BEIRUT, Lebanon – Thousands of Syrians were braving cold and rain at the Turkish border on Saturday, February 6, after fleeing a Russian-backed regime offensive on Aleppo that threatens a fresh humanitarian disaster in the country's second city.

Tens of thousands have escaped fierce fighting as government forces unleashed an advance this week against rebels, severing the opposition's main supply route into Aleppo.

On Saturday morning, Turkey's Oncupinar border crossing – which faces Bab al-Salama on Syrian soil – remained closed, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent said, as Turkish authorities said they were working to free up space within existing camps to accommodate the new arrivals.

"Our teams are ready to provide them with water and food as soon as they arrive," Turkish Red Crescent head Ahmet Lutfi Akar said.

Around 40,000 civilians have fled their homes over the regime offensive, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

"The situation of the displaced is tragic," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.

"Families have been sleeping outside in the cold in fields and tents with no international NGO there to help them. They're helping each other." 

EU officials on Saturday reminded Turkey of its international obligations to keep its frontiers open to refugees camped on its southern border.

"The Geneva convention is still valid which states that you have to take in refugees," EU Enlargement and Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn said as he went into talks with European foreign ministers.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday it estimated "up to 20,000 people have gathered at the Bab al-Salama border crossing and another 5,000 to 10,000 people have been displaced to Azaz city" nearby.

Turkey is already home to between two and 2.5 million Syrians who have fled their country's five-year civil war.

'Access is difficult'

Aleppo province is one of the main strongholds of Syria's opposition, which is facing possibly its worst moment since the country's brutal conflict began.

OCHA spokeswoman Linda Tom said another 10,000 people were thought to have been displaced to the Kurdish town of Afrin, also in northern Aleppo province.

She said the fighting had also disrupted major aid and supply routes from the Turkish border.

On Friday, many Syrian refugees in Turkey headed to the crossing point in a bid to obtain news of their families.

But none were present on Saturday due to rain, an AFP journalist said.

Trucks were seen Friday carrying parts for tents to the refugee camp close to the border gate on the Turkish side.

At least four Turkish aid trucks were also seen returning to Turkey after making deliveries of food inside Syria.

Turkey last faced such an influx in 2014 when 200,000 refugees fled the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane over three days as the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish fighters battled for its control.

A Red Cross spokesman told AFP that efforts were underway to deliver aid to northern Aleppo but warned that "access is difficult".  

Aleppo city, Syria's former economic powerhouse, has been divided between opposition control in the east and regime control in the west since mid-2012.

Syria's army has recaptured several key rebel towns in Latakia province and advanced in Aleppo province and in Daraa in the south since Russia began a aerial campaign on September 30 in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

On Friday, the army seized the village of Mayer, north of Aleppo, and half the town of Ratyan with support from dozens of Russian air strikes.

Western nations have accused the Syrian government of sabotaging UN-backed peace talks that collapsed this week with its military offensive, and Washington has demanded Moscow halt its bombing campaign.

Top diplomats from countries trying to resolve the conflict are set to meet again next week after UN envoy Staffan de Mistura suspended the floundering Geneva negotiations until February 25.

More than 260,000 people have died in Syria's conflict and more than half the population has been displaced. – Rana Moussaoui with Fulya Ozerkan, AFP/Rappler.com

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Three brothers in search of treasure reportedly died of suffocation inside a deep hole they dug near their home in Kabankalan City on Saturday, February 6.

Police identified the fatalities as brothers Danilo Nabas, 42; Rolando, 40; and Reynante, 33, residents of Sitio Bugtong, Barangay Tan-awan in Kabankalan City.

Superintendent German Garbosa, city police chief, said the brothers didn't respond to the calls of their brother-in-law, Joseph Masola, who checked on them around lunch time.

Masola tried to get into the hole, which was 20 feet deep, but halfway through he smelled sulfur and couldn't breathe. He lifted himself up and called for help.

Responders found the 3 brothers already unconscious. They were rushed to the hospital but did not make it. Masola is still confined at the hospital.

Garbosa said the brothers had been digging the hole since last year, inspired by the dream of Rolando.

Their uncle, Rodrigo Nabas Sr, said Rolando dreamed there was buried treasure near their home, prompting them to dig the hole in search of gold.

Garbosa said Reynante recently asked his father-in-law for a loan to buy a generator, as the hole they were digging was getting filled with water.

The police chief said that an autopsy will be performed on the victims to determine the cause of death. – Rappler.com

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reaffirmed on Saturday, February 6, that his country would keep its "open border policy" for Syrian refugees, saying as many as 55,000 people fleeing a new regime offensive were heading toward the frontier.

Cavusoglu told reporters after a meeting with his EU counterparts in Amsterdam that there had been no change in Turkish policy.

"We still keep this open border policy for these people fleeing from the aggression, from the regime as well as air strikes of Russia," he said.

"We have received already 5,000 of them; another 50,000 to 55,000 are on their way and we cannot leave them there," he said.

