WORLD: Australia, Taiwan, South Korea issue travel warnings for Singapore

A worker sprays insecticide along the perimeter of a construction site, at an area where locally transmitted Zika cases were discovered in Singapore August 30, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su | By Marius Zaharia

SINGAPORE  – Australia, Taiwan and South Korea advised pregnant women and those attempting to get pregnant to avoid travel to Singapore after an outbreak of the Zika virus infected more than 50 people in the city-state.

The outbreak and the warnings come as a potential blow to tourism in one of the world’s busiest travel hubs, which is already struggling to recover from a slump amid tepid global growth.

Singapore reported its first case of locally-transmitted Zika at the weekend, and the number of reported infections of the mosquito-borne virus has since jumped to 56. At least three dozen of those have since made a full recovery.

The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. It poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked in Brazil to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect where babies are born with abnormally small heads and brains.

The 56 confirmed cases in Singapore include only one woman.

Taiwan, Australia and South Korea advised pregnant women and those planning pregnancy to postpone trips to Singapore. Those returning from the country should avoid pregnancy for two months. South Korean travellers will receive text messages with the warning when they arrive in Singapore.

Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore’s closest neighbours, have stepped up protective measures following the outbreak, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints.

Singapore’s Tourism Board said it was monitoring developments, adding the city state remained a “safe travel destination”, and it was premature to consider any impact.

More than 55 million people pass through Singapore’s Changi airport every year. In the first half of this year, tourism arrivals reached almost 8.2 million, compared with around 7.3 million in the same period of last year.

Online retailer Lazada Singapore said on Tuesday it has seen sales of mosquito repellent and other deterrent products rise fivefold over the past three days compared to a week ago.

FOREIGN WORKERS

Authorities continued to inspect thousands of homes in seven parts of Singapore, including five foreign worker dormitories, on Tuesday. Officials sprayed insecticide and removed potential mosquito breeding habitats such as stagnant water and moist dirt from drains.

The majority of those infected with Zika in Singapore were foreign workers, but the government has not disclosed their nationalities. The High Commission of Bangladesh, which represents the largest community of foreign workers, said none of the workers were Bangladeshis.

The Chinese and Myanmar embassies in Singapore said they had not been notified by Singapore whether their citizens were among those infected. The Thai embassy did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Foreign workers in Singapore, employed mostly in the construction and marine industries, can earn as little as S$2 ($1.47) an hour, often work 12-14 hours a day and take few days off. They are unlikely to travel often.

The GuocoLand construction site, where the infected workers were found, remained closed on Tuesday morning, according to a Reuters photographer at the scene. It was ordered on Sunday to halt work and rectify the conditions that allowed mosquitoes to breed.

Regional health experts said the Zika virus is likely to be significantly under-reported across tropical Southeast Asia as local health authorities fail to conduct adequate screening.

(Reporting by Marius Zaharia, with additional reporting by Edgar Su, Aradhana Aravindan, Masayuki Kitano and Mark Tay in Singapore and Jeong Eun Lee in Seoul; Editing by Jane Wardell and Ian Geoghegan)

Philippines may open mothballed Marcos-era nuclear power plant

Erik de Castro  via Reuters

MANILA  – The Philippines is looking into operating the country’s only nuclear power plant, built four decades ago at more than $2 billion (1.53 billion pounds) but never used, to ensure the long-term supply of clean and cheap electricity, its energy minister said.

The Southeast Asian country is joining more than two dozen other countries looking to add nuclear power to their energy mix, including neighbours Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said on Tuesday reviving the mothballed 620-megawatt nuclear plant in Bataan province, northwest of Manila, will require a $1 billion investment.

Nuclear generation is one of the options for the Philippines to meet its growing power needs, with annual electricity demand expected to rise by an average 5 percent until 2030, he said.

“We have to weigh all our options, with emphasis not just on meeting capacity requirements, but sustainability and environmental obligations as well,” Cusi said, speaking at the opening of a three-day international conference on nuclear power in Manila.

Cusi will revive a government task force created in 2007 to study nuclear power as an alternative to imported fuel oil and coal, which currently provide more than half of the country’s energy mix.
He said technical experts, including those from the International Atomic Energy Agency, have been invited to help the country identify the next steps and come up with a “well-informed” decision.
Cusi is not committing any timetable for the study, but he expects the move to reignite protests against the project, especially by environmentalists and the Catholic Church arguing restarting the plant is unsafe and expensive.

“We need to move away from fossil fuels like coal but nuclear energy is not safe and will also harm the people and environment,” said Zaira Patricia Baniaga of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice in a statement issued before the conference.

The late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos order the plant built in 1976 in response to rising energy prices and it was finished in 1984.

The facility never started generating electricity after it was declared unsafe because it sits on a major earthquake fault line and lies near the Pinatubo volcano, which was dormant at that time.
Pinatubo’s 1991 eruption had no effect on the Bataan plant, 70 km (45 miles) away, but the project was mothballed in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

A decade ago Manila looked into reopening the plant but the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident renewed concerns about safety.

(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

Marcos’ burial a non-issue for Enrile

  by Rita Salonga via RH News and Reuters                   

Manila, Philippines - Former Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile insists that former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. deserves to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery).

The former Senate president said that it is not stated in the law that a person need to be a hero to deserve a spot in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

In line with this, Enrile challenged those who are against the hero’s burial of Marcos to prove their allegations that the former strongman violated human rights during the time of Martial Law.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court already issued a temporary restraining order on the scheduled burial of Marcos, but will only be effective within 20 days.

Robredo points out loopholes in gov’t war against illegal drugs

Vice President Leni Robredo

by   Rita Salonga

Vice President Leni Robredo believes that the government should focus on other issues in its campaign against illegal drugs in the country.

