Daily News Highlights – September 2, 2015 Edition

Gerard Lim

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

  1. Poe seeks junking of disqualification case

    Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday, September 1, sought the dismissal of a disqualification case filed against her before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) questioning her Filipino citizenship. The Senator’s lawyers submitted a reply to a complaint filed by Rizalito David, who claimed Poe is not a Filipino citizen and should not have been proclaimed senator in 2013. David also ran in the 2013 elections but lost. Lawyers for Poe argued that the prescribed period to question the Senator’s qualifications to assume office has lapsed. They added that Poe did not change her citizenship after assuming office or hide the fact that she acquired US citizenship and renounced the same before she ran in 2013. Poe also faces a disqualification case before the Commission on Elections.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  2. De Lima returns to work, denies INC deal

    Justice Secretary Leila de Lima dispelled speculations that she would resign as part of an alleged government “deal” with the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) church. De Lima denied the existence of any agreement with the INC in relation to its 5-day prayer rally that paralyzed traffic in parts of Metro Manila. She also returned to work on Tuesday, September 1. The Justice Secretary was a prime target for INC, who accused her of giving special attention to a complaint of illegal detention filed by a former INC minister against the church. The group also called on the government to respect the separation of church and state, alluding to what they perceive as government meddling in internal church affairs. De Lima, who announced she would seek a Senate seat in 2016, plans to resign from the Aquino cabinet once she files her certificate of candidacy, sometime in October. 

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  3. INC drew bigger crowds in previous assemblies

    Even as the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) church claimed it’s recent 5-day prayer rally in Metro Manila was a success, figures from previous events it has organized show that it was able to muster much larger numbers before. The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the crowd at the rally held along EDSA peaked at 20,000 on Sunday, August 30. In contrast, the PNP said the INC’s charity walk for Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) survivors on February 15, 2014, drew as many as 200,000 people. The walk even garnered a Guinness world record. According to a government source, the INC initially targeted 500,000 people to join the rally along EDSA. 

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  4. Pope calls for forgiveness for women who have abortions

    Pope Francis on Tuesday, September 1 called on priests to pardon women who have abortions, and the doctors who perform them, as the Catholic Church celebrates a Jubilee Year beginning December 8, 2015. “I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it,” Pope Fancis said. The statement goes against conservative teachings within the Catholic Church that abortion is akin to murder. The Pope added that he was well aware of the pressure that some women were under to abort, and the pain of living with the “agonizing and painful decision.” The Holy Year of Mercy will run from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016.  

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  5. Second foreigner held over Bangkok blast

    Police in Thailand arrested on Tuesday, September 1 a foreign man described as a “main suspect” in the deadly Bangkok bombing that killed 20 people. The man detained near the border with Cambodia is the second foreigner held over the August 17 blast at a religious shrine. Police are on the lookout for three new suspects. The motive for the bombing is still unclear. A foreigner was detained on Saturday, August 29, at a flat in a Bangkok suburb, allegedly in possession of bomb-making paraphernalia and dozens of fake Turkish passports. 

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  6. Japan holds annual disaster response drill

    About 1.6 million people across Japan took part in an annual emergency drill on Tuesday, September 1, with schoolchildren taking cover under desks and top officials meeting in response to a mock natural disaster. Rescue operations and emergency medical exercises were carried out to simulate an emergency response to a strong 7.3 magnitude quake rocking Tokyo in the early morning. The nationwide drill is held annually on September 1, known in Japan as Disaster Prevention Day, which comes on the anniversary of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake that killed more than 100,000 people and leveled Tokyo. The government has stepped up its disaster response since the devastating 2011 earthquake that triggered a deadly tsunami that sent reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant into meltdown.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  7. US teenagers rally against a transgender student for using girls’ toilet

    Students in a Missouri high school staged a protest on Monday, August 31 against the school granting the request of a transgender student to use the girls’ bathroom and locker room. More than 100 students at Hillsboro High School walked out of class on Monday in protest. Lila Perry, a 17-year-old transgender student, was granted permission by the school to use the girls’ bathroom and locker room. But some parents and students protested the decision. Perry, who dropped out of the physical education class that prompted her use of the girls’ locker room, said she is concerned for her safety and hoped her senior year would not be about this issue.

    Read the full story in the New York Times.

  8. Satellite imagery confirms ISIS destruction of Palmyra temple

    Satellite images show the main temple in Syria’s Palmyra has been flattened, confirming the worst fears for the ancient ruins held by the Islamic State (ISIS) group. The destruction of the Temple of Bel has sparked international outrage with the United Nation’s (UN) cultural watchdog calling it an “intolerable crime against civilization.” Dozens of relics remain at risk in the ruins of Palmyra, which ISIS jihadists seized from regime forces in May as they pursued their campaign for territory in Syria and Iraq. The extremist group’s harsh philosophy condemns pre-Islamic religious sites and considers statues and grave markers to be idolatrous, but it has also been accused of destroying heritage to loot items for the black market and to gain publicity. The 2,000-year-old temple was the centerpiece of Palmyra’s famed ruins and one of the most important relics at the UNESCO-listed heritage site.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  9. Obama to learn survival skills with Bear Grylls

    US President Barack Obama will shed the comforts of the White House and trek through Alaska’s wilderness with insect-eating British adventurer Bear Grylls. Obama will appear on an upcoming episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls”,according to television network NBC. His appearance on the show is just the latest in a series of White House efforts to reach new audiences. Obama’s recent visit to Alaska is meant to highlight the impact of climate change on the planet. Grylls is known for pushing his guests to the limit in the wild. Obama won’t have to worry too much – his Secret Service agents won’t be very far behind.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  10. Tokyo scraps scandal-hit Olympic logo

    Tokyo’s 2020 Olympics organizers on Tuesday, September 1 scrapped the event’s scandal-hit logo in the latest mishap for the Games after a budget furor forced plans for a $2 billion new national stadium to be torn up. The decision – which comes amid plagiarism claims and mounting questions about the logo designer’s credibility – caps an embarrassing month for Olympic officials as the ditching of the stadium means a new showpiece may only be ready a few months before the global event. Japanese Olympic bosses announced their decision at a hastily arranged press conference Tuesday, in a stark reversal just days after they vowed to stand behind the logo and designer Kenjiro Sano. They pointed to slumping public confidence and evidence that Sano had improperly swiped Internet images to highlight locations where his logo could be displayed.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

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