Rappler Newscast | July 25, 2014

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Air Algerie plane crashes in Mali. Taiwan airline apologizes for GE222 crash. 3rd impeach raps vs Aquino, this time over military deal

Today on Rappler.

  • A disastrous week for the aviation industry with the crash of an Algerian plane and a Taiwanese jet days after the MH17 crash.
  • President Aquino faces a third impeachment complaint this time over the Philippine-US defense deal.

 

WRECKAGE OF AIR ALGERIE PLANE FOUND IN MALI

 

It’s been a disastrous week for the aviation industry.
Early Friday, the Air Algerie plane that went off radar is found.
The Burkina Faso Army locates the wreck 50 kilometers or 30 miles north of the border in the neighboring country of Mali.
French president Francois Hollande says there were ‘no survivors’ on the Air Algerie jet.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve says bad weather most likely caused the crash.
Flight AH5017, which took off from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso bound for Algiers had 116 people onboard.
The airline says there were 51 French, 24 Burkinabe, 8 Lebanese, 6 Algerians, 6 Spanish, 5 Canadians, 4 Germans and 2 Luxembourg nationals on board.
On July 17, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
On Wednesday, a Taiwanese aircraft crashed in southwest Taiwan, killing 48.

 

MORE MH17 BODIES ARRIVE IN NETHERLANDS

 

More bodies recovered from the MH17 crash site in Ukraine were flown to the Netherlands Thursday.
The first group of the 298 dead arrived the day before, Wednesday, which was declared a national day of mourning.
Two planes carrying a total of 74 coffins landed at Eindhoven in southern Netherlands.
The retrieved bodies were taken to a military barracks near Amsterdam for forensic examination and identification.
Each of the corpses were carried by individual hearses.
The Netherlands lost 193 citizens in the crash and heads the investigation.
The casualties come from a total of 12 countries.
Police say at least 80 forensic experts from all over the world are helping the Dutch identifying the bodies which could take months.

 

 

TAIWAN AIRLINE APOLOGIZES FOR GE222 CRASH

 

Taiwan’s TransAsia Airways runs an apology on the front pages of five major newspapers Friday.
The air carrier pledges to shoulder the “utmost responsibility” after 48 people died in the crash Wednesday.
Flight GE222 had 54 passengers and 4 crew on board when it plunged into the Penghu islands.
10 survived, some of them badly injured.
TransAsia says it will collaborate with authorities in probing the cause of the crash.

 

 

ISRAELI FIRE BRINGS GAZA DEATHS TO 808

 

Israeli fire in Gaza takes the Palestinian death toll up to 808 in a little more than two weeks.
An air strike on a house in the Gaza town of Deir al-Balah kills two women, one of whom was pregnant.
The baby the woman was carrying was saved.
This comes as Israel continues to press on with its 18-day campaign to stamp out Gaza rocket fire.
Nearly 100 Palestinians were killed Thursday, one of the bloodiest days of the conflict.
Projectiles fired into Israel kill three civilians and fighting in and around Gaza killed 32 Israeli soldiers.
It is the bloodiest conflict in the Palestinian territory since Israel’s 2009 military operation.
NGOs put the Palestinian civilian toll at around 80% of total casualties, including a large number of women and children.

 

 

3RD IMPEACH RAPS VS AQUINO, THIS TIME OVER MILITARY DEAL

 

President Benigno Aquino faces a third valid impeachment complaint.
This time, it’s on the defense deal between the Philippines and United States.
At least 21 complainants filed the charges at the House of Representatives Thursday.
They say Aquino entered into an agreement which “surrendered national sovereignty and compromised our territorial integrity.”
Complainants say the defense deal violates constitutional provisions banning the presence of foreign troops and bases as well as the use and entry of war materials.
They also lambast the executive for signing an agreement that was not ratified by the Senate.
Under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA, the US can build military facilities and bring in defense assets.
New Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Catapang says “This is a free country. You can talk and you can file cases.”
Leftist Makabayan coalition members endorse the complaint against Aquino.
The first two impeachment complaints on the President’s spending program were also endorsed by members of the Makabayan bloc.

 

 

COURT ORDERS NAPOLES TRANSFER TO TAGUIG JAIL

 

Anti-graft court Sandiganbayan orders the transfer of Janet Napoles to a jail in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig — a move opposed by Napoles.
Prosecutors earlier asked the court to order her transfer arguing that Fort Sto Domingo in Laguna is not a jail.
Napoles’ lawyers say security risks warrant her stay at the Laguna facility.
Napoles faces plunder and graft charges for channeling lawmakers’ discretionary funds to bogus projects.