Reports from the border on Saturday said Turkey was preparing for a new influx, trying to find space in existing refugee camps for new arrivals as loyalist forces close in on rebels in Aleppo, Syria's second largest city. (READ: Thousands of Syrians brave cold, rain at Turkish border)

Turkey already hosts more than two million people who have fled the war in Syria.

EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said foreign ministers had reminded Cavusoglu of Ankara's international obligations towards refugees and of the help Brussels was providing to help cope with the problem.

"We discussed this with our Turkish colleague remembering the fact that there is first a moral if not a legal duty ... to protect those in need of international protection," Mogherini told a closing news conference.

"It's unquestionable...  that the people coming from inside Syria are Syrians in need for international protection."

"On top of that, this support that the EU is providing to Turkey... is aimed exactly at guaranteeing that Turkey has the means, the instruments, the resources to protect and to host people seeking asylum," Mogherini said. (READ: EU says Turkey must keep border open to Syrian refugees)

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a Syria donors' conference in London on Thursday that Ankara would allow the refugees into the country. 

More than a million migrants landed in the 28-nation European Union last year, most of them crossing into Greece from Turkey, and then making their way through the Balkans to Germany and other northern member states. 

Such numbers have put huge strains on the bloc and the Schengen passport-free zone, with several countries – among them Germany, Austria, Hungary, Sweden – re-introducing border controls while Brussels struggles to find a comprehensive solution.

In November, the EU thrashed out a deal with Turkey, offering 3.0 billion euros ($3.35 billion) to help care for the refugees on its soil and speeding up long-stalled accession talks in return for Ankara's help in curbing the migrant flows. – Rappler.com

QUETTA, Pakistan – Nine people were killed and more than 35 injured on Saturday, February 6, when a suicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself up near a security forces truck in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, officials said.

Two of the dead were paramilitary soldiers while 7 were civilians, police said citing initial reports. 

The bombing took place outside district courts in Quetta where a truck was picking up soldiers who had been on a routine security patrol.

A paramilitary spokesman confirmed the bombing and said that two soldiers had died and 10 others had been wounded.

"Two of our soldiers were martyred in the bombing and 10 others were wounded," a paramilitary spokesman told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Senior police official Imtiaz Shah said that the suicide bomber was on a bicycle.  

Initial reports by bomb disposal experts suggested that the explosives weighed up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds).

Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but Taliban militants and separatist groups are active in the region.

Quetta is the capital of the restive Balochistan province, which is also home to a separatist insurgency that has been raging since 2004.

The province's roughly 7 million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth. – Rappler.com

BAMAKO, Mali – Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb on Saturday, February 6, said they carried out Friday's attack on a UN military camp in Timbuktu in Mali's restive north.

At least 4 suspected jihadists and a Malian soldier were killed in the attack, which the group said was designed to send "a clear message" of its intention and capacity to target the UN's peacekeeping MINUSMA mission.

The group said in a statement that three fighters from the al-Quds Brigade of its Sahara division stormed the former hotel serving as the mission base, one detonating a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at the entrance and the two others entering inside.

The attack came 3 months after a similar strike on the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako and one month after a raid on a top hotel in Burkina Faso.

The militant group has vowed to continue with a “series of operations to cleanse the land of Islam and Muslims from the dens of the Crusader occupiers and their mercenaries”.

A Malian police source indicated two suspects, who army sources said had been arrested in the aftermath of the attack, were Saturday released. 

"The people arrested Friday on suspicion of being terrorists or their accomplices have been freed for lack of evidence," the Timbuktu gendarmerie source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) without giving further details.

Defence Minister Tieman Hubert Coulibaly had Friday spoken of "half a dozen" fighters carrying out the attack, with three gunned down and one blowing himself up.

Three Malian soldiers were also wounded.

The assault came just a day after the fabled city celebrated the restoration of its greatest treasures – earthen mausoleums dating to mediaeval times and destroyed during an Islamist takeover in 2012.

In a statement via Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said three fighters whose nationalities were not immediately clear carried out the raid and were all killed.

The group added that "several soldiers" had also died with others injured.

Army sources reported the situation Saturday afternoon as calm in Timbuktu as Coulibaly attended the funeral of the slain soldier, named as commander Karim Niang. The sources added they had carried out patrols through the night across the city.

Sources close to Coulibaly meanwhile said he would be meeting with city officials to discuss boosting security.

Northern Mali fell under the control of Tuareg-led rebels and jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda in 2012.

The Islamists sidelined the Tuareg to take sole control. Although largely ousted by a French-led military operation in January 2013 the jihadist groups remain active. – Rappler.com

NEW DELHI, India – Bhutan's royal couple on Saturday, February 6, announced the birth of their first child, a baby prince, delighting the remote Himalayan kingdom where the monarchy is revered.

The newest royal, the son of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema, was safely delivered at Lingkana Palace in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu on February 5, the royal media office said.

"Their majesties and members of the royal family are filled with profound joy on the birth of His Royal Highness," it said in a statement. 

"With the blessings of the guardian deities of Bhutan and protectors of the dharma (divine truth), and the prayers of the Bhutanese people, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness The Gyalsey (prince) are both in perfect health."

