Rappler Newscast | August 22, 2014

Today on Rappler.

• The PH’s anti-graft court suspends Juan Ponce Enrile as senator.
• The Liberal Party scrambles to understand President Aquino’s reversal of his position on charter change.
• Malaysia declares a day of mourning as the bodies of MH17 victims arrive in Kuala Lumpur.

SANDIGANBAYAN: IMPLEMENT SUSPENSION ORDER VS ENRILE
The Philippines’ anti-graft court the Sandiganbayan suspends Juan Ponce Enrile as senator Friday.
The court also rejected Enrile’s motion for reconsideration.
The Senate should implement Enrile’s suspension within 5 days.
Senate President Franklin Drilon says the Senate will abide by the court decision.
Enrile’s suspension will be lifted after 90 days.
Enrile, along with Senators Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada, faces plunder and graft charges…
for the alleged siphoning of public funds for ghost projects ran by alleged

LP EXPECTS ‘PASSIONATE’ MEETING ON CHARTER CHANGE
Budget Secretary and Liberal Party stalwart Florencio Abad scrambles to understand President Benigno Aquino’s changing position on charter change.
Abad on Friday tells Rappler there may be an intense exchange of ideas given the seriousness of the topic.
He adds, charter change will involve -quote “revisiting the basic legal framework of a society
whose main reason for being is to circumscribe the vast powers of government.”
LP officials are also expected to discuss whether there are compelling reasons for charter change.
There is no date for the meeting yet.
Partymate and Senate President Frank Drilon earlier said he endorsed Abad’s suggestion to “put the issue to rest.”
Drilon also said there are no talks on pushing for charter change.
Aquino said in a TV interview that he will listen to the public regarding an extended term, but said it does not mean he will pursue it.
Currently, the Constitution bars the re-election of a president after one 6-year term.
Aquino said he changed his position after a clash with the judiciary made him realize there may be a need to balance the 3 branches of government.

ANTI-GRAFT COURT ALLOWS MIKE ARROYO TO LEAVE PH
Anti-graft court Sandiganbayan grants the request of former first gentleman Mike Arroyo to go on a European trip.
Arroyo faces graft charges for the anomalous sale of second-hand helicopters to the Philippine National Police…
during the administration of his wife, former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Arroyo.
In his motion, Arroyo’s lawyers told the court he was permitted to travel in the past and had proven he is not a flight risk.
Based on his itinerary, Arroyo will visit Munich, Germany, Milan, Italy and Hong Kong from September 21 to October 10.

LOW PRESSURE AREA SEEN NEAR CATANDUANES
State weather agency PAGASA spots a low pressure area around 200 kilometers northeast of Virac, Catanduanes.
In its 5pm bulletin Friday PAGASA also says Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have cloudy skies…
along with light to moderate rainshowers and possible thunderstorms.
The rest of the Philippines will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies…
and isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.

Check out Rappler’s Project Agos microsite…
a one-stop shop to help the public prepare better for disasters.
Project Agos aims to raise awareness on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction and management.
You can see what to do before, during and after natural disasters like floods and earthquakes.
Visit www.rappler.com/projectagos.

INDONESIAN COURT REJECTS PRABOWO’S ELECTION CHALLENGE
In a unanimous decision, Indonesia’s Constitutional Court on Thursday rejected former general Prabowo Subianto’s lawsuit challenging the results of the presidential election last July 9.
Chief justice Hamdan Zoelva said the court rejects Prabowo’s allegations of massive, structural and systematic electoral fraud.
There were no dissenting opinions from 9 justices.
The decision affirmed the General Elections Commission or KPU’s declaration that former Jakarta governor Joko Widodo or Jokowi and running mate Jusuf Kalla won the divisive presidential election.
Jokowi and Kalla got 53.15% of the total votes, with an 8.4 million lead over Prabowo and running mate Hatta Rajasa.
Shortly after the court’s verdict Prabowo team spokesperson said while the court decision was final, they believed it was not just.
Pro-Prabowo supporters protested outside the Constitutional Court, causing about 4,000 police to guard the premises.
Protesters tried to break through the barricade, and police responded with water cannons and tear gas.
The situation quickly calmed down, but a number of protesters were arrested.

MALAYSIA FALLS SILENT IN HONOR OF RETURNING MH17 DEAD
Malaysians pause for a minute of silence Friday for a nationwide day of mourning…
as they welcome home the remains of 20 of 43 of its citizens killed in the Malaysia Airline Flight 17 last July 17.
There were 298 passengers on board the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight.
Flags are flown at half-mast to remember those who died when MH17 was blasted from the sky by a surface-to-air missile in Ukraine.
Malaysian authorities asked citizens to refrain from festive activities.
Many commuters in the bustling streets of Kuala Lumpur wear black in mourning.
Dozens of Malaysia Airlines cabin crew and pilots gathered in their blue uniforms, holding Malaysian flags and flowers to honor 15 colleagues.
The tragedy compounded the country’s grief over the still-missing MH370 with 239 on board four months earlier.

ISIS ‘BEYOND ANYTHING WE’VE SEEN’
US defense leaders says ISIS or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria poses a greater danger than a conventional “terrorist group.”
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey say ISIS’ vision could radically alter the face of the Middle East.
Hagel warns the public that ISIS is beyond anything the Americans had seen.
He says ISIS is better armed, trained and funded than any recent militant threat,
as it “marries ideology and a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess.”
Dempsey says that the group adheres to a fanatical ideology and has “a long-term vision” to take over Lebanon, Israel and Kuwait.
Asked if the US would hit the militants in neighboring Syria, Hagel did not rule out the option.

THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ

INSTANT NOODLES TWICE A WEEK RISKY FOR WOMEN – HARVARD STUDY
Researchers at Harvard University say women who eat instant noodles at least twice a week face greater risk of high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and high cholesterol.
The Journal of Nutrition says consumption of instant noodles is associated with increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome in women, independent of major dietary patterns.
It doesn’t matter if women ate healthy meals – if they eat instant noodles twice weekly, they’re at higher health risk.

US DIPLOMATS NOT ALLOWED TO DO ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE
American diplomats won’t be able to join the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
The latest trend to hit the internet tags people to either pledge $100 to Lou Gehrig’s disease research or drench themselves with ice-cold water.
State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf says federal government ethics prevent diplomats from using their position for private gain, no matter how worthy the cause.

SHAKIRA’S HIT SONG A COPY OF TUNE BY DOMINICAN SINGER
A US judge rules – the song “Loca” popularized by Colombian pop star Shakira in 2010…
is an illegal copy of a tune written by a Dominican musician in 1998.
Ramon Arias Vasquez testifies he wrote the song between 1996 and 1998 and presented as evidence a cassette on which it was recorded.
Artist “El Cata” said he owned the song when he performed it and became a hit.

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Newscast Production Staff