France confirms suspected mastermind of Paris attacks killed in raid

An undated photograph of a man described as Abdelhamid Abaaoud that was published in the Islamic State’s online magazine Dabiq and posted on a social media website. REUTERS/Social Media Website via Reuters TV

The suspected mastermind of last week’s Paris attacks was killed in the police raid of an apartment north of the capital, French officials said on Thursday.

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 28-year-old Belgian militant who had boasted of mounting attacks in Europe for the Islamic State, was accused of orchestrating last Friday’s coordinated bombings and shootings in the French capital, which killed 129 people.

“It was his body we discovered in the building, riddled with bullets,” a statement from the Paris prosecutor said, a day after the pre-dawn raid. The prosecutor later added that it was unclear whether Abaaoud had detonated a suicide belt.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls broke the news in Parliament to applause from lawmakers who were voting on Thursday to extend the country’s state of emergency for another three months.

“We know today … that the mastermind of the attacks – or one of them, let’s remain cautious – was among those dead,” Valls told reporters. Confirmation that Abaaoud was in Paris will focus more attention on European security services, who ahead of Friday’s attacks had thought he was still in Syria.

“This is a major failing,” said Roland Jaquard at the International Observatory for Terrorism.

Early on Wednesday morning, investigations led police to the house where Abaaoud was holed up in the Paris suburb of St. Denis. Heavily armed officers stormed the building before dawn, triggering a massive firefight and multiple explosions.

Officials had said on Wednesday that two people were killed in the raid, including a female suicide bomber who blew herself up. Forensic scientists were trying to determine whether a third person had died. Eight people were arrested.

Two police sources and a source close to the investigation told Reuters the St. Denis cell had been planning a fresh attack on Paris’s La Defense business district. A source close to the investigation said the female bomber who was killed might have been Abaaoud’s cousin.

Investigators believe the attacks – the deadliest in France since World War Two – were set in motion in Syria, with Islamist cells in neighboring Belgium organizing the mayhem.

The victims came from 17 different countries, many of them young people out enjoying themselves at bars, restaurants, a concert hall and a soccer stadium near where Wednesday’s police raid took place.

Islamic State, which controls swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, has claimed responsibility, saying the attacks were in retaliation for French air raids against their positions over the past year.

France has called for a global coalition to defeat the extremists and has launched air strikes on Raqqa, the de-facto Islamic State capital in northern Syria, since the weekend. Russia has also targeted the city in retribution for the downing of a Russian airliner last month that killed 224.

The Russian air force on Wednesday carried out a “mass strike” on Islamic State positions around Syria, including Raqqa, Russian news agencies reported.

INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION

Paris and Moscow are not coordinating their air strikes in Syria, but French President Francois Hollande is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Nov. 26 to discuss how their countries’ militaries might work together.

Two days before that, Hollande will meet in Washington with U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss the role of a U.S.-led coalition in any unified effort against Islamic State.

France is one of several European countries participating in the U.S.-led coalition’s strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq, and two months ago became the only European country to join strikes in Syria as well.

Obama on Thursday reiterated the U.S. position that eradicating the group was tied up with ending the civil war in Syria, which could not happen as long as President Bashar al-Assad was in power.

“Bottom line is, I do not foresee a situation in which we can end the civil war in Syria while Assad remains in power,” he told reporters in Manila on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

(Reporting and writing by Crispian Balmer, Andrew Callus and Ingrid Melander; Editing by John Irish and Peter Graff)

Source: UNTV

2015 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week Opens in Manila

Issued by the APEC Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting

The 2015 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week hosted by the Philippines and chaired by President Benigno S. Aquino III has commenced in Manila.

Under the theme, Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World, Leaders, Ministers and Senior Officials from APEC’s 21 member economies, the world’s largest regional economic group, will take new joint actions to boost trade and growth in the Pacific Rim while ensuring that the benefits are widely felt.

Priority areas of focus include enhancing regional economic integration; fostering micro, small and medium enterprise participation in regional and global markets; investing in human capital development; and building sustainable and resilient communities.

“APEC is not just a trade and investment facilitation forum; it also discusses development issues,” explained Ambassador Laura Q. Del Rosario, Philippine Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the 2015 APEC Senior Officials. “The trade and investment aspects of our economy underpin our economic development but we all recognize that we promote a development agenda as well.”

“The economy is made up of many moving parts and therefore we cannot just talk about one aspect and say that the other sectors or issues can wait,” Ambassador Del Rosario added. “We have to make sure that all the systems are good and that we are really taking care of all the moving parts.”