The prince's birth was marked by sacred Bhutanese traditions with the Je Khenpo, the chief abbot and spiritual leader of the majority Buddhist nation, presiding over religious ceremonies, the office said. 

The baby's name has yet to be announced. 

Known as the "last Shangri-La" the South Asian kingdom, home to just 750,000 people, famously shuns conventional measures of economic wellbeing, instead compiling a Gross National Happiness index.

Britain's own royals, Prince William and his wife Kate, are to visit Bhutan in the spring as part of an official trip that also includes India, British officials announced last month.

The hugely popular fifth Druk Gyalpo, or Dragon King, studied in Britain and the United States and was officially crowned king in 2008 after his father abdicated two years earlier.

He married Queen Pema in 2011 in an elaborate fairytale wedding ceremony that was the biggest media event in Bhutanese history.

Bhutan had no roads or currency until the 1960s, and only began admitting foreign tourists in 1974 – but has since developed rapidly. – Rappler.com

TAINAN, Taiwan – Rescuers searched through the night on Saturday, February 6, hoping to free residents trapped in buildings toppled by a deadly earthquake in Taiwan, as survivors recalled being plucked to safety from their ruined homes.

More than 250 people have been rescued from the Wei-kuan apartment complex in the southern city of Tainan since the quake hit at 4:00 am Saturday, killing 14 people and toppling four blocks of around 100 homes in total.  

Over 150 people remain out of contact with their families in Tainan and surrounding counties, with at least 20 feared still trapped in the rubble of the apartment buildings.

Those who escaped told of their terror and relief. 

"(When the quake hit) I slid down from my bed and was trapped between the bed and a closet," resident Su Yi-ming, 48, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"I knocked on the closet to get the attention of rescuers who broke the window to get me at around 5:00 am. I think I was the first to be rescued," he said.

"My mind went blank when the quake struck, it shook violently, and the house just came down. I couldn't react."

Su escaped uninjured, with his wife and their two children sustaining minor injuries.

They lived on the sixth floor of one of the collapsed blocks.

"We are very lucky that we are alive but I'm sad that some of my neighbors lost their lives. When I was brought out, I saw many rescuers trying to find people," Su said.

Wang Chih-peng, 38, was rescued with his wife and three-year-old daughter.

"I was scared awake by the quake and I held my wife and child until it stopped shaking," Wang told AFP.

"We lay on our bed waiting for rescuers because we thought it safer. I heard the sound of rescuers approaching and screamed for help and they removed the window to pull us out. I saw the building had tumbled and luckily we were safe."

Rescuers were still freeing survivors Saturday night.

Footage released by emergency workers showed rescuers talking to one trapped 36-year-old woman through the rubble, where she had been pinned down by furniture for 16 hours, before digging her out. 

Another woman was extracted alive from the ruins by crane late Saturday.  – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – A network of over 40 civil society organizations launched the Green Thumb Coalition on Friday, February 5, challenging presidential bets to put environmental issues at the center of their campaigns.

Celebrity and environment advocate Enchong Dee joined the coalition during its kick off event at the University of the Philippines Diliman, in a bid to encourage the youth and online community to support the voter awareness campaign. 

"My next president is the one who stands for the environment, ecotourism and agribuisness. Say no to those who are for deforestation, mining, and (to those who simply don't) care about our environment," he said in an Instagram post that used the hashtag #greenthumb2016.

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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="6" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BBZYCSWKSNV/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">My next president is the one who stands for the #environment, #EcoTourism and #AgriBuisness say no to those who is for #Deforestation #Mining and simply doesn&#39;t care about our environment #greenthumb2016</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Enchong Dee (@mr_enchongdee) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-02-05T07:38:41+00:00">Feb 4, 2016 at 11:38pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>

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Climate change, mining, GMOs

The coalition, composed of environmental groups and communities, gathered to kick off an awareness drive on environmental concerns and related issues on poverty and corruption.

It hopes to get the commitment of national and local candidates to embrace a green agenda, and hold newly elected public officials accountable on their promises.

“Protecting the environment directly translates to social and economic benefits for the nation as a whole, for communities, and for each Filipino, now and for many generations,” said Yeb Saño, the former Philippine climate commissioner who was recently named Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

“With the country’s agricultural sector now facing further threats from climate change to GMO (genetically modified organisms) invasion, we call upon all presidential candidates to support legislation and policies that would make ecological agriculture practices mandatory to protect small farmer’s interests, our biodiversity, the environment and ensure safe food for Filipinos,” Saño said.

Environmental activists also blamed the government for the country's continued dependence on coal, one of the major sources of energy that caused climate change and pollution. 

"Given that the past administration has for granted the 200, 000 MW worth of potential renewable energy in the Philippines by pursuing a coal-dependent dirty energy path, we must reiterate our support for a more sustainable, people-centered, renewable energy for all, especially with the elections coming our way,” said Gerry Arances, Convenor for the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED).

Meanwhile, other advocates urged candidates to take a position againstlarge-scale mining that has destroyed mountains, waters, lands, and other resources.

“We must not let the proliferation of large-scale, environmentally-destructive mining which terrorizes local vulnerable communities’ safety, health and livelihood carry over to the next administration,” stressed Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) national coordinator Jaybee Garganera, citing the upsurge of approved mining permits during the Aquino government.