During a recent dialogue and inspection for the housing benefits for members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police in Bocaue, Bulacan, Robredo said that the government’s solution is too reactive.

The Vice President added that though she supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s programs against illegal drugs, she insisted that there is a need in expanding its search for a solution in ending the illegal drugs in the country.

Vice President Robredo explained that the anti-illegal drugs campaign lacks in rehabilitation program, because the government seems to remain clueless on what to do with the thousands of illegal drugs users and pushers who decide to surrender.

SPORT: Rooney to quit England after 2018 World Cup

Britain Football Soccer – England Press Conference – St. George’s Park – 30/8/16 England’s Wayne Rooney during the press conference Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine Livepic

Wayne Rooney will end his England career after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the striker said on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old made his announcement at a news conference ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on Sunday when he will set a new record for an England outfield player ahead of David Beckham by winning his 116th cap.

“Come Russia I feel that will be the time for me to say goodbye to international football, my mind is made up,” said Rooney, who was reappointed England captain on Monday.

“I will just try to enjoy myself over the next two years,” he added.

(Reporting by Neil Robinson, editing by Ed Osmond)

ENTERTAINMENT: Caesars must face $11 billion in lawsuits: U.S. judge

REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus

By Tracy Rucinski

CHICAGO  – Caesars Entertainment Corp <CZR.O> must face lawsuits from bondholders seeking some $11 billion in claims, a U.S. judge ruled on Friday in a decision the casino company had warned could plunge it into bankruptcy alongside its operating unit.

Shares of the Nevada-based gaming company fell 12 percent after-hours.

Caesars Entertainment Operating Co (CEOC), which filed for Chapter 11 protection in January 2015, was asking for a third court shield from lawsuits against its parent to protect a multibillion-dollar contribution to its reorganization plan.

The high-stakes CEOC bankruptcy has been plagued by a complex web of litigation pitting some of the most aggressive investors on Wall Street against each other.

A current injunction expires on Aug. 29, a day before Caesars faces a potential ruling in New York on lawsuits from bondholders alleging it reneged on guarantees from bonds issued by CEOC prior to the unit’s $18 billion bankruptcy.

CEOC had argued that another halt to a decision on those lawsuits was critical to securing a settlement with holdout creditors before its reorganization plan heads to a confirmation trial in January.

“I can’t find that an injunction is likely to enhance the prospects for negotiation,” U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Benjamin Goldgar in Chicago said in his courtroom ruling.

Bitter creditors accuse Caesars and its private equity sponsors Apollo Global Management LLC <APO.N> and TPG Capital Management LP [TPG.UL] of stripping the unit of choice assets such as the LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and leaving it bankrupt.

Caesars, Apollo and TPG have denied any wrongdoing, though a court-appointed examiner found they could be on the hook for up to $5.1 billion in claims.

To settle the allegations Caesars has offered to pitch about $4 billion into CEOC’s reorganization in exchange for releases from the claims. Goldgar asked on Friday why Apollo and TPG were not also contributing, saying the injunctions to date had provided them “a comfortable free ride” on CEOC’s “coattails”.

Both Caesars and CEOC said they were disappointed by the decision. The court’s refusal to extend the shield puts Caesars’ “substantial contribution” to CEOC’s reorganization plan “at serious risk,” a Caesars spokesman said in an email.

CEOC lawyers said they planned to appeal the ruling.

“It would be hard to reverse Goldgar without dramatically expanding the availability of third-party releases, something that would be out of step with the standards in other circuits,” said Douglas Baird, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School.

(Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Matthew Lewis)

Philippines to add 2,500 troops to insurgency-plagued southern island

REUTERS/Erik De Castro/Files

MANILA  – The Philippines will send an additional 2,500 troops to a remote southern island this week as the army steps up an offensive against the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf, a presidential spokesman said on Tuesday.

About 45 soldiers and Muslim rebels have been killed on Jolo island since Thursday when the army launched an air-and-ground assault on the main base of the militants after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Abu Sayyaf to be “destroyed”.

“We are going full force, launching an all-out operation against the Abu Sayyaf there,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters. “We are adding five battalions or about 2,500 people.”

The Abu Sayyaf has dogged successive Philippine governments, entrenching its network with vast sums of ransom money in what has become one of Asia’s most lucrative kidnapping rackets.
(Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Our Daily Bread: Cupbearer to the King

Randy Kilgore

Read: Nehemiah 2:1-8

Why is your face sad? . . . What do you request? —Nehemiah 2:2,4

One of my favorite Bible passages that applies to work is Nehemiah 1–2. King Artaxerxes’ employee Nehemiah had been such an exemplary worker that the king wanted to honor him by helping him when he was sad that Jerusalem was still in ruins. He asked Nehemiah, “Why is your face sad? . . . What do you request?” (2:2,4). He wasn’t just any worker for the king, he was the cupbearer, the man who tasted the king’s drink to protect him from being poisoned. In order to have earned such a position, he apparently worked hard and honored God in everything he did. And the king granted his requests.

God cares about the way we work. Colossians 3:23 tells us, “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” We can follow Nehemiah’s example in these ways: Be such a competent and trusted worker that God is honored (Neh. 1:11–2:6). Care passionately about others and what’s important to them. Take action, occasionally even risky action, to honor what’s important to God and to fellow believers (2:3-6).

When we honor God in work, our employers may notice. But even if they don’t, our heart’s desire and purpose should be to honor the One we really serve—the Lord our God (Col. 3:17,23).

O Lord, may the way I serve tell Your story!

I want to bring You all the glory in my work,
at home, and everywhere I go. Fill me and use
me to bless others and honor You today.

_________________________________________________________

God honors faith because faith honors God.

_________________________________________________________

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE: Facebook CEO says group will not become a media company

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen on stage during a town hall at Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California September 27, 2015. Picture taken February 27, 2015. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo | By Giulia Segreti via Reuters

ROME  – Facebook Inc. will not become a media company, its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday, telling students the firm would remain a technology platform.