The week will culminate with the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on 18-19 November to be guided by President Aquino and provide strategic vision and directives for future collaboration between APEC member economies.

It will be preceded by the APEC Ministerial Meeting co-chaired by Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario and Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo on 16-17 November and the APEC ConcludingSenior Officials’ Meeting on 13-14 November to finalize new measures for lifting trade and growth, and deciding the contours of joint policy development and implementation.

APEC member economies together account for about three billion people, half of global trade, 60 per cent of total GDP and much of the world’s growth. The region’s outlook will be assessed in the APEC Policy Support Unit’s latest Economic Trends Analysis and Trade Monitoring reports to be unveiled on 16 November, setting the tone for the week’s policy discussions.

The business community also has a seat at the table—the region’s Leaders will meet with representatives of the APEC Business Advisory Council, led by 2015 Chair Doris Magsaysay-Ho, on 18 November to discuss their policy recommendations.

The 2015 APEC CEO Summit, an open dialogue held in conjunction with the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week and organized by the private sector featuring the region’s Leaders and business heads, will meanwhile take place on 16-18 November. The APEC Small and Medium Enterprise Summit will also be held on 17 November to address opportunities and challenges unique to the sector.

“We will know that we are successful in our work when our own people feel the incremental improvement in their lives,” noted Ambassador Del Rosario. “We also hope that in the coming years our work for this year and the past years will have answered and will continue to address many questions and concerns, taking into account the movement we have started in pushing for both a trade and investment and a development agenda in APEC.”

“APEC members know that the diffusion of new norms and economic policy will promote inclusiveness as well as initiate programs which will have tangible results that will address the everyday concerns of our peoples,” she concluded.

For more:

View live streaming of APEC Economic Leaders’ Week meetings, events and programs at this link.

For further details visit APEC.ORG for update.

Schedule of APEC 2015 events in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' meeting for the second time this year and it will be held in Metro Manila.

Check out the rundown of the schedule of the APEC events starting November 12 to 20:

DAY 1 – Nov. 12, 2015 (Thursday)

• Press Conference: APEC 2015 National Organizing Council Director General Marciano Paynor Jr.  at the International Media Center (IMC)
• Opening of APEC Expo Philippines 2015 at the IMC
• High Level Dialogue on Inclusive Business Press Conference at the Manila Peninsula
• Opening and Welcome Remarks by DTI Undersecretary Hon. Adrian Cristobal Jr.  and APEC Business Advisory Council 2015 Chair, and President and Chief Executive Officer of A. Magsaysay Inc.  Doris Magsaysay-Ho at the Manila Peninsula
• Keynote Address by Global Head of Inclusive Business Team, World Bank International Finance Corporation Eriko Ishikawa at the Manila Peninsula
• Private Sector Panel: Inclusive Business Models by Ayala Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ayala Corporation, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala;  Director of PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, Indonesia, Franciscus Welirang; Chief of Products of MiBanco, banco de la Microempresa of Peru  Cesar Vela Bazan; and Mexico at the Manila Peninsula
• Family Photo at the Manila Peninsula
• Press Undersecretary Laura del Rosario, Senior Officials' at the International Media Center
• Government Panel: The Way Forward for IB in APEC  by Sen. Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino; APEC Senior Official, and Minister in the Diplomat Foreign Service Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Raúl Alfredo Salazar-Cosio;  APEC Senior Official, and Director General for International Trade Rules Ministry of the Economy of Mexico, Carlos Pinera; and Director for International Organizations, Department of International Affairs Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan Shigetoshi Aoyama at the Manila Peninsula
• Synthesis and Closing by Executive Director and APEC Secretariat, Dr. Alan E. Bollard and APEC Senior Official, and Minister in the Diplomat Foreign Service Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Raúl Alfredo Salazar-Cosio at the Manila Peninsula

DAY 2 – Nov. 13, 2015 (Friday)

• Concluding Senior Officials Meeting (CSOM) - Opening Remarks at Marriott
• Family Photo at Mariott
• Luncheon with APEC Senior Officials "Islands of Good Governance" at Fairmont, Makati
• Press Briefing: APEC 2015 Spokesperson and Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Charles Jose at the IMC
• Group Photo with Senior Officials at Fairmont, Makati
• Special Session: Dialogue with APEC Voices of the Future Delegates at Fairmont, Makati

DAY 3 – Nov. 14, 2015 (Saturday)

• ABAC 4 Opening Session at Fairmont, Makati
• Group Photo at Fairmont, Makati
• ABAC Women’s Luncheon (Keynote by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno) at Fairmont, Makati
• Press Conference: Undersecretary Laura del Rosario, Senior Officials' Meeting Chair at the IMC