9-point environmental agenda

The Green Thumb Coalition vowed to engage candidates and the voting public by raising the debate on the following 9 environmental issues:

• Biodiversity and ecosystem integrity
• Natural resource and land use management and governance
• Human rights and integrity of creation
• Climate justice
• Mining, extractives and mineral resource management
• Energy transformation and democracy
• Sustainable food sovereignty
• People-centered sustainable development\
• Waste

The coaltion plans to hold a series of forums across the country leading up to the elections in May.  The provinces that the advocates will visit include Batangas, Palawan, Zambales, Sorsogon, Mindoro, Tuguegarao, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Samar, Leyte, Cebu, SOCSARGEN, Davao, Zamboanga, and CARAGA  – Rappler.com

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Three government security forces were wounded as they clashed Saturday, February 6, with an undetermined number of fighters of a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberaton Front (MILF) in Datu Salibo town in Maguindanao province, a military official said.

Lieutenant Colonel Warlito Limet, chief of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, said the fierce gun battle occurred simultaneously in the villages of Butilen, Andabit, and Tee, where he cited that 3 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were reportedly killed.

Limet said 3 of his men, including a captain, were injured but they are safe and out of danger. The rebels also set on fire heavy equipment as they retreated.

"We have recovered improvised bomb materials after the firefight. Our 3 men only suffered minor injuries," he said.

The fighting began on Friday, February 5, where the BIFF attacked soldiers securing the bridge construction in the town.

Abu Misry Mama, spokesman for the BIFF, confirmed their forces were involved in the latest encounter.

He said they were in the area when the soldiers arrived.

"We were only forced to fire our weapons because the soldiers were in our location," he said. "We have just strengthened our forces to continue our fight for an Islamic state."

At the same time, gun runners allegedly connected to government military personnel have been selling weapons and ammunition to them.

Mama said most of the guns were M-14 and M-14 rifles, which they can easily get from their suppliers.

"We believed they have links with the military but not all of them," Mama said.

About 15,000 firearms, mostly high-powered rifles, are owned by several armed groups in Mindanao, including the MILF, the smaller Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, BIFF and communist rebels.

Bobby Benito, secretary general of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus, said the leadership of the military should look into the revelation of the BIFF. 

“Although that’s a reality now the military must investigate the issue,” Benito said.

At the same time, the peace group leader based in Mindanao said homemade bombs used by terror groups operating in the region were mostly 81mm and 61mm mortars, which only the military used.

The BIFF broke away from the MILF in 2008 and has vowed to continue the uprising, claiming that the Malaysian-brokered talks would not lead to a separate Bangsamoro homeland in Mindanao. –Jef Maitem / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The mayor of Tawi-Tawi’s capital town Bongao was wounded in a shooting incident in Zamboanga City on Sunday morning, February 7, authorities said.

Two unidentified assailants on board a motorcycle shot Mayor Jasper Que while he was in his car in Zamboanga City, Superintendent Luisito Magnaye, the city police director, told Rappler.

Authorities said Que sustained gunshot wounds to his abdomen, right arm, and buttocks, but survived the attack. He is now being treated at the Ciudad Medical Hospital in Zamboanga City.

"When I visited him earlier, he was conscious. He was talking to his brother Gilbert," Magnaye said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Magnaye said they are still investigating possible motives for the attack.

He noted that although Que, an Aquino administration ally, is not seeking reelection, they are not ruling out the possibility that the attack was politically motivated. 

Que earlier told media that he will actively campaign for Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel "Mar" Roxas II and for reelectionist Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman.

The mayor was with a village captain from his town when the incident happened, but she was unhurt.

They were near the airport on their way to downtown Zamboanga City when the incident happened. – Rappler.com

OTTAWA, Canada – One hundred days after Justin Trudeau's Liberal government was sworn in, the still-popular Canadian prime minister faces mounting criticism, against the backdrop of a floundering economy and terror fears.

The 44-year-old Trudeau – a former schoolteacher and the son of a popular prime minister – immediately saw his international profile rise upon taking office on November 4, and he still enjoys strong support at home.

He has touted a multilateral foreign policy, and a more transparent governing style than his predecessor Stephen Harper, who was seen as prickly, awkward and more at home plowing through economic theory than glad-handing voters.

"Canada is back!" the youthful-looking prime minister with a broad smile, a twinkle in his eye and a thick mop of curls told world leaders at summits, looking to recast the image of the world's fifth-largest oil producer from climate laggard to environmental champion.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon is expected to praise Canada's shift in a visit to Ottawa on Thursday, February 11.

The economy, however, has cast a pall over Trudeau's self-professed "sunny ways."

Canada emerged from a mild recession in September in the middle of the election campaign, but consumer confidence soon faded as oil prices and the Canadian dollar sank to new recent lows, leading to thousands of job losses in the country's oil and gas sector.

Attacks in Jakarta and in Burkina Faso in January that left 7 Canadians dead, meanwhile, raised fresh security concerns.