An increasing number of users are turning to social media networks, such as Facebook <FB.O> and Twitter <TWTR.N>, to find their news, but Zuckerberg said his firm had no ambitions to become a content provider.

“No, we are a tech company, not a media company,” said Zuckerberg, after a young Italian asked him whether Facebook intended to become a news editor.

While acknowledging the role Facebook has in supplying users with news through their connections and stressing the advantages of obtaining information from different parts of the world, Zuckerberg said Facebook was “a technology company, we build the tools, we do not produce any content”.

“The world needs news companies, but also technology platforms, like what we do, and we take our role in this very seriously,” he said, speaking from Rome’s Luiss university.

Earlier on Monday, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan had a private audience with Pope Francis. It was the latest in a string of meetings the pontiff has held with Silicon Valley leaders, including Apple <AAPL.O> CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet’s <GOOGL.O> boss Eric Schmidt.

Zuckerberg said he gave the Argentine pontiff a model of Aquila, Facebook’s lightweight solar-powered drone aimed at beaming lasers to extend internet access to places that have yet to be connected.

“We … discussed the importance of connecting people, especially in parts of the world without internet access,” Zuckerberg posted on his personal Facebook profile after the meeting.

Zuckerberg also on Monday met Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who is pushing to upgrade Italy’s limited internet infrastructure.

WORLD: Freak lightning storm kills 323 reindeer in Norway

Dead wild reindeer are seen on Hardangervidda in Norway, after lightning struck the central mountain plateau and killed more than 300 of them, in this handout photo received on August 28, 2016. Havard Kjotvedt/SNO/Miljodirektoratet/NTB Scanpix via Reuters

OSLO  – A freak lightning storm has killed 323 reindeer in a remote mountainous area of Norway, officials said on Monday.

Dead animals were found lying on top of each other, many with their antlers entangled, after the thunderstorm on the Hardanger plateau in southern Norway on Friday.

“We’ve never had anything like this with lightning,” Kjartan Knutsen of Norway’s nature surveillance agency said, adding there were sometimes isolated cases of sheep or reindeer struck down.

Reindeer tend to group together when in danger. It was unclear whether the herd had been killed by a single lightning bolt or several.

Hardanger was extremely wet on Friday, helping conduct lightning.

“The high moisture in both the ground and the air was probably an explanation for why so many animals died,” Olav Strand, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, wrote in a statement.

Experts flew in by helicopter to take samples of the dead reindeer, amid a rising stench of decay, as part of a project to monitor elk and deer for diseases. Five of the 323 animals were found alive but badly injured and were shot by wildlife officials.

It was unclear what would happen to the bodies. One option is to leave them to decay.

“It’s part of the natural ecology, this is far from where people live,” Knutsen said. Hardanger has about 12,000 reindeer and hunters are allowed to shoot 2,000 a year for their meat.

(Reporting by Alister Doyle; editing by Andrew Roche)

QCPD intensifies random drug testing among its ranks

                By Romeo Ranoco and  Rita Salonga via REUTERS                   

Quezon City, Philippines - The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) is intensifying its random drug testing of all cops in Quezon City after PO3 Liberato Pumanes Calda of Taguig City Police tested positive for illegal drugs.

Calda previously denied using illegal drugs, but tested positive in a surprised drug test.

According to QCPD Dir. Police Sr. Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, a drug-user cop may prepare for an announced drug test by refraining from using drugs for a week before the scheduled test.  However, if it is a random drug test, these drug user-cops will have no idea when it will be conducted.

In line with this, Eleazar plans on conducting frequent random drug tests.

In other news, Star Magic, ABS-CBN’s talent management recently conducted its own drug test for 40 of its talents.

Based on the results, Kapamilya artists like Diego Loyzaga, Enrique Gil, Jake Cuenca and the rest who were tested all yielded negative results.

Star Magic’s move was a way of showing support to President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs, said officials of ABS-CBN’s talent management group.

“Results were 100 percent negative for Jake Cuenca, Enrique Gil and Diego Loyzaga and the rest of the Star Magic artists.  Star Magic believes in the efforts of the current campaign to keep our homes and working environments drug-free,” the netowrk’s officials said.

Scientists find Earth-like planet circling sun’s nearest neighbour

A view of the surface of the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our Solar System, is seen in an undated artist’s impression released by the European Southern Observatory August 24, 2016. ESO/M. Kornmesser/Handout via Reuters | By Irene Klotz

Scientists have discovered a planet that appears to be similar to Earth circling the star closest to the sun, potentially a major step in the quest to find out if life exists elsewhere in the universe, research published on Wednesday showed.

The relative proximity of the planet, known as Proxima b, gives scientists a better chance to eventually capture an image of it, to help them establish whether it has an atmosphere and water, which is believed to be necessary for life.

Future studies may reveal if any atmosphere contains tell-tale chemicals of biological life, such as methane, according to a paper published in this week’s issue of the journal Nature.

“The key question of our initiative was whether there were potentially life-bearing planets orbiting these stars. We know now there is at least one planet with some characteristics similar to the Earth,” said Pete Worden, a former top NASA manager, who was speaking at a European Southern Observatory webcast news conference to announce the find.

The planet, located about 4.2 light-years from Earth, or 25 trillion miles (40 trillion km), is the closest of some 3,500 planets that have been discovered beyond the solar system since 1995, according to the paper.

“This planetary system is much closer than any other that we know so detailed investigation is easier,” astronomer Ansgar Reiners, with the University of Gottingen in Germany, told reporters on a conference call.

Astronomers got their first hint of a planet circling the sun’s small dim neighbour star in 2013. But they needed additional observations, using more precise instruments, to make a definitive call.

