptly," Apandi, who was installed by Najib after the scandal broke last year, said in a statement.

He added that "no criminal offense has been committed by (Najib)," and that he would instruct the anti-corruption agency to "close" the case.

The fund transfers were revealed last July just as Najib was battling allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars were missing from deals involving the state company, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Najib, who chairs 1MDB's board of advisers, and the company strenuously deny wrongdoing.

But the political opposition and even critics within Najib's ruling party have demanded independent investigations, accusing the premier of sabotaging official probes.

Shortly after the fund movements were revealed, Najib provoked fierce criticism by sacking Malaysia's previous attorney general – who was investigating the matter – and appointing Apandi, who has ties to the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO).

Najib tightens grip

Najib's "donation" alibi has been widely derided by Malaysians accustomed to regular UMNO scandals, and the self-proclaimed reformer's image has been severely battered.

Speculation is rising that the scandal could be the final straw that dumps his ruling coalition from power.

UMNO-controlled coalitions have governed for nearly six decades, but the party is in crisis as swelling numbers of voters have rejected it at recent polls over graft, its hardball political tactics, and accusations of rights infringements.

The next elections are due by 2018.

The opposition and rights groups accuse Najib of seeking to stem that tide through an escalating crackdown on opponents that has seen dozens of arrests on charges such as sedition over the past two years, and the introduction of tough new security laws.

Parliament held a special session on trade matters Tuesday and Agence France-Presse was unable to immediately obtain comment from Najib or key opposition leaders on Apandi's announcement.

Najib still faces a potential threat from foreign investigations.

US authorities are reportedly looking into 1MDB-related overseas fund flows, while Swiss, British, Singaporean and Hong Kong authorities have acknowledged scrutinizing the affair.

Early last year, a New York Times investigative report detailed multi-million-dollar purchases of luxury US real estate by a close Najib family associate and alleged millions of dollars in jewelry purchases for Najib's wife, Rosmah Mansor.

Najib has responded to the 1MDB scandal by purging powerful critics within UMNO and he retains a solid grip on the party, winning its renewed endorsement at a party congress in December. – Dan Martin, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday, January 26, hosted an activity that built the final version of the software that would manage the automation of the 2016 national elections.

The poll body said that this was among their efforts to promote transparency in the country’s 3rd automated polls.

The Final Trusted Build (FTB) process for the election management system (EMS) software converts the source code into binary or executable code that the computer can interpret and run, said the Comelec.

The EMS software sets up the automation of the polls and manages election-related data. It also prepares all ballot templates for each town and city nationwide, and creates configuration files for the vote-counting machines. (READ: How does the PH automated election system work?)

The FTB was conducted in a "trusted environment" on Tuesday at the Comelec office in Manila by SLI Global Solutions, the international entity that will certify the source codes created by technology provider Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM).

“Hash codes” of the EMS software will also be generated and released, so that the public could check if the source code had been tampered with.

“The hash code is the assurance that whatever has been tested will be the same for the machines that will be used for the elections,” explained Comelec Commissioner Christian Robert Lim.

“May isang line ka lang na baguhin [sa source code], magbabago ang hash code. 'Yun iyong security check mo,” he added. (You change just one line in the source code, and the hash code will change. It’s your security check.)

The final version of the EMS software will be saved on a CD, then sealed and turned over to the Comelec. Afterwards, the poll body will deposit the CD in escrow at a vault at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The Final Trusted Build of the source codes for the vote-counting machines and the canvassing system to process the election results will take place on February 8.

Local code review yet to start

Meanwhile, IT consultant Lito Averia of the National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) questioned the conduct of the final trusted build activity, saying that the review by local groups and parties of the customized EMS source code was not yet finished.

Averia explained that there are two levels of the source code review: that of the base code, and of the customized code that will comply with election laws.

He said that both SLI Global and the local groups had reviewed the base code, but only SLI Global had reviewed the customized code so far. He also noted that the local groups' review of the customized code is only set to begin on Monday next week.

"Apparently, the customization [of the base code] had been completed already, and the customized code had been reviewed by SLI Global. The local group however has not seen the customized code," Averia said.

"In this case, the Trusted Build process is going ahead without the benefit of the local groups having reviewed the customized code.... To me, it does not build an assurance that they're working on the same source code," he continued.

In response, project manager Marlon Garcia of Smartmatic explained that time constraints – to meet a February 9 deadline for the issuance of a certification report – led to the decision to proceed with the trusted build, ahead of the completion of the customized code review.