The new government was forced to backpedal on its pledge to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015 and on its fiscal plans, while taking heat over its climate and counterterrorism strategies.

In parliament, opposition leader Rona Ambrose accused the government of "stepping back from the fight (against the ISIS group) when our allies are stepping up."

"The reality is that when we talk about Canada's new approach to fighting ISIS, Canada is not back, Canada is backing away," she said.

The husband of a Quebec woman shot dead by Islamist gunmen last month in Burkina Faso hung up on Trudeau when he called to offer condolences, while criticizing the prime minister's dovish world view in the local press.

"I hung up in his face, and it felt good," Yves Richard told a local radio station.

The Liberals were able to push back their Syrian refugee intake without much controversy because of widespread calls to slow resettlement amid domestic and US security concerns in the aftermath of deadly attacks in Paris.

But ordering the pullout of fighter jets from Iraq and Syria without so far announcing a new strategy to combat the Islamic State group has left them vulnerable on security.

Still, polls show a majority of Canadians are satisfied with Trudeau's performance in office. Nanos weekly surveys show a 15 percentage point bump in support since the election, to 50%.

The economy

"I don't think voters blame the government for the economic situation," commented University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business economist Werner Antweiler. "They realize much of it is due to outside influences."

He noted, for example, that "the government can't fix the oil price."

The Canadian energy sector accounts for 10% of nominal GDP and 300,000 jobs, according to Natural Resources Canada estimates based on 2014 Statistics Canada data.

Observers say the real test will be when the rookie government unveils its first budget in the coming months.

Trudeau pledged to run several "small" deficits in order to build new bridges, transit and other infrastructure before returning to balance at the end of his four-year mandate.

But a dimmer economic outlook since the October 19 legislative elections has raised the specter of ballooning deficits.

"The budget will be key," Duff Conacher, a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa and co-founder of Democracy Watch, told Agence France-Presse.

"The Liberals have to signal in the budget that they're addressing all the problems they promised to address."

The Liberals have so far reduced taxes for middle income earners, assigned an ex-cop to draft rules for legal marijuana, announced an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women as part of a rapprochement with indigenous peoples, and signed a Pacific trade pact negotiated by the previous administration.

A further 200 pledges are either in progress or have not started yet.

Conacher noted the Liberals won the largest majority (54.5% of seats in the House of Commons) with the smallest number of votes (39.5%) in Canadian history.

"They're going to have to walk the talk or they will be accused of selling false hope to people and Canadians will turn on them," he said. – Michel Comte, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Senatorial aspirant Sherwin Gatchalian is a heartbeat away from the Magic 12 – the so-called "winning circle" for the 2016 elections.

The outgoing Valenzuela Representative has been a relatively unknown figure on a national level as exhibited in previous surveys. But now he is among the 13 names, according to Pulse Asia, that have a statistical chance of winning. 

In the most recent Pulse Asia elections survey, Gatchalian had an awareness rating of 76% and ranked 11-13 overall at 37.3% of respondents actually voting for him. How did this sudden surge happen?

Gatchalian, whose father William is a business tycoon also known as the Plastics King, has been airing his political ads as early as August, or more than a month before he was formally announced as part of the slate of Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero. He is among the politicians who released political ads at a very early stage. 

His earlier ads focused on introducing him to the public while his subsequent advertisements involved his platforms and so-called achievments. 

Asked if it could be his political ads that helped boost his ratings, Gatchalian said: “It’s a combination of many things. But I think the most important thing is your advocacy and the credibility that you can deliver on your advocacy.”

"In a national election clear communication is essential. And making sure you tap all forms of communication medium," he added.

More than anything, Gatchalian emphasized the need for financial preparation in the conduct of a national election. "Financial preparation is also important for new candidates like me. You really need to prepare for this for years."

His younger brother, Rex Gatchalian, is also the spokesman of Poe and has been consistently seen, read, and heard in various media reports. – Rappler.com

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean and US defence officials said Sunday, February 7, they would begin formal talks on the deployment on the Korean peninsula of a US missile defence system to counter the growing threat from North Korea.

The announcement followed a North Korean rocket launch that the US and its allies condemned as a covert ballistic missile test.

"It has been decided to formally start talks on the possibility of deploying the THAAD system to South Korea as part of steps to bolster the missile defence of the Korea-US alliance," said Yoo Jeh-Seung, the South's deputy defence minister for policy.

There has been speculation for years about the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system –  one of the most advanced in the world –  to the South, one of Washington's main Asian allies. 

The US insists that it is a deterrent necessitated by the North's advancing ballistic missile programme, while China and Russia argue that it would undermine stability and could trigger an arms race in a delicately balanced region. 

"The Korea-US alliance had no choice but to take such a defence action because North Korea staged a strategic provocation and is refusing to have a genuine dialogue on de-nuclearisation," Yoo said in a joint briefing with Lieutenant General Thomas Vandal, commander of the US Eighth Army based in the South.

Vandal argued that it was "time to move forward" with the THAAD issue, claiming there was "growing support" in the South for its deployment.

Pyongyang says any such move would be a Cold War tactic to "contain" China and Russia. 