 

 

ENRILE ORDERED SUSPENDED

 

In another order – The Sandiganbayan orders the suspension of Juan Ponce Enrile from the Senate.
The suspension will take effect for 90 days unless a motion for reconsideration is filed by Enrile’s camp.
Under the law, public officials facing plunder charges are suspended from office.
Enrile’s lawyer Estelito Mendoza says the suspension of his client is up to his co-legislators at the Senate and not the Sandiganbayan.
Enrile faces plunder and graft charges, and is accused of plundering P172 million from public funds.

 

 

4 OTHER LAWMAKERS IN COA REPORT COULD QUALIFY FOR PLUNDER

 

Rappler takes another look at the special audit report of the Commission on Audit or COA on the fund diversion scandal.
It reveals at least 3 more former legislators may also meet the same fate as senators Enrile, Bong Revilla, and Jinggoy Estrada.
Based on the figures, 4 lawmakers may have received at least P50 million each, the threshold for plunder.
They are former senator Edgardo Angara, former Surigao del Sur representative Prospero Pichay and former Malabon-Navotas Representative Alvin Sandoval.
Former Sarangani Representative Erwin Chiongbian died in 2013.
These lawmakers reportedly received kickbacks for funneling their development funds to bogus non-governmental organizations controlled by scam orchestrator Janet Napoles.
In the COA report, Angara was identified with 7 NGOs, while Pichay was identified with two.
None of these NGOs are Napoles-related.
After being identified in the COA report, Angara claimed his PDAF-funded projects were real.
Pichay said he wasn’t approached by Napoles for his pork barrel.
Sandoval was identified with 6 NGOs – one was associated with Napoles: Pangkabuhayan Foundation Inc.
Chiongbian was connected with 5 NGOs, with 4 of them linked to Napoles.
A more thorough investigation will be needed to fully prove the involvement or innocence of these lawmakers.

 

 

SOUTHERN LEYTE SUSPENDS CLASSES, EVACUATES RESIDENTS AFTER 5.3 QUAKE

 

A magnitude-5.4 earthquake rocks the province of Southern Leyte Friday morning.
Governor Roger Mercado says all classes were suspended in 6 coastal towns.
The local government spent the day to assess the extent of the damage caused by the earthquake.
In a report, Phivolcs says it is expecting damage and aftershocks in the areas hit by the quake.

THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ

 

RETURNING JIHADISTS PLANNING ATTACK ON NORWAY
Authorities in Norway increase security in all possible entry points from airports to train stations after receiving intelligence reports on a “non-specific” but “credible” threat posed by jihadists returning from war-torn Syria.
Neither the target nor the identity of the militants are known but Oslo’s intelligence chief says there is a possibility of a terrorist attack in Norway.
Between 40 and 50 individuals with links to Norway had fought or are fighting in Syria.

 

FOREIGN ‘LOVERS’ USE CUSTOMS BUREAU’S NAME TO DUPE FILIPINAS
The Philippine Bureau of Customs arrests a woman named Herminia Castillo in Pampanga after she allegedly misrepresented the bureau as part of an online scam.
Castillo’s modus involves posing as foreigners befriending Filipinas online, promising gift packages.
The scammers will then send the potential victims an email purportedly from the customs, saying the package contains valuables.
It would only be released once tens of thousands of pesos are deposited in a designated bank account.

 

DOGS ARE JEALOUS WHEN OWNERS PLAY WITH OTHER ‘DOGS’ – STUDY
Dogs tend to get jealous of anything that catches their humans’ attention.
Researchers from the United States say the behaviour stems from a survival instinct.
Scientists asked the owners of 36 dogs to play with 3 different objects – a toy dog, a toy jack-o-lantern pail, and a pop-up children’s book – in front of their dog.
More dogs reacted to the toy dog than the other two objects – snapping at the toy and trying to get between the owner and the toy dog.

 

For the full top 10 visit Rappler.com’s ‘the wRap.’

 

– Rappler.com

Newscast Production Staff

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / WRITER Lilibeth Frondoso
DIRECTOR Rupert Ambil
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER / PUBLISHER Rodneil Quiteles
  Dindin Reyes
HEAD WRITER / PROMPTER Katerina Francisco
  Marga Deona
MASTER EDITOR / PLAYBACK Exxon Ruebe
  Emerald Hidalgo
  Jaene Zaplan
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR / CAMERAMAN Charlie Salazar
  Adrian Portugal
  Francis Lopez
  Naoki Mengua
GRAPHICS Jessica Lazaro
  Raffy de Guzman

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