Nevertheless, Peter Antonio Banzon, head of the technical evaluation committee, said that discrepancies found in the customized code review will be properly addressed and evaluated.

"The last thing we want is to have a non-trusted system being used for the elections," he said. – Rappler.com

GENEVA, Switzerland – Talks aimed at ending Syria's brutal war will begin in Geneva on Friday, January 29, the UN mediator said, after a delay over who will represent the country's fractious opposition.

Negotiations had been scheduled to open on Monday, January 25, but UN envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters in Geneva "a stalemate" over the makeup of the delegations had forced the date back.

He said he expected to be able to send invitations to the delegates on Tuesday, but declined to say who would be asked to attend, only saying the list would be "as inclusive as possible".

The announcement came as a truck suicide bomber killed at least 23 people in the Syrian city of Aleppo, most of them from the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A rebel commander and 11 members of his family were also killed in a Russian air strike on a village between the northern province of Idlib and Aleppo, the Britain-based monitor said.

The renewed efforts to end Syria's war, which has killed more than 260,000 people and displaced half the country's population, come as the conflict approaches its fifth year.

The talks are part of a UN-backed plan agreed last year that envisages negotiations, followed by the creation of a transitional government, a new constitution and elections within 18 months.

The United States and Russia have been piling on pressure for the talks to get under way, but disagreement over who should represent the opposition has made it difficult to get started, De Mistura said.

The so-called "proximity talks" are scheduled to last 6 months, with the first round lasting between two and 3 weeks, he said, adding he expected to do "a lot of shuttling" between the sides. 

"We are all feeling... the time has come to try hard to produce an outcome," De Mistura said.

Seeking 'broad ceasefire'

De Mistura said that the first priority would be to try to secure "a broad ceasefire" and space to deliver humanitarian aid to suffering Syrians.

He explained that he was moving forward cautiously to avoid a repeat of the failure seen when the UN last tried to put the sides together.

Russia's foreign ministry said US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov had called on De Mistura to set a start date "as quickly as possible", underscoring the growing urgency among global powers to end the crisis.

Last month, several key opposition bodies, including rebel groups, formed a coalition known as the High Negotiations Committee to participate in the mooted talks.

But the coalition excludes Syria's main Kurdish party and a range of other opposition figures.

Moscow has sought to have some of those excluded participate in the talks either within a broad opposition delegation, or in a second opposition delegation to the negotiations.

But the High Negotiations Committee accuses Damascus ally Russia of trying to stack the opposition delegation with figures close to the regime, and has threatened to boycott the talks if other opposition representatives are invited.

Over the weekend, Kerry meanwhile met members of the committee in Saudi Arabia to urge them to participate, warning the opposition risked "losing friends" if it boycotted, committee member Fuad Aliko told Agence France-Presse.

Aliko said it would take a final decision on whether to attend the talks in a meeting on Tuesday.

Jihadist threat grows

Renewed efforts to end the war come amid global angst over the rise of the brutal Islamic State (ISIS) group and an unprecedented influx of migrants into Europe last year.

On Monday, Europol's chief warned ISIS "had developed a new combat style capability to carry out a campaign of large-scale terrorist attacks on a global stage – with a particular focus in Europe."

ISIS claimed responsibility for the November Paris attacks that killed 130 people.

Despite the ramped-up efforts to end Syria's war, hopes for the talks remain modest.

In addition to the opposition's disarray, analysts say the regime has been emboldened by Russia's military intervention.

Moscow began air strikes on September 30, saying it was targeting ISIS and other "terrorist groups".

Opposition forces and activists accuse it of focusing on moderate and Islamist rebels, and of killing civilians, an allegation Moscow dismisses as "absurd." – Nina Larson with Sara Hussein in Beirut, Lebanon, AFP / Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – A Texas grand jury investigating allegations of misconduct against a major US abortion provider has instead indicted two anti-abortion activists who filmed the group in videos publicized by conservatives, officials said Monday, January 25.

The grand jury also cleared Planned Parenthood – a decades-old women's health network – of wrongdoing.

David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress were both indicted for tampering with a government record. Daleiden had an additional misdemeanor count related to the purchase of human organs.

In a series of undercover videos shot by the center, Planned Parenthood officials were shown discussing providing body parts taken from aborted fetuses for use in medical research.

Planned Parenthood admits to having fallen prey to the ruse, but says its doctors were merely explaining the process of how fetal tissue is collected and distributed – never sold, it insists – for research purposes.

The grand jury found that Planned Parenthood had not broken any laws.

"We were called upon to investigate allegations of criminal conduct by Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast," said Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson. 