But Yoo stressed the THAAD system -- if deployed -- would "operate only regarding North Korea". – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The 16th Congress adjourned this week so its members could prepare for the campaign period. When senators and congressmen return to session on May 22 after the national and local elections, how much work awaits them in the remaining 3 weeks – or 9 session days – of their terms?

A lot, if we are to go by the bills endorsed by President Benigno Aquino III in his last 3 State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs).

Congress had its last session day on Wednesday, February 3, with only two of the 49 bills endorsed by Aquino passed. These were the Foreign Investment Act and the establishment of the Department of Information and Communication Technology.

This doesn't mean, however, that Congress wasn't working hard. Out of their own priority lists, the House said a total of 116 laws were passed in the last 3 years, while the Senate said a total of 59 bills are awaiting the President's signature to become laws.

Endorsed in SONAs 2013-2015

Rappler listed 49 bills endorsed by the President to Congress at the start of their sessions from 2012 to 2015. We tallied the following:

• Passed by both chambers - 2 
• Passed by the House of Representatives but pending in the Senate - 8 
• Passed by the Senate, pending in the House - 2
• Pending in both chambers - 14
• Filed in the House, none in the Senate - 4 
• Filed in the Senate, none in House - 0

Here’s a quick look at the bills:

A number of the pending bills seek to improve governance: the amendment of the Civil Service Code, a national transportation policy, and strengthening the regulation of water utilities. 

The pending bills also include the most controversial ones under the Aquino administration: the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), Freedom of Information Act (FOI) and anti-political dynasty bill. 

Before the House adjourned for Christmas in 2015, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr said there was still hope for these landmark measures. Senate President Franklin Drilon also expressed optimism on these measures before the year ended.

But after several session days without quorums and with heated debates between parties, the BBL got stuck in the period of interpellations. The FOI and the anti-dynasty bills, on the other hand, didn't have any progress in the past weeks. (READ: Bangsamoro Basic Law is not yet dead) 

Civil security policies – such as the anti-enforced disappearances law and the Whistleblower’s Protection Act – were also left unnoticed. The labor sector’s much-clamored personal income tax reform has been considered dead since the Senate and House leaderships gave up on it in late 2015.

Among the important ones awaiting Senate action are the establishment of special education centers (SPED) in public schools; and economic bills, such as adding P150 billion to the capital of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and relaxing the restrictions on foreign investments. 

Congress' priorities

Throughout its term, the 16th Congress has been able to enact 17 or 34% of its priorities. These were mostly economic policies endorsed by the President too. These included laws that seek to level the playing field among business stakeholders, such as the Philippine Competition Act and the Cabotage Law.

Education assistance was also prioritized with the enactment of the Iskolar ng Bayan (state scholar) Act and the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) Law. 

Based on House records, a total of 116 laws were signed under the 16th Congress. Some of the notable ones are: 

• An Act Allowing the Full Entry of Foreign Banks
• An Act to Deter Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
• Sugarcane Industry Development Act
• Youth Entrepreneurship Act
• Microfinance NGOs Act
• Increase in the subsistence allowance for members of the police and the military
• Regulation of naval architecture to ensure the competitiveness of Filipino shipbuilders
• Children's safety aboard motorcycles
• National Athletes, Coaches, and Trainers Benefits and Incentives Act
• Graphic Health Warning Act
• Laws on increasing bed capacities in public hospitals

The office of Senate President Franklin Drilon said there are a total of 59 bills awaiting the President's signature. These include:  

• Acquisition of road right of way for government infrastructure projects (ROW)
• Amendments to the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation Charter (PDIC)
• Governing the Operations and Administration of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
• Providing for the Development and Promotion of Farm Tourism in the Philippines
• Mandating the Installation of Speed Limiters and Setting Speed Limits for Public Utility Buses
• Expanding the benefits and privileges of Persons with Disability (PWD)
• Amending Section 109 (A) and (F) of the National Internal Revenue Code, As Amended By Republic Act No. 9337 (VAT Exemption for Sugar Cane)
• Making Election Service Non-Compulsory For Public School Teachers
• Extending the life of the Human Rights Victims Claims Board, to complete its work within four years from 12 May 2014
• Amending the Period of Collection and Utilization of the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF)

– Rappler.com 

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea launched a long-range rocket Sunday, February 7, triggering fresh outrage from an international community already determined to punish Pyongyang for a nuclear test last month.

Here are 5 questions and answers on what lies behind the global concern over what North Korea insists is a purely scientific space program.

What exactly was launched on Sunday?

North Korea says it was a space launch vehicle (SLV) carrying an Earth observation satellite. South Korea says it was a long-range missile.

The argument is not so much about the precise specifications of the rocket itself, but about North Korea's real intentions.

Any orbital SLV employs dual-use technology with potential military, as well as civilian, applications.

The US and allies like South Korea insist that North Korea uses such rocket launches to test out ballistic missile technology with a view to developing an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the US mainland.

Pyongyang says its space program is scientific in nature.

Doesn't North Korea have the right to a space program?

Pyongyang certainly thinks so, but UN sanctions imposed in 2006 as part of efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear weapons program prohibit any testing of missile delivery systems.