DAY 4 – Nov. 15, 2015 (Sunday)

• Arrival of Chile (President Michelle Bachelet) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2
• Media Launch of the APEC Trade Repository (APECTR) and Press Briefing with Usec. Adrian Cristobal Jr. at the IMC

DAY 5 – Nov. 16, 2015 (Monday)

• Arrival of Colombia (President Juan Manuel Santos) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Press Conference: APEC Secretariat by , APEC Secretariat Executive Director Dr. Alan Bollard and  APEC Secretariat Director of Policy Support Dr. Denis Hew at the IMC
• Press Conference: Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) by Secretary General of PECC Ambassador, Eduardo Pedrosa; Co-chair of PECC Amb., Don Campbell; Co-chair of PECC Amb. Tang Guoqiang; and Chai of and PPECC (Philippine Committee for PECC) Antonio Basilio at the IMC
• ABAC 4 Press Conference at the IMC
• Arrival of Chinese Taipei (President Ma Ying-jeou) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM) Opening Session at Marriott
• AMM Family Photo at Marriott
• Session One: Summit Opening Welcome Remarks by Chair Of The APEC CEO Summit 2015, Tony Tan Caktiong; Followed By: Summit Conversation with H.E. President Benigno Aquino III, Philippines On “APEC’s Inclusive Growth Imperative”; Moderated By , Asia Pacific Editor, CNN International Andrew Stevens at Makati Shangri-la
• Arrival Of Papua New Guinea (Prime Minister Peter O’Neill) at the Villamor Air Base
• Session Two: Summit Focus On The New Global Context: An Open Forum Discussion On “Navigating Uncertainty” led by: Chile President Michelle Bachelet; President of Eurasia Group Dennis Nally and Global Chair of Pricewaterhousecoopers International, Ian Bremmer; and Vice Chair of GE  John Rice, and moderated by: Chief Content Officer of Time Inc. Norman Pearlstine
• Insight from Chief Advisor and Member, Board Of Directors of Uber David Plouffe at the Makati Shangri-La
• Session Three: SUMMIT FOCUS ON INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP An Open Forum Discussion on “The Next New Frontier” Led by: Pres. Juan Manual Santos (Colombia), Rep. of Chinese Taipei’s Economic Leader Dana Hyde, CEO of Millennium Challenge Corporation Vincent Siew; and CEO of Underwriters Laboratories Keith Williams at the Makati Shangri-la

DAY 6 – Nov. 17, 2015 (Tuesday)

• Arrival of Vietnam (President  Truong Tan San) at NAIA Terminal 1
• Keynote speech by President Benigno  Aquino III at The APEC Small, Medium Enterprises (SME) Summit at Green Sun, Makati
• AMM Spouses Program at Ayala Museum, Makati and CITEM, Pasay City
• Session Four: SUMMIT FOCUS ON ASIA PACIFIC GROWTH An Open Forum Discussion on “The Future of Asia Pacific Growth” Led by: Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha; CEO of Moody’s Corporation, Raymond McDaniel; CEO of Walmart Asia, Scott Price; and Group Chief Executive of AIA Group Mark Tucker at Makati Shangri-la
• Arrival of Mexico (President Enrique Peña Nieto) at the Villamor Air Base
• Insight from CEO and Co-founder of “Teach for All”, Wendy Kopp at the Makati Shangri-la
• Session Five: SUMMIT FOCUS ON HUMAN CAPITAL: An Open Forum Discussion on “Health and Education for the Future” Led by: Peru President Ollanta Humala; CEO of Freeport McMoRan Richard Adkerson; CEO of JP Morgan Asia Pacific Nicolas Aguzin;  , CEO of Sanofi Pasteur Olivier Charmeil and moderated by Cathy Yang of ANC.
• Arrival of United States Of America (President Barack Obama)
• Arrival of Malaysia (Prime Minister Najib Razak) at the NAIA Terminal 2
• Arrival of Hong Kong (China Chief Executive Leung Chun-Ying)
• APEC SME Summit Media Briefing at Green Sun, Makati
• Arrival of Korea (President Park Geun-hye) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Session Six: SUMMIT FOCUS ON INCLUSIVE GROWTH AND BUILDING RESILIENCE A Dialogue on “Strategies for Growth, Equity and Resilience” With: Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang; Exec. Chairman and CEO of Blackberry John Chen;  President and CEO of Merck Biopharma China E. Allan Gabor;  Chair of Prudential Asia Don Kanak; President of Asia Society Josette Sheeran and moderated by Asia Editor of Time International Zoher Abdoolcarim at the Makati Shangri-la
• Arrival of Australia (Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull) at the NAIA 2
• Arrival of Canada (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) at the NAIA 2
• Arrival of New Zealand (Prime Minister John Key) at the NAIA 1
• Press Conference: Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, and Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo at the IMC
• Insight from Founder of Barefoot College Sanjit Bunker Roy at the Makati Shangri-la
• Session Seven: SUMMIT FOCUS ON CITIES An Open Forum Discussion on “What will the City of the Future look like?” Led by: Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle; CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group Frank Appel; CEO of Canadian Chamber of Commerce Perrin Beatty; Chair and CEO of  Ayala Corporation Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and moderated by Chair of Asia Inc Forum Timothy Ong at the Makati Shangri-la
• Session Eight: SUMMIT FOCUS ON TRADE A Dialogue on “What is the Next Horizon for Asia Pacific Trade?” With the proliferation of trade with: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key; China Chief Executive of Hong Kong Leung Chun-ying; COO of FedEx Express David Cunningham; Secretary-General of OECD Angel Gurria, President of Asian Development Bank Takehiko Nakao and moderated by Asia Pacific Editor of CNN International Andrew Stevens at the Makati Shangri-la
• Arrival of Japan (Prime Minister Shinzō Abe) at the NAIA 1
• Arrival of Brunei Darussalam (Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah) at the NAIA 2
• Arrival of Thailand (Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha) at the NAIA 1