An international team of 31 scientists found the planet after careful and repeated measurements of slight shifts in the colour of the light coming from its host star, Proxima Centauri, which is a small, dim star in the Alpha Centauri system.

The shifts, which astronomers call “wobbles,” are caused by the gravitational tugging of a planet roughly 1.3 times the size of Earth on the parent star. Based on the timing of wobbles, scientists determined that the planet circles its host star in just 11 days, compared to Earth’s 365-day orbit around the sun.

That puts the planet far closer to its parent star than Earth orbits the sun. However, Proxima Centauri is so much smaller and dimmer than the sun that its planet’s orbit is suitably positioned for liquid water despite being just 4.4 million miles away.

EARTH-LIKE PLANET

“Chances are good that it’s a viable, Earth-like planet today,” said astronomer Pedro Amado, with the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía in Granada, Spain.

But scientists are unsure if red dwarf stars like Proxima Centauri are good hosts for life. Planets orbiting close enough to keep water liquid would be blasted with 100 times more high-energy radiation than Earth receives from the sun, though what impact that would have on life is a matter of scientific debate.

“We don’t think it’s a show-stopper,” Amado said.

Magnetic fields and an atmosphere offer a planet some protection. It is unknown if Proxima b has either.

Before the discovery of Proxima b, the nearest Earth-like planet to the sun was circling a star known as Wolf 1061, located about 14 light-years away.

Proxima b may not be flying solo. “We have some suspicions that there is another signal around the star,” Reiners said.

More research is needed to determine if there are multiple planets circling Proxima Centauri.
The discovery announced on Wednesday is expected to bolster a $100 million project unveiled in April and backed by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner to develop a miniature laser-powered spacecraft that can make the trip to the Alpha Centauri system in about 20 years.

“We hope to build a whole system that will send nanocraft to Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri within a generation,” said Worden, the executive director of Breakthrough Starshot, an initiative that aims to deploy thousands of tiny spacecraft to travel to our nearest neighbouring star system and send back pictures.

(Reporting by Irene Klotz in Sydney, Australia; Additional reporting by Rosalba O’Brien in Santiago; Editing by Bill Rigby and Alistair Bell)

Obama to meet Philippines’ Duterte, broach human rights

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a National Heroes Day commemoration at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery) in Taguig city, Metro Manila in the Philippines August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

WASHINGTON  – U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sept. 6, and plans to touch on human rights as well as security concerns, the White House said on Monday.

“We absolutely expect that the president will raise concerns about some of the recent statements from the president of the Philippines,” White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told a media briefing when asked whether inflammatory remarks by Duterte about women, journalists and others would be a topic of discussion.

Rhodes said, however, that there were important security issues to cover as well, particularly tensions over navigation in the South China Sea. China has been incensed by a ruling against its claims in the South China Sea by an international court, a case initiated by Manila.

The expected meeting between Obama and Duterte would take place in Laos, where the two leaders will be attending a summit of leaders from Pacific Rim nations.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Chris Reese and Andrew Hay)

Our Daily Bread: A Slower Pace

Marvin Williams

Read: Exodus 20:8-11

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work. —Exodus 20:9-10

When writer Bruce Feiler was diagnosed with bone cancer in his thigh, he couldn’t walk without some help for over a year. Learning to get around on crutches caused him to appreciate a slower pace of life. Feiler said, “The idea of slowing down became the number one lesson I learned from my experience.”

After God’s people were liberated from Egypt, He gave them a commandment that would cause them to slow down and view Him and the world “in pause.” The fourth commandment introduced a dramatic contrast to the Israelites’ slavery under Pharaoh when they had no break in their daily work routine.

The commandment insisted that God’s people set aside one day a week to remember several important things: God’s work in creation (Gen. 2:2), their liberation from Egyptian bondage (Deut. 5:12-15), their relationship with God (6:4-6), and their need for personal refreshment (Exod. 31:12-18). This was not to be a day of laziness, but one where God’s people acknowledged, worshiped, and rested in Him.

We too are called to slow down, to be refreshed physically, mentally, and emotionally, and to behold God in His good creation.

Lord, I need spiritual and physical rest. Help me
to deliberately take the time to spend with You.
Please remove any obstacle that keeps me from
having a more balanced rhythm to my life.

_________________________________________________________

Living for God begins with resting in Him.

_________________________________________________________

President Duterte leads Heroes’ rites today

President Rodrigo Duterte at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Taguig City

(photo by  Henry Uri)  |   by Kristine Dela Cruz via RH News           

                        

Manila, Philippines - President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to lead the commemoration of Heroes’ day earlier today.

The President will head the wreath laying ceremony at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.
The president will be accompanied by Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenza and Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano.

The president will also host a dinner for wounded soldiers in Malacanang in recognition of their heroism along with the celebration of National Heroes’ Day.

Last Thursday, the president cancelled his scheduled visit in Catbalogan and Tacloban City after experiencing a severe migraine.

However, the president attended the 10^th anniversary of east Mindanao Command and 50^th wedding anniversary of USec. Melchor Quitain where he is one of the sponsors held in Davao City last Saturday.

Gamiaw WORLD: Singapore confirms 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus

REUTERS/Tim Wimborne/File Photo

By Marius Zaharia

SINGAPORE – Singapore has confirmed 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, mostly among foreign construction workers, and said it expected more cases to be identified.

All but seven of those infected had fully recovered, the Health Ministry and the National Environment Agency said in a statement on Sunday. The seven remain in hospital.

On Saturday, authorities confirmed a 47-year-old Malaysian woman living in southeastern Singapore as the city-state’s first case of a local transmission of the virus.

Zika, carried by some mosquitoes, was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked in Brazil to more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly, where babies are born with small heads.

Singaporean authorities said they tested 124 people, primarily foreign construction workers employed on a site in the same part of Singapore. That site has been ordered to halt work, and workers’ dormitories are being inspected. Seventy-eight people tested negative and five cases were pending. Thirty-four patients had fully recovered.