The UN Security Council deems space rocket launches a violation of that ban.

North Korea's main diplomatic protector, China, comes down on both sides of the fence, backing the North's right to space exploration but acknowledging that it must abide by UN resolutions.

North Korea put a satellite in orbit with its first successful rocket launch in December 2012. But experts say the satellite has never functioned -- fueling suspicions about the mission's scientific veneer.

How close is North Korea to developing a working ICBM?

In some of its more bellicose statements, North Korea has laid claim to already possessing the ability to strike the US mainland.

Most experts, but not all, reject the idea, insisting that the North is still years away from a credible ICBM strike capability.

While successful rocket launches will have pushed its ballistic missile program forward, the North has shown no indication of mastering the re-entry technology needed to deliver a warhead as far as the United States.

There are also questions as to whether it has managed to miniaturize a nuclear device to the extent that it would fit on the tip of a missile.

What happens now?

The UN Security Council is to meet in emergency session and the US and its allies will push for fresh sanctions on North Korea.

But the Security Council has yet to agree on sanctions over the North's January 6 nuclear test, and China, with its veto power, has been resisting efforts to punish Pyongyang too severely.

There will likely be a surge in tensions on the Korean peninsula, especially after Seoul announced it would enter formal discussions with Washington on the possible deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in the South.

What does North Korea want to happen?

North Korea will hope the successful nuclear test and rocket launch will help bring the US to the negotiating table, where Pyongyang hopes it can extract concessions.

It has already announced its intention to carry out more satellite launches in the future.

The United States has ruled out engaging the North until it makes a tangible commitment to de-nuclearization, but critics say this policy of "strategic patience" has given Pyongyang the room to push ahead with its nuclear weapons program. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government will be on the losing end if it accepts the compromise agreement offered by the private contractor behind the controversial Smokey Mountain Development and Reclamation (SMDR) project, according to state-owned Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC).

Businessman Reghis Romero II of R-II Builders offered P5 billion (P104 million) in July 2015 – a deal that the House of Representatives subcommittee on housing urged the HGC to accept.

HGC officer-in-charge Cora Corpuz, however, said that the offer is "definitely low and is not acceptable." Corpuz added that they are only open for settlement "as long as this will be for the best interest of HGC and the government."

Court of Appeals (CA) records show that R-II Builders and the National Housing Authority (NHA) went into a venture to development the famous landfill in Manila.

R-II Builders was supposed to fund the project, including the construction of at least 2,900 temporary housing units, 3,520 units of medium-rise housing, and other industrial and commercial sites within the Smokey Mountain area.

The private contractor, however, failed to continue financing the project, leading to disagreements between the two parties.

Former HGC President Manuel Sanchez said the area is worth P9.5 billion ($198 million) – way above Romero’s proposed amount.

"Romero also wants mutual withdrawal of case and if we do that, the claims of the government will be lost forever," Sanchez explained. "We have to make sure that the settlement would be fair and proper."

The HGC is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) that promotes sustainable home ownership through risk coverage or guarantees, as well as tax incentives to banks and financial institutions which grant housing loans and financing. – Rappler.com

$1 = P47

SEOUL, South Korea (UPDATED) – North Korea hailed an "epochal event" but its latest long-range rocket launch on Sunday, February 7 prompted international anger and plans for talks on a US missile defense system for the peninsula.

Pyongyang's state TV announced it successfully put a satellite into orbit, "legitimately exercising the right to use space for independent and peaceful purposes.”

Many others saw a clear defiance of multiple UN resolutions – a disguised test of a ballistic missile which could one day deliver a warhead as far as the US mainland.

The United Nations labelled the launch "deeply deplorable" and Japan termed it "absolutely intolerable.” Even the isolated state's sole major ally China expressed “regret.”

The international community is still struggling to reach agreement on how to respond to Pyongyang's latest nuclear test – of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb – on January 6.

After Sunday's launch, South Korean and US defense officials announced they would begin formal talks on deploying a US missile defense system in South Korea.

The US says the highly advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system would be a deterrent necessitated by the North's advancing ballistic missile program.

But China and Russia fear it could trigger an arms race in a delicately balanced region.

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon called the North's actions "deeply deplorable" and demanded it "halt its provocative actions and return to compliance with its international obligations.”

At Seoul's request the UN Security Council will hold emergency talks on the launch later Sunday.

The United States and its allies want to intensify sanctions on the North. But veto-wielding council member China, Pyongyang's main trading partner and oil supplier, has in the past blocked tougher measures.

Washington denounced the launch as "destabilizing and provocative".

"North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs represent serious threats to our interests – including the security of some of our closest allies – and undermine peace and security in the broader region," National Security Advisor Susan Rice said in a statement.

'Senseless provocation'

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the North's actions "absolutely intolerable." Russia termed the launch a serious blow to regional security including that of Pyongyang itself.

"It is obvious that such actions lead to a serious aggravation of the situation on the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia on the whole...(and) inflict serious damage to the security of the countries of the region, first and foremost North Korea itself," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

France condemned the launch as "senseless provocation" and called for a "rapid and tough" response from the Security Council.

