In its first air strike against ISIS since the string of deadly Paris attacks claimed by the group, France’s warplanes pounded the Syrian capital Raqa on November 15, destroying a command post and a training camp. The planes left from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and the strike was conducted in coordination with American forces. “The first target destroyed was used by Daesh (another Arabic acronym for ISIS) as a command post, jihadist recruitment centre and arms and munitions depot. The second held a terrorist training camp,” a ministry statement said. French President Francois Hollande has blamed ISIS for the attacks, calling them an “act of war.”

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UN chief Ban Ki-moon is to visit North Korea, the first head of the world body to set foot in the isolated state for more than 20 years, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Monday, November 16. Yonhap said Ban would visit Pyongyang in his official capacity as secretary general later this week, though no precise dates were given. Yonhap reported that Ban was almost certain to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who has yet to receive a single head of state since taking over power following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in 2011.

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The French police’s discovery of a Syrian passport near the body of one attacker in the Paris mayhem has sparked concerns that some of the assailants might have entered Europe as part of the huge influx of people fleeing Syria’s civil war.  But the attacks have also raised fears of a backlash. Tens of thousands of Syrians risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean in an inflatable boat, before trekking for 17 days to get to Germany 5 months ago. Friday’s attacks have made these Syrian refugees anxious.

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While the APEC agenda is strictly business, a lot of action happens outside of the official schedule. In pull-asides, bilateral meetings and corridor or coffee-break diplomacy, 21 world leaders will get to exchange views on thorny issues like the perennial favorite: the South China Sea. The maritime dispute with China, and the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact are major issues on the sidelines of the summit. The Paris terror attacks that killed 129, and the upcoming United Nations climate change conference are also key talking points in a region grappling with terrorism, and super typhoons.

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The commander of the security Task Force for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in the Philippines said he was “confident” the country would be able to deal with the security challenges of hosting a meeting of economic leaders, amid heightened security concerns after a terrorist attack in Paris. President Benigno Aquino III himself convened the Cabinet security cluster over the weekend to discuss the security situation in the wake of the Paris attacks and to make sure that all contingencies have been put in place. But no major changes in security plans were made after the meeting.

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A total of 21 heads of state, 2 of whom will send representatives, convene in Manila this week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. They will formally approve agreements earlier hammered out by lower-level officials. It’s easy to dismiss the APEC summit as just one big glittering show. But beyond this, the APEC summit’s theme of “building inclusive economies” addresses a global concern, that of growing inequality. In 2014, Credit Suisse’s “Global Wealth Report” found that “48% of the world’s $263 trillion in net household wealth is in the hands of the richest 1% of its citizens.”

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Myanmar’s President Thein Sein, the former junta general who shed his uniform to lead the country’s quasi-civilian regime five years ago, said the November 8 polls were testament to the political and economic changes that have swept the former pariah state since the end of junta rule. “We will hand this process (of reform) on to a new government,” he said, adding “don’t worry about the transition” in comments aimed at calming nerves in the country’s first attempt at a democratic-style transition for decades. He appeared sanguine about the resounding defeat of his army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, which will slip into opposition in the next parliament – due to sit from February – with some10% of the elected seats in the national parliament, compared to the NLD’s 80%.

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BDO Unibank apologized on its Facebook page after one of its online advertisements drew the ire of netizens for its “insensitive” messages. “We apologize that the Ads have been very insensitive. The posts have since been removed and we have taken steps to resolve the matter internally,” wrote BDO Unibank. The series of ads were taken down Friday, November 13. The most viral one included a photo of an environmental activist holding up a sign with the words “stop deforestation” and a traveler with a subtle ‘or’ in between them. The caption in the ad asked: “Save the environment, or save up to see places?” Netizens were quick to pick up on the ad and hit its message of choosing between the environment and travel, which many found tasteless.

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Zeenoh has developed a video game, Nightfall, which JD Abenaza, Zeenoh founder and CEO, bills as a first person survival horror game based on Filipino folklore. Set in an abandoned mansion in an obscure town in northern Philippines, Nightfall places the gamer in the shoes of Ara Cruz, a female journalist. The player is tasked with solving the mystery behind the disappearance of the family who lived at the mansion. Abenaza said it has always been his childhood dream to showcase Filipino culture, especially folklore, through video games.

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Newly-minted champion Holly Holm is not backing down from a challenge as she is willing to give former titleholder Ronda Rousey a rematch following her championship-winning performance at UFC 193 on November 15. Holm made history by dethroning Rousey for the women’s bantamweight title by knocking out the previously-unbeaten fighter with a left head kick and polishing her off with follow-up shots on the ground to compel referee Herb Dean to intervene at the :59 second mark of round two. Rousey’s defeat also opens new avenues for other female competitors in the 135-pound rankings as Holm was only ranked no. 7 when she accepted the offer to vie for the belt.

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