Singapore is urging fellow ASEAN members to take “firm and decisive action” against the lethal haze still spreading across the region ahead of a group summit in Malaysia next month. The haze has killed at least 10 in Indonesia and caused respiratory illnesses in half a million, while winds have carried the smoke into Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines this year. In the Philippines, 6 flights to central and southern islands were cancelled or delayed on October 25 due to the thickening smog, after thousands were left stranded over the past 10 days. ASEAN leaders will hold a summit in Kuala Lumpur on November 19 before expanding to meet their counterparts from key trading partners in the following two days.

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At least 100 people were injured late Sunday, October 25, when a high-speed ferry traveling from Macau to Hong Kong hit an “unidentified object” in the water. Authorities said they received a call at around 6 pm local time warning that the ferry which was carrying 163 passengers and 11 crew had lost power. Local media reported a large rescue operation had been mounted involving air services, marine police and the fire department, before the boat was towed back to Hong Kong Island. Pictures showed wounded people being stretchered off the boat, some wearing oxygen masks, onto a pier in Hong Kong’s central financial district to waiting ambulances.

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US President Barack Obama on October 26 will welcome to the White House political upstart Joko “Jokowi” Widodo – the first Indonesian president to visit in a decade and a leader his hosts hope can help catalyze the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Obama – who lived in Indonesia for nearly 5 years as a child – will hold Oval Office talks with a fellow 54-year-old who, also like him, swept to power as an outsider promising change. In surviving even that long, he has defied skeptics who predicted he would quickly flounder in the oligarch-infested waters of Jakarta politics. Indonesian officials say agreements are expected on maritime defense, the economy, aviation and energy.

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Leaders of the badly fractured Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) are preparing for another EDSA rally after the Supreme Court issued writs of habeas corpus and amparo on October 23, compelling INC leaders led by executive minister Eduardo Manalo to appear before the Court of Appeals on November 3. Former Iglesia minister Lowell Menorca – kidnapped and rescued recently – said he was told countless times before he was rescued that the inclusion of Manalo in the petition filed before the SC is agitating the century-old church. INC has faced its worst crisis in its 101-yea-old existence following allegations of corruption and abuse against its leaders. Iglesia members protested the cases filed against their leaders in a massive rally at EDSA in August that paralyzed metro traffic.

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The pork barrel scandal, the worst corruption exposé in recent history, didn’t put an end to the political careers of those implicated, as some of those facing complaints – even one already imprisoned – still managed to run. Rappler research shows that at least 10 out of the 24 present and former lawmakers identified by the whistleblowers filed their candidacy for various positions in the May 2016 elections. Two are running for national posts, while the rest are gunning for local positions.

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Pope Francis warned Catholic bishops against turning away from people who do not fit their “scheduled faith,” a day after a divisive synod on the Church’s attitude to sex, love and marriage ended in stalemate. Bishops have submitted a report to the pope that fudges the key issue of whether divorced and remarried believers should be allowed to play a full role in the Church, reflecting a stalemate in the battle between the conservative and liberal wings. At a mass October 25, the 78-year-old pontiff warned bishops of the dangers of “falling into a ‘scheduled faith.’” The Pope must now decide if and when he updates guidelines on the Church’s teaching.

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Chinese demand for forest turtles is threatening an endangered species found only on one Philippine island. The Philippine Forest Turtle, found only in the western island of Palawan, is one of numerous freshwater turtles being taken by poachers for sale to China. The reptile, also known as the Palawan forest turtle, is listed as “critically endangered,” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is found in forests and streams. About 20 of these rare animals were seized on October 18 among a haul of almost a thousand forest turtles collected by illegal wildlife traders in Palawan, Villena said.

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A website honoring the late Senator Raul S. Roco went live on October 26, aimed at refreshing the memories of Filipinos about the life and legacy of the famous public servant. The RaulRoco.org website was created by a group of Roco staff members to also introduce the Roco to a whole new generation of young Filipinos. Roco ran for president twice, the first attempt in 1998 and again in 2004. Although he lost in both campaigns, he was widely seen as a lead contender and an alternative to the traditional politicians of that time. Many of his admirers claim he is “the best president the Philippines never had.” Roco died in 2005 due to prostate cancer.

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While most Filipinos complain about the traffic on almost a daily basis, most of us see it as the government’s responsibility to fix. Actor and model Jet Rai, who recently founded startup BikerX, thinks differently. Rai founded startup BikerX to help alleviate the traffic congestion in Metro Manila. “It banks on the idea of utilizing biker clubs and private individuals to maximize the potential of underutilized motorcycles and to effectively deal with road space problems,” Rai said. Motorcycles can be hailed via BikerX for individual rides, as with the case of other transport apps already operating in the Philippines, as well as “hatid-sundo” (drop-off, pick-up). It can also be used for parcel delivery in the same way that most motorcycles in the city are traditionally utilized.

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Adele’s new video “Hello” was released last October 23, poignant and powerful as ever. But her fans got distracted by her use of an outdated piece of technology in the video – a flip phone. Her director Xavier Dolan explained that the flip phone illustrates the meaning of the song itself. “It’s an element of the past. It’s much more important than the flip [phone] and trying to identify whether it’s Samsung or an AE9 or whatever,” Dolan told the Los Angeles Times, as cited in a CNN report. Dolan added: “If you see an iPhone or a Toyota in a movie, they’re anti-narrative, they take you out of the story,” Dolan continues. “If I put an iPhone or a modern car in a movie it feels like I’m making a commercial.”

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