March 28, 2014 Edition

In an overwhelming vote, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly rejected Crimea’s decision to break away from Ukraine and become part of Russia. In the 193-member body, 100 countries voted in favor and 11 against a resolution to reject Crimea’s referendum. More than 20 countries abstained. The UN’s move “will help to deter further aggressive moves,” acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said. “It sends an essential message that the international community will not allow what has happened in Crimea to set a precedent to further challenges to our rules,” he added.


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Read more on the New York Times.

The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, signed an agreement that aims to end 4 decades of conflict. MILF chairman Ebrahim Murad called the historic deal the “crowning glory of our struggle.” He said it “is the restoration of the identity, powers and resources of the Bangsamoro.” Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said, “No more war. No more children scampering for safety. No more evacuees. No more injustice. No more poverty. Tama na. (Enough.)”


Read the full story on Rappler here and here.

Read the full text of the Bangsamoro agreement here.

The signing of the Bangsamoro agreement left many Muslims tearful and speechless. Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) member Rasid Ladiasan said, “Its really unexplainable. It’s a feeling that you could only feel when you think that everything has turned right, that everything that you have done in your modest capacity were all worth it.” Like him, many Muslims around the Philippines hailed the historic deal. Up to 20,000 Filipino Muslims, in fact, held a festival “reserved for royalty” to mark the Bangsamoro signing.


Read the full story on Rappler here and here.

To learn more about the Bangsamoro agreement at a glance, check this infographic by Rappler.

While Filipinos celebrate the Bangsamoro agreement, US investigators try to establish if California State Senator Leland Lee traded weapons with Philippine “Muslim rebel groups.” Yee was arrested in his office in Sacramento, the state capital of California, on Wednesday, March 26 (March 27 in Manila), on charges of public corruption and trafficking firearms, among other charges, according to the San Jose Mercury News. An affidavit complaint revealed that the senator was allegedly proactive in illegal arms trading with both Russian organized crime groups and what they described as “Muslim rebel groups” in the southern Philippines.


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Turkey banned Youtube after the video-sharing website was used to spread damaging leaked audio files from a state security meeting debating possible military action in Syria. The recording purported to be of senior Turkish government, military, and spy officials discussing plans to stage an armed clash in Syria or a missile attack that would serve as a pretext for a military response. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily lashed out at his political opponents for leaking the recording.


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The strike of Israeli diplomats affected not only embassies worldwide, but also the deployment of Filipino caregivers. Unlike Filipino tourists who do not need a visa to visit Israel, caregivers and other workers need a special kind of visa. “It is sad, the strike. It is not something we wished to happen, but there is no other way,” Israeli Ambassador to Manila Menashe Bar-On said. Israeli diplomats demand better compensation, among other things, in their labor dispute that started last year.


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Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he had quit the military to run for president. He also vowed to rid the country of “terrorism” almost 9 months after he toppled its elected leader. Sisi, who was also defense minister, faces no serious competition in the election – likely before June – and is expected to win comfortably, riding on a wave of popularity for his law and order message. But the Muslim Brotherhood movement of president Mohamed Morsi, whom Sisi toppled in July, warned there could be no stability in Egypt under the “shadow” of his leadership.


Read the full story on Rappler.


Read and watch more on the Washington Post.

In their first meeting, US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis agreed on a “common commitment” to eradicate human trafficking, the Vatican said. Francis and Obama also underlined the need for international law to be respected in conflict zones around the world and for “a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” the Vatican said in a statement. Obama told Francis he was a “great admirer” at the start of their talks at the Vatican, which political observers said could be a bid to boost the US President’s support at home among Catholic voters.


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Read the Vatican’s full statement on Vatican Radio.

Do you fall under the government’s definition of the self-employed? The Bureau of Internal Revenue defines them as persons engaged in business and who derive their personal income from such business. This definition also covers professionals such as (1) “persons who derive their income practicing their profession” like lawyers, and those registered with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) such as doctors, dentists, certified public accountants, and others; and (2) those “who pursue an art and make their living therefrom,” including writers, athletes, and others. Freelancers and home-based service providers also fall under professionals. For people like them, Rappler provides some tips for filing taxes.


Check this guide on Rappler.

Gabriela Isler, the reining Ms Universe, visited the Philippines to serve as one of the judges in the Bb Pilipinas coronation night on March 30. She also aimed to raise awareness for rebuilding efforts after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Speaking candidly about he she wants to be remembered, Isler said: “I just want to show the girls that you don’t have to be perfect, you have to be real… I just want to be remembered as a simple girl.”


Read the full story on Rappler.