Australia also urged a strong council response, while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the rocket was a blatant breach of 5 UN resolutions.

The European Union lashed the launch as "yet another outright and grave violation" of the North's obligations.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Pyongyang had clearly shown that nuclear and missile programs took priority over improving the well-being of its people.

China, in a more muted reaction, "expressed regret.”

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Pyongyang had "the right to the peaceful use of space, but that right is limited by the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions."

Hua called for "all relevant parties to deal with the situation calmly" and for "dialogue and consultations."

Beijing is irritated by the North's nuclear ambitions. But observers say it is concerned that cutting off trade with its neighbor could trigger a flood of refugees across its border.

It also fears any collapse of the regime in Pyongyang may lead to a US-allied unified Korea on its doorstep. –Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine embassy in Baghdad clarified on Sunday, February 7, that there are 13 Filipino fatalities in last Friday's hotel fire, not 14 as earlier reported.

The fire, which struck the basement of the Capitol Hotel in Erbil – capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, also left 6 others dead.

A team from the Philippine embassy, led by chargé d'affaires Elmer Cato, is in Erbil to identify the Filipino victims and bring their remains home.

"The victims, all females, were suffocated by the smoke while trying to find their way out in the darkness," Cato said in a Facebook post, early Sunday morning in Manila.

"We are trying our best to identify the victims and we are hoping that we could finish the difficult process by tomorrow [Sunday] so that we could immediately reunite them with their loved ones in the Philippines."

Cato also said that the Kurdistan regional government has ruled out terrorism in the incident.

Initial investigation showed that faulty wiring triggered the deadly blaze. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman filed a criminal case with a "no bail" recommendation against a former mayor of Rodriguez, Rizal, for illegal possession of hot lumber and other forest products amounting to at least P9 million ($188,329).

Former Rodriguez, Rizal mayor Pedro Cuerpo has been charged before the Sandiganbayan in relation to a July 2005 raid by the Rizal Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO).

During the raid, 28,850 board feet of assorted tropical hardwood timber were discovered inside the Municipal Motor Pool (MMP). A 30-inch diameter band saw, one cutter-planer, one table circular saw, one electric motor, one compressor, and one drill press were found as well.

Former MMP head Aristotle Cruz is also named in the case.

Cuerpo and Cruz are accused of violating Section 77 of the Revised Forestry Code. Under this, possession of forest products without any license is punishable under Articles 309 and 310 of the Revised Penal Code.

According to the prosecution, the defendants failed to submit the legal documents and permits of the forest products and equipment, which are required under Presidential Decree No. 705.

"(Defendants) deliberately refused to turn over said timber products, tools, and equipment to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources despite notice," the prosecution added.

Instead, Cuerpo and Cruz allegedly used the lumber to make chairs, cabinets, and other furniture within the MMP premises, again without authority from the DENR. – Rappler.com

$1 = P47 

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Armed with brooms, spades and hoes, Hondurans by the thousands took part in a day of national mobilization to try and eradicate mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus, the government said.

Some 200,000 residents of this Central American nation spent Saturday, February 6, ridding homes and gardens of standing water and fumigating areas suspected of harboring larvae from the virus-carrying mosquito.

Although the symptoms associated with Zika virus are relatively mild, the scourge currently sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean is suspected of causing severe birth defects in newborns and has been linked to neurological ailments affecting adults.

Honduras, which earlier this week declared a state of emergency because of the rapidly spreading virus, now has some 4,400 confirmed cases of Zika since mid-December.

President Juan Orlando Hernandez has allocated an initial tranche of $10 million in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.

"The data is clear: each day, the number of cases of this terrible illness increases," Hernandez said Saturday as the massive eradication effort got underway.

Hernandez urged his countrymen to be fully "conscious of the problem that we're confronting."

Hondurans are called upon "to unite against Zika, our common enemy," he added.

Zika causes flu-like symptoms and a rash, and is so mild that it goes undetected in 70 to 80% of cases.

There is currently no specific treatment for Zika and no way to prevent it other than avoiding mosquito bites.

The Honduran government said that among the 200,000 people enlisted to take part in the mosquito eradication effort were students, civil servants, soldiers and police, among other workers.

"My house is now clean," said Maria Martinez, a resident of the Hato de Enmedio neighborhood of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa. 

"I'm afraid of Zika, and that's whey I've gotten rid of all receptacles containing water," she said.

The nation's health minister Yolani Batres said that despite the high number of Zika infections, there are so far no confirmed cases of Zika-linked microcephaly, or abnormally small heads and brains, which have been widely diagnosed in Brazil, the country hardest hit by the outbreak.

Colombia, the country with the second-worst outbreak, has announced three deaths blamed on Zika.

Colombia also has seen a sharp increase in a rare neurological condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis and even death.

The World Health Organization, which has declared an international emergency because of outbreak, warns that Zika could infect up to four million people in the Americas and spread worldwide.

Health officials in Honduras said 16 pregnant women are believed to have contracted the virus, and that officials are awaiting the results of testing on samples sent to the United States for confirmation. – Rappler.com