Four Singaporean men had developed symptoms of the virus in the past week and were hospitalized on Saturday. It was not clear where the foreign workers were from or when their cases were detected. Singapore hosts a large contingent of workers from the Asian subcontinent.

None of those infected had traveled recently to Zika-affected areas. “This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place,” the statement said.

The ministry “cannot rule out further community transmission since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore,” the statement said. “We expect to identify more positive cases.”

The World Health Organization said in a statement on Sunday that it did not know “which lineage of Zika is circulating” or “what the level of population immunity is to this lineage of Zika in Asia.”
“It is important for countries to remain vigilant through surveillance for cases, to continue vector control, to inform people about Zika and how they can protect themselves, and to have the health system ready to supply the services needed to prevent and manage Zika and its consequences,” the group told Reuters.

Singapore, a major regional financial center and busy transit hub, which maintains a constant vigil against the mosquito-borne dengue virus, reported its first case of the Zika virus in May, brought in by a middle-aged man who had been to Brazil.

CLEANUP

Singapore deployed about 200 NEA officers to clean drains and spray insecticide in the mainly residential area early on Sunday to counter mosquito breeding grounds, and volunteers and contractors handed out leaflets and insect repellent.

All medical services in Singapore had been alerted “to be extra vigilant” and immediately report any Zika-associated symptoms to the health ministry.

Singapore said there were “ongoing local transmission” cases in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Other countries in the region to have detected the Zika virus since 2013 include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives and the Philippines, according to the WHO.

Malaysia said on Sunday it stepped up surveillance at main transit points with Singapore – handing out leaflets on Zika prevention and having paramedics ready to handle visitors with potential symptoms of the virus.

In Thailand, where close to 100 cases of Zika have been recorded across 10 provinces this year, the Department of Disease Control was screening athletes returning from the Olympic Games in Brazil, but was not otherwise changing its prevention measures.

“Every country in this region has Zika transmission cases,” said Prasert Thongcharoen, an adviser to the DDC. “Thailand has, however, managed to contain the problem through early detection.”
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Indonesia was “following developments”. Oskar Pribadi, a Health Ministry official, said there had been no recent Zika cases in the country.

Vietnam has to date reported three cases of locally transmitted Zika infection.

The current strain of Zika sweeping through Latin America and the Caribbean originated in Asia, where people may have built up greater immunity.

(Reporting by Marius Zaharia; Additional reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore, A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur, Amy Lefevre in Bangkok, Agustinus Beo Da Costa in Jakarta, My Pham in Hanoi, Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago and Trevor Hunnicutt in New York; Editing by Ian Geoghegan and Peter Cooney)

Gamiaw WORLD: No “Arab Spring” in Zimbabwe, Mugabe warns protesters

Opposition party supporters clash with police in Harare, Zimbabwe, August 26, 2016. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

By MacDonald Dzirutwe via Reuters

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe warned protesters on Friday there would be no “Arab Spring” in Zimbabwe after anti-government demonstrations descended it to some of the worst violence seen in the southern African nation for two decades.

Zimbabwean police fired tear gas and water cannon at opposition leaders and hundreds of demonstrators at a protest against Mugabe and the ruling ZANU-PF, before unrest swept across large parts of the capital Harare.

“They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country but we tell them that it is not going to happen here,” Mugabe told state television, referring to a series of uprisings that toppled leaders across the Arab world.

Mugabe accused Western countries, including the United States, of sponsoring the protests.
“They are fighting because of Americans,” said Mugabe.

Earlier, opposition head Morgan Tsvangirai and former vice president Joice Mujuru fled a rally in their cars while protesters ran for cover as police broke up the core of the demonstration. However, anti-Mugabe leaders warned that this would be the first of a series of protests.

Mugabe’s opponents have become emboldened by rising public anger and protests over an economic meltdown, cash shortages and high unemployment. Mugabe, 92, has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.

Clashes spread through the streets of the capital Harare as riot police fought running battles with protesters who hurled rocks at officers, set tyres ablaze and burned a popular market to the ground, in some of the worst unrest since food riots in 1998.

Didymus Mutasa, a senior official from Mujuru’s party and convener of Friday’s protest, vowed to repeat the demonstration a week from now and blamed police for the violence and disobeying a court order allowing the march to proceed.

“If that was intended to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say the opposite has been the case. We are going next Friday to do exactly the same as we have done today,” Mutasa told reporters.

Most businesses shut down early on Friday fearing looting by protesters. Mujuru said 50 people were injured and hospitalised.

“Mugabe’s rule must end now, that old man has failed us,” said one protester before throwing a rock at a taxi.

RIOT POLICE

More than a hundred police officers in riot gear, backed up by water cannons and armoured trucks, occupied the venue that opposition parties planned to use for their demonstration.

As opposition supporters arrived for the march, they were told by the police to leave. The officers then fired tear gas and water cannon when parts of the crowd refused to comply.

Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said the force was still assessing the day’s events. “We will let you know once we are done,” she said.

Officials from Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party were unavailable for comment.

“Demonstrating is the only solution left to force the dictator out of office,” said Tapfuma Make, an unemployed 24-year-old from Chitungwiza town, south of Harare.

Zimbabwe’s High Court earlier ruled that police should allow the protest to proceed between 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. (1000-1400 GMT) in what Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called a “victory for democracy”.

“Today has been for me the worst day that I have lived in this country, where I have observed with my own eyes, the state breaking its own laws and the state starting violence by attacking people who were just gathered together,” Mutasa said.

Opposition parties leading the protests say the electoral agency is biased in favour of the ruling ZANU-PF and is run by security agents loyal to Mugabe, charges the commission denies.