"As I stated at the outset of this investigation, we must go where the evidence leads us. All the evidence uncovered in the course of this investigation was presented to the grand jury. I respect their decision on this difficult case." 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott stressed that the grand jury decision would not impact the state's own investigation into the case. 

"The state of Texas will continue to protect life, and I will continue to support legislation prohibiting the sale or transfer of fetal tissue," said Abbott, a Republican.

Earlier Monday, the newspaper USA Today published an op-ed article by Daleiden in which he said that Planned Parenthood and federal law governing abortions "were never in step with the American people and are now completely out of touch with public attitudes."

"The undercover videos of top-level Planned Parenthood executives and medical directors callously negotiating both the harvesting techniques and the exchange of money for aborted body parts have forever banished from the public discourse Planned Parenthood's out-of-sight, out-of-mind mantra on its industrial-scale abortion business," he wrote.

Earlier this month, Planned Parenthood announced it had filed suit in federal court against the Center for Medical Progress. – Rappler.com

ROME, Italy – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will Tuesday, January 26, attend an Iran-Italy business forum before meeting Pope Francis, as the Islamic Republic rebuilds ties with the West and seals multi-billion dollar deals as sanctions against it are lifted.

Italian officials said contracts signed in Rome late Monday, January 25, would be worth up to 17 billion euros ($18.4 billion), topped by a 5-billion-euro deal for pipeline company Saipem, whose shares surged 18.5% in Milan on Monday.

A major order for Airbus planes is expected to be confirmed in France on Wednesday, January 27, along with tie-ups with French carmakers Peugeot and Renault.

Rouhani said Monday he had come to Europe with an "open for business" message in his first trip overseas since Tehran's nuclear deal with the West came into force this month.

"The Iranian market offers Italian and European investors the opportunity to establish themselves in the entire region," he said.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi added: "We have signed the first accords, but we are only at the start of a long road."

Renzi said he had discussed efforts to end the war in Syria and the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) group with the Iranian leader. "If we could reach agreement on the nuclear issue, we can find one on Syria. We can and we have to."

Rouhani is due at the Vatican on Tuesday where Pope Francis is expected to reiterate concerns over human rights and the death penalty in Iran, as well as asking Rouhani to help protect Christians in the Middle East.

The Iranian leader, who is accompanied by more than 100 ministers, officials and businessmen, will fly on to France Wednesday on the next leg of his first official European trip as president. 

Rouhani, a 67-year-old former academic and diplomat who is seen as a pragmatist, was elected in 2013 on a pledge to end sanctions and improve relations with the West.

His trip comes a week after Tehran's deal with world powers came into force, allowing the United States and the European Union to begin lifting economic barriers brought in over Iran's nuclear program that have long hindered its growth.

Billions up for grabs

"We have had friendly relations with Italy and France in the past and we want to continue our good relations with them," Rouhani told reporters before his departure on Monday from Mehrabad Airport.

He also revealed that "important contracts" were in the works with Peugeot and Renault, as European companies scramble to get back into a $400-billion economy with the world's fourth-biggest oil reserves and a consumer market of 80 million people.

National carrier Iran Air said on Sunday it would be buying 114 Airbus planes to modernize an aging fleet that has struggled to stay in the air as a result of the impact of sanctions.

That deal alone underlines the huge economic stakes involved in Iran's re-opening, particularly for Europe's manufacturing and engineering sectors.

Iran's Transport Minister Abbas Akhoundi said the first Airbuses were earmarked for delivery by March and that Iran was in the market for a total of up to 500 planes.

Peugeot is tipped to forge a car assembly joint venture with Iran Khodro, reviving a partnership which generated Iranian sales of 473,000 units in its last year before the French company pulled out in 2012.

Iranian media reported the deal will involve investment of 500 million euros.

Iran's central bank governor said last week the country was counting on the nuclear deal unblocking some $50 billion worth of foreign investment.

Italian companies have been amongst the quickest off the blocks, with a major business delegation having visited Tehran in November and some 500 entrepreneurs invited to the forum Rouhani will attend on Tuesday.

Italy was formerly Iran's biggest European trading partner, but volumes have dwindled to a fifth of their former glory because of the sanctions.

National carrier Alitalia said Monday it was upgrading its Rome-Tehran service from 4 a week to a daily flight in anticipation of increased business and tourist travel.

But, amid the scramble for slices of the Iranian pie, rights groups fear Tehran's repression of political dissent and extensive use of the death penalty (700 executions in 2015 according to the UN) will be forgotten. – Angus Mackinnon, AFP / Rappler.com