DAY 7 – Nov. 18, 2015 (Wednesday)

• Insight from Jack Ma, Chairman, Alibaba on Inclusive Growth, Innovation and the Power of Thinking Big at the Makati Shangri-la
• Session Nine: SUMMIT DIALOGUE Conversation with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Makati Shangri-la
• Session Ten: SUMMIT DIALOGUE Conversation with Russia at the Makati Shangri-la
• Session Eleven: SUMMIT DIALOGUE ON GROWTH “Securing Growth in a Volatile World: What is to be done?” With: Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Indonesia, Mexico President Enrique Nieto, Singapore and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
• Arrival of Singapore (Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Session Twelve: SUMMIT DIALOGUE Keynote Address by China President Xi Jinping at the Makati Shangri-la
• Session Thirteen: SUMMIT DIALOGUE Conversation with USA President Barack Obama at the Makati Shangri-la
• Closing Addresses and INVITATION to the APEC CEO SUMMIT 2016, Peru followed by Closing reception “From the Philippines to Peru” at the MAKATI Shangri-la
• Official Welcome And Photo Opportunity With ABAC Members at the PICC
• Official Welcome Of APEC Leaders at the PICC
• Plenary Session With Apec Leaders And ABAC Members (Opening Only) at the PICC
• Informal Conversation With Pacific Alliance (Opening Only) at the PICC
• Arrival Of The 20 Economic Leaders at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena
• APEC Leaders' Family Photo with Spouse at the SM MOA Arena
• Welcome Dinner hosted by President Benigno  Aquino III (Speech Only) at the SM Moa Arena

DAY 8 – Nov. 19, 2015 (Thursday)

• Departure of Colombia(President Juan Manuel Santos)  at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Arrival of The 20 Economic Leaders at the PICC
• Economic Leaders’ Family Photo at the PICC
• Retreat 1 (Photo Spray At The Beginning Only) at the PICC
• AELM Spouses Program in Intramuros
• Departure of Chile (President Michelle Bachelet)  at the NAIA Terminal 2
• Departure of Malaysia (Prime Minister Najib Razak)
• Press Conference by President Benigno  Aquino III at the IMC
• Departure of Australia (Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull) at the NAIA Terminal 2
• Departure of Singapore (Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Departure of Thailand (Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Departure of Vietnam (President  Truong Tan San) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Departure of Hong Kong (China Chief Executive Leung Chun-Ying) at the NAIA Terminal 3
• Departure of Mexico (President Enrique Peña Nieto)  at the Villamor Air Base

DAY 9 – Nov. 20, 2015 (Friday)

• Departure of Papua New Guinea(Prime Minister Peter O’Neill) at the Villamor Air Base
• Departure of Korea (President Park Geun-hye) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Departure of Chinese Taipei (President Ma Ying-jeou) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Departure of President Benigno Aquino III (For Asean Summit) at the Villamor Air Base
• Departure of New Zealand (Prime Minister John Key) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Departure of Japan (Prime Minister Shinzō Abe) at the NAIA Terminal 1
• Departure of Canada(Prime Minister Justin Trudeau)  at the NAIA Terminal 

Source: PhilStar