The protesters want the next vote in 2018 to be supervised by international observers, including the United Nations. They are also calling for Mugabe to fire corrupt ministers, scrap plans to introduce local bank notes and end cash shortages.

The latest demonstrations come nearly two months after the biggest large scale ‘stay at home’ strike in Zimbabwe since 2007, inspired by social media movements such as #ThisFlag led by pastor Evan Mawarire.

Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo on Thursday called opposition leaders “foreign agents” using protests to cause chaos in order to justify international intervention.

(Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by James Macharia and Andrew Heavens)

DOLE reminds employers on pay rule on August 29

By Kristine Dela Cruz via RH News

Manila, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reminded employers the pay rule for employees on August 29, declared as National Heroes Day.

According to Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello, in accordance of the law it should be 200 percent rate to those working in the first eight hours on Monday holiday.

If an employee works more than eight hours, the employer should give additional 30 percent of hourly rate.

But if the employee works on holiday that falls to the rest day, aside from 200 percent rate, he will be given also an additional 30 percent hourly rate.

Under Proclamation No. 1105 of former President Benigno Aquino III, August 29 is a regular holiday in commemoration of our country’s heroes.

Our Daily Bread: The Real Deal

Dave Branon

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1-21

[Christ] rose again the third day . . . [and] was seen by over five hundred brethren. —1 Corinthians 15:4-6

Sometimes cleaning out Grandpa’s attic pays off. For an Ohio man, it paid off in the discovery of a more than 100-year-old set of mint-condition baseball cards. Appraisers placed the cards’ value at $3 million.

One key to the high value of those cards was the fact that they were well-preserved. But beyond that, the true worth of the cards rested in the fact that they were authentic. If they had been fakes or counterfeits—no matter how good they looked—they wouldn’t have been worth the cardboard they were printed on.

The apostle Paul had something similar to say about Christianity. He said that our faith would be completely worthless and counterfeit if Jesus’ resurrection were not the real deal. It took bravery and confidence in God’s plan for Paul to say, “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” (1 Cor. 15:14) and “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (v.17).

The Christian faith rests on the authenticity of this story: Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead. Praise God for the clear evidence of Jesus’ death and resurrection (vv.3-8). It’s the real deal, and we can stake our eternity and our total dependence on God on its truth.

Lord, we’re eternally thankful for the truth
confirmed in Your Word and in our hearts that
You died and rose again for us. We love You, Lord,
and lift our voices in praise!

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God is the only true God.

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Our Daily Bread: Risks and Rescue

Dennis Fisher

Read: Romans 16:1-7

Greet Priscilla and Aquila . . . who risked their own necks for my life. —Romans 16:3-4

On September 7, 1838, Grace Darling, the daughter of an English lighthouse keeper, spotted a shipwreck and survivors offshore. Together, she and her father courageously rowed their boat a mile through rough waters to rescue several people. Grace became a legend for her compassionate heart and steady hand in risking her life to rescue others.

The apostle Paul tells us of another man and woman team who took risks to rescue others. He wrote about Priscilla and Aquila, his fellow workers in Christ, who “risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles” (Rom. 16:3-4).

We are not told exactly what “risk” Paul was referring to, but with beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks, and threats of death so common to Paul’s ministry, it’s not hard to see how this couple could have put themselves in harm’s way to help their friend. Apparently, Paul’s rescue was more important to them than their own safety.

Rescuing others—whether from physical or spiritual danger—often carries a risk. But when we take a risk by reaching out to others, we reflect the heart of our Savior who gave up so much for us.

The hand of God protects our way
When we would do His will;
And even when we take a risk,
We know He’s with us still. — D. DeHaan

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When you’ve been rescued, you’ll want to rescue others.

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Gamiaw ENTERTAINMENT: Britney Spears hitches a ride for Corden's Carpool Karaoke

This Aug. 26, 2016 photo released by CBS shows Britney Spears, left, and James Corden, right, for Corden's Carpool Karakoke. Oops! Corden did it again, sharing his Carpool Karaoke commute with Britney Spears on Thursday's edition of "The Late Late Show." As they drove through LA byways with the CBS host at the wheel, they doubled up for Spears' hit songs including "Superstar," ''Make Me," ''Toxic" and "Baby One More Time."

NEW YORK - Oops! James Corden did it again, sharing his Carpool Karaoke commute with Britney Spears on Thursday's edition of "The Late Late Show."

As they drove through LA byways with the CBS host at the wheel, they doubled up for Spears' hit songs including "Womanizer," ''Make Me," ''Toxic" and "Baby One More Time" (the latter performed in matching schoolgirl garb).

And, of course, there was one more signature Spears tune.

"You know your song, 'Oops! ... I Did It Again'?" asked Corden, leading up to it. "What's that about? What's it REALLY about?"

"I don't know," Spears demurely replied innocently. "I think it's just a song."

"Because every time I order at Domino's," said Corden, "I think, 'Oops! I did it again!'"

Between their front-seat vocalizing during the 10-minute segment, the carpool couple engaged in chitchat.

Spears reminded Corden she has two kids, ages 9 and 10.
"I want more," she declared.

"How many more?"

"Like, three. But I have to find the right guy first, and then —"

"— tell him that he's about to become the father of three children," Corden cut in with a grin before inquiring what sort of man she's looking for.

"I might not ever go to men again, I think, ever do the whole men thing anymore, or get married," she said. "I'm just done with men."

"You're saying you don't want to be with anyone, ever, the rest of your life?" Corden asked with surprise.

"I might French kiss someone," Spears hedged.
"Of COURSE! Yes!"

Corden asked Spears if her kids had seen her Las Vegas show.

"What it's like for them if you're wearing a racy outfit?" he posed. "I saw my mum in her underwear once when I was like 11. I can't shake the image from my brain."

Reflecting on her own childhood, Spears confided that she once got paddled in first grade, which left her "Traumatized! Traumatized!"

