Two heavily armed suspects died in a shootout with police after killing 14 people at a Christmas party in California in America’s deadliest mass shooting in 3 years. Police identified the two as Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik. In the aftermath of the shooting, US President Barack Obama said the motivation for a deadly shooting in California was not yet known, but a terror attack could not yet be ruled out. Authorities said the couple had amassed a huge arsenal and planned their attack. Meanwhile, US authorities released the names of the 6 women and 8 men killed in the shooting as Muslims in California condemned the shooting and feared a backlash from the incident.

Learn about the shooters’ arsenal on Rappler. 

The names of the 14 victims are in a story on Rappler. 

Read more about Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik on Rappler. 

Read Obama’s response in the wake of the shooting also on Rappler. 

The story on California Muslims’ condemnation of the shooting is likewise on Rappler. 

The Philippines was ranked top 4^th country to have endured climate-related disasters in 2014 in the Global Climate Risk Index 2016, released by Germanwatch Thursday, December 3. The country was also named top 4^th to suffer from climate change impacts over the years 1995-2014. Germanwatch also said the Philippines has appeared among the top 10 countries victimized by climate change 7 times, a record number. The Global Climate Risk Index was launched on the sidelines of the UN climate conference in Paris.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has reduced its growth forecast for the Philippines this year from 6% to 5.9%, mirroring lower-than-expected growth in the 3^rd quarter. In an Outlook Update report released Thursday, December 3, the ADB said net external demand weighed on GDP growth in the first 3 quarters. There was brisk expansion in imports given strong domestic demand but only a modest rise in merchandise exports. The bank’s forecast for the Philippines in 2016 remains at 6.3%.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius faces a 15-year prison term after South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal found him guilty of murder. Judge Eric Leach found his testimony over the 2013 shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp “untruthful”. Pistorius, a double-amputee athlete who shot Steenkamp 4 times through the locked door of his bedroom toilet, was found to have criminal intent.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The Senate Electoral Tribunal made a final decision on Thursday, December 3, to uphold its previous decision denying a petition to disqualify Grace Poe as incumbent senator based on claims she is not a natural-born Filipino. Her lawyer meanwhile questioned a decision by the Commission on Elections division to “prioritize” Poe’s case pending with the poll body over candidates said to be “nuisance”. The division ruled contrary to the SET, saying that Poe as a foundling is not a natural-born Filipino. It also said Poe is unable to fulfill the 10-year residency requirement for presidential candidates.

Read the full story on Rappler.

A related story on Poe’s lawyer reacting to the Comelec is also on Rappler.

The story on the Comelec division’s ruling is likewise on Rappler.

The European Union on Thursday, December 3, launched a forum bringing together Internet firms like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as law enforcement agencies to combat online extremism. The move comes amid growing alarm in Europe over the use of social media as a powerful recruiting tool, especially by ISIS. EU officials said the launch was attended by senior representatives of Ask.fm, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter. Europol, the European police agency in The Hague, is also involved.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Lolita “Lottie” Manalo-Hemedez, estranged sister of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) executive minister Eduardo Manalo says it is her and her late husband Eduard – and not the INC church – who own 36 Tandang Sora in Quezon City. Claiming ownership over the property where the Manalo siblings Lottie and Angel, as well as their families are staying, the INC filed a petition in September seeking to prohibit the siblings from meeting visitors or accepting deliveries because of security concerns. The church said a deed of sale was drawn up in April this year transferring ownership of the property to the church. The deed of sale could however not have been signed by Eduard who died in April 2013, expelled minister Isaias Samson Jr pointed out.

Read the full story on Rappler.

As promised during its unprecedented meeting on November 29, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) released on Thursday, December 3, a draft climate agreement. The ADP is tasked to craft an important negotiating text of the COP21 or the Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. There is still much work to be done 4 days into the negotiations, as the text is heavily bracketed. This means the wording of various sections is contested by negotiators from member-countries.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Facebook, in partnership with Rappler, ABS-CBN, GMA, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, launched Instant Articles in the Philippines on Thursday, December 3. Facebook’s Instant articles will allow users on iOS devices to have the latest Rappler stories load near-instantaneously when they see a thunderbolt icon on a Rappler article shared on Facebook. The Instant Articles feature also comes with additional capabilities that will allow for more interactive features on articles. Rappler is also using 360-degree interactive videos and Facebook Live to provide Rappler fans with more ways to experience the news.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Too much TV during young adulthood could lead to poor cognition down the road. Scientists found that people who watched more than 3 hours of TV a day as young adults had slower processing speed and worse executive function in mid-life. Verbal memory did not appear to be affected by the amount of television time. The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry trakced more than 3,000 people for 25 years.

Read the full story on Rappler.