"I've never been spanked — properly, for either pain or pleasure," Corden said.
Just as well, said Spears. That brand of bondage is passe.

"Men get off on being TICKLED for a very long time," Spears told him.
But Corden wasn't buying it.

"I don't know what my wife would do if I went home and went, 'Sweet baby James needs a little bit of a tickling.'"

Government, NDF forge deal for indefinite truce

Luis Jalandoni of the National Democratic Front (right) shakes hands with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello following the signing an indefinite ceasefire deal yesterday. Looking on is Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Boerge Brende. AP       

By Jose Rodel Clapano via PhilStar

                                                 

MANILA, Philippines - An indefinite ceasefire between the communist rebels and the government takes effect today after their representatives signed a joint declaration in Norway to stop armed hostilities in preparation for talks to end once and for all the decades-long rebellion.

The declaration of the truce came almost simultaneously with the announcement of the release of three policemen by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

The truce was contained in a joint declaration committing “to unilateral ceasefires with no time limit,” said Norway’s foreign ministry, which sponsored the talks.

Norway said the joint declaration marks the resumption of formal negotiations between the Duterte administration and the National Democratic Front.

The latest ceasefire was a continuation of an earlier one called by the government, but which expired today.

Some 150,000 people have died in the conflict that began almost half a century ago.

Both sides said they had made important progress in the talks in Oslo in advancing a peace process that has dragged on for decades.

“The joint statement we are signing manifests the historic significance of what we have achieved,’’ said Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, before the signing of the joint declaration.

Presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza called the statement a “historic and unprecedented event” and gave credit to President Duterte.

“Not only has President Duterte walked the extra mile. He has also taken a step back to give the NDF space under his democratic and inclusive government,” he said.

“We will go home with a promise of a just and lasting peace and our soldiers and the combatants of the NDF finally coming to terms that the war must end,” he added. He stressed no acrimonious exchanges happened.

The discussions were jovial even, he said, with off-the-cuff remarks and banter periodically triggering laughter in the room.

“Yes, there were breaks in between but they were devoted to discussing the fine print of the documents and drafts that were passed and handed out across the table,” Dureza said.

They capped their discussions and exchange of notes with a boodle fight dinner Thursday evening.
President Duterte had promised to reopen talks and release all rebel leaders in detention during the election campaign period.

Duterte received two of the three freed policemen at the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Eastern Mindanao Command in Davao Oriental.

Pacman with freed cops

The two were Police Chief Inspector Arnold Ongachen of the Governor Generoso Municipal Police, and PO1 Michael Grande of Lupon, both in Davao Oriental.

The two arrived on a helicopter accompanied by Sen. Manny Pacquiao at around 3 p.m.  and were kept away from the media pending the arrival of Duterte at the camp for the 10th anniversary celebration of the Eastern Mindanao Command.  The third police captive, PO1 Richard Yu, was released in Tandag City.

An NDF statement said four more captive policemen are set to be released today in Surigao del Norte province. They are PO2 Caleb Sinaca, PO3 Jayroll Bagayas and non-uniformed personnel Rodrigo Angob of the Malimono Municipal Police Station and SPO3 Santiago Lamanilao of the Surigao City Police.

According to the NDF press statement, the four were arrested for involvement in illegal drugs and illegal gambling in Malimono and Surigao City.

In their statement, the two sides reaffirmed previous agreements and were set to discuss the release of detainees and who should get immunity to take part in the talks. Negotiators said they aim to complete the peace talks in nine to 12 months.

Although less numerous and less violent than Muslim separatist rebels in Mindanao, the Maoists have fought and outlived successive Philippine administrations for nearly 50 years, holding out against constant military and police offensives. They draw support from those dissatisfied with economic inequality, especially in the countryside, and the Philippines’ alliance with the US.

Norway has had a role as facilitator for the peace process since 2001. Fitful peace talks have been going on since 1986.

Duterte said he wants to end guerrilla wars with both communist and Muslim rebels that have been hampering economic development. The 3,000-strong New People’s Army is the armed wing of the CPP-NDF.

“I am happy to announce to our fellow Filipinos that the CPP-NPA-INDF agreed to declare that the unilateral ceasefire it has declared and is about to lapse tomorrow  (Saturday) is now indefinite,” said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello in Oslo.

NDF peace panel head Luis Jalandoni lauded Duterte’s show of determination to forge peace with the rebels.

Jalandoni said the release of 21 detained NDF consultants would be crucial to the progress of the peace negotiations.

The formal session – the first after five years – reaffirmed all previously signed agreements between the Philippine government and the NDF such as The Hague Joint Declaration in 1992, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) in 1996, and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) in 1998. The documents were signed during the Ramos administration.

At Malacañang, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said they are looking forward to the completion of the peace process and the implementation of a comprehensive agreement on socio-economic reforms (CASER) within six months.

“We’re happy that both parties have promised to complete the work,” Abella said in yesterday’s press briefing in Malacañang. He said Bello considers CASER as the heart and soul of the peace negotiations.

Earlier, the government released several top-rank communist representatives to allow them to join the talks, including couple Benito and Wilma Tiamzon. Benito, chairman of the CPP-NPA, and Wilma, secretary-general, were caught in a military operation in Aloguinsan town in Cebu in March 2014.

Also released were Renante Gamara, Tirso Alcantara, Adelberto Silva, Concha Araneta-Bocala, Alan Jazmines, Ariel Arbitrario, Eddie Genelsa and Alfredo Mapano.

Sadyandi

Meanwhile, lumad groups expressed their support for the peace talks, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said yesterday.

The Sadyandi, a lumad term, was joined by eight tribes and Moro groups which also voiced support for the peace negotiations.

Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo joined thousands of lumad and other tribal groups in Koronadal, South Cotabato, as they celebrated on Wednesday their Solidarity Festival through a “Sadyandi,” or unity pact.

“Specifically we are working with other government agencies such as the Department of Education to build more schools for lumad children and youth, and to ensure that the projects of the DSWD do not go against the welfare and culture of our lumad brothers and sisters. We support their struggle to recover and return to their ancestral lands,” Taguiwalo said.

“The peace talks between our government and the NDFP aim to bring to the table the substantive agenda for peace based on social justice. It is good that the lumad and other IP communities support the peace negotiations and that they themselves are issuing their calls to both parties,” she pointed out. With Edith Regalado, Ben Serrano, Van Nilles, Pia Lee-Brago

Gamiaw WORLD: Second victim of Thai coastal town bombings dies

People stand at the scene after a blast outside a hotel in the southern province of Pattani, Thailand August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom | By Amy Sawitta Lefevre

BANGKOK  – A second person has died from injuries sustained when two bombs exploded earlier this week at a hotel in Thailand’s southern coastal town of Pattani, officials said on Friday.

The attack late on Tuesday at a hotel in Pattani, one of three Muslim-dominated provinces in the country’s south, followed a string of bombings and arson attacks across seven provinces in Thailand’s central south that killed four people and targeted tourist spots.

Police and Thailand’s ruling junta have ruled out links between Tuesday’s attack and the tourist-town bombings.

“Last night another victim, a male age 64, died from head injuries sustained in the Pattani attack,” Colonel Yutthanam Petchmuang, a spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command, told Reuters.

The victim was a shopowner who was caught in the second explosion at the entrance to the hotel.
So far, no arrests have been made in connection to the hotel bombings on Tuesday. Police have issued warrants for three suspects in connection with the tourist town attacks but have given few details on the suspects.

The Muslim-dominated provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat were annexed by Thailand a century ago, and resistance to Buddhist rule in the south spilled over in 2004.

Since then, more than 6,500 people – most of them civilians – have died in violence, including shootings and bomb attacks. Successive governments have failed to quell the separatist trouble.
Talks between the government and a handful of shadowy insurgent groups began in 2013 under the civilian government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, but have stalled since the military overthrew her in 2014.

No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack but experts say the attacks would appear to reflect frustration over the stalled negotiations.

(This version of the story was refiled to remove words ‘it’ and ‘was’ from paragraph 2, fixes formatting)

(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Surapan Boonthanom; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

PNP Chief Bato slams Odicta’s denial on involvement in illegal drugs activities

PNP Chief. Gen. R. Dela Rosa

  by Rita Salonga via RH News

Manila, Philippines - Philippine National Police Chief Dir. Gen. Ronald Dela Rosa did not believe the alibi of Melvin Boyet Odicta and his wife, Miriam, claiming that they are not involved in any illegal drugs activities.

The Odictas are considered as “untouchables” drug lords in Iloilo province and number one in the list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority of drug personalities in the whole region.
The couple presented themselves to Interior and Local Government Secretary Mike Sueno and denied the accusations against them.

During his visit in Iloilo earlier today, Dela Rosa did not mention Odicta in his speech but it was clear that he was referring to the alleged drug lord.

Dela Rosa said that Odicta only pretended to surrender in Manila but no one from Iloilo believe that he is not involved in illegal drugs activities.

The PNP Chief’s message to the Odicta couple: “Tell that to the Marines.”

Dela Rosa added that (Odictas) their reign has come to an end, especially their paying off of lawyers, fiscals, judges and police; killing off cops who go against them.

Odicta is believed to be behind the attack of DYOK-Iloilo, including a police raid wherein Odicta was seen accompanying them to the station for over-criticizing them.

Ombudsman probes Honasan, 3 others on pork barrel

Kristine Dela Cruz via RH News

Manila, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman is investigating Senator Gregorio ‘Gringo’ Honasan, including  three other former government officials due to possible involvement in the PhP220 million fund scam in the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Graft case and Malversation of public funds, through a falsification of public documents will be filed against the accused.

Aside from Honasan, other respondents are former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Rep. Arturo Robes and former Sec. Virgilio de los Reyes of DAR.

Other five officials from DAR and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) are also being probed.

It was discovered that since 2010 until 2011, DAR allocated PhP220 million for livelihood and training projects for farmers in 27 towns in Isabela, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Ilocos Norte, Nueva Ecija, Quezon, Batangas and Pangasinan.

From the mentioned amount, PhP20 million was released from DAR’s regular fund based on the request of Honasan.

However, the implementation of the program was availed by the fake non-government organizations (NGOs) of Janel Lim Napoles, including the same fund request of other respondents.

Our Daily Bread: Surrounded By Mercy

Dennis Fisher

Read: Psalm 32

He who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. —Psalm 32:10

It was almost impossible not to see the giant billboard with the red background and huge white letters that shouted: “This year thousands of men will die from stubbornness.” Later I learned that the billboard was one of hundreds just like it targeted at middle-aged men who typically avoid routine medical screenings and often die from preventable conditions.

Psalm 32 deals with the spiritual disease of sin, which can be treated by honest acknowledgment and repentance. The first five verses express the anguish of hiding our guilt and then celebrate the joyful release of confessing our transgressions to God and being forgiven.

This psalm goes on to show that the Lord longs for us to seek His help in difficulty (vv.6-8) and receive His guidance. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (v.8). We are hindered, though, when we stubbornly refuse to follow His direction and repent from our sin.

God’s Word urges us, “Do not be like the horse or like the mule, . . . which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you” (v.9). Rather than hold on to our sin, the Lord offers an alternative: When we humbly confess, His mercy shall surround us (v.10).

Heavenly Father, help us now
At Thy feet to humbly bow;
Take away all thought of sin,
Make us clean and pure within. —Bartels

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The first step to receiving God’s forgiveness is to admit that we need it.

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