Daily News Highlights – August 17, 2015 Edition

The wreckage of a passenger plane which went missing with 54 people aboard in rugged eastern Indonesia Sunday, August 16, has been found by villagers. The plane was operated by Trigana Air, a small airline that was put up in 1991 to fly 40 local destinations in Indonesia. It has suffered 14 serious incidents since it began operations. The airline is on a blacklist of carriers banned from European Union airspace. The plane lost contact with air traffic control just after taking off from Jayapura, the capital of Papua province. Officials blamed bad weather for the crash.

Read the full story on Rappler.  

Read the full story on rescuers going to the crash site on Rappler.

Hundreds of tons of highly-poisonous cyanide were being stored at the warehouse that was devastated by two giant explosions in the Chinese port of Tianjin which killed 112. The comments by Shi Luze, chief of the general staff of the Beijing military region, were the first official confirmation of the presence of the chemical at the hazardous goods storage facility at the center of the blast. The disaster has raised fears of toxic contamination. Residents and victims’ families have hit at authorities for what they said was an information blackout, as China suspended or shut down dozens of websites for spreading “rumors.” Nearly 100 people remain missing, including 85 firefighters.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Australia’s Jason Day won the PGA Championship in historic style on August 16, capturing his first grand slam title with a 20-under par total unprecedented in major championship history. Filipino-Australian Day carded a five-under par 67 in the final round at Whistling Straits for a 20-under total of 268 – breaking Tiger Woods’s major-record low winning a total of 19-under set at the British Open in 2000. His ascent to the top of the world rankings will be some consolation for his inability to join Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods as the only men to win 3 majors in one year.

 Read the full story on Rappler.

The scheduled August 17 multinational military exercises of the United States with key allies such as South Korea have prompted another threat from North Korea, which warned to “retaliate against the US with tremendous muscle” if the activities were not cancelled. “The further Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint military exercises are intensified, the strongest military counteraction the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] will take to cope with them,” a spokesman for North Korea’s National Defense Commission (NDC) was quoted by CNN as saying. US officials said the exercises held in the area are annual and transparent, designed to increase the readiness of South Korea and the region, CNN said, quoting a State Department official.

Read the full story on CNN.

Malacañang said the Department of Justice has the mandate to investigate the alleged abductions involving several Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members. Lawyer Harry Roque, in his blog, earlier called on justice secretary Leila De Lima to respect religious freedom and follow Philippine jurisprudence that “respected the INC’s religious tenets.” Palace Communications Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said it is well within the powers of the DOJ to investigate individuals or organizations that allegedly violate the law. Tenny Manalo, mother of INC head Eduardo Manalo, earlier requested INC members to “help the ministers who were taken and until now, have not yet been found.” It’s the biggest crisis to hit the influential religious organization.

Read the full story on Rappler.

In the past week, arguments over ride-sharing service providers like Uber and Premium Taxi have been flooding social media. These highlighted some of the most pressing commuter problems and created confusion among Filipino netizens.  Lawyer Yves Gonzalez, a former traffic official of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, warned against disinformation surrounding the issue. “The ball is in Uber’s court now to comply with the ‘historic’ progressive regulations they hailed back in May 2015,” Gonzalez said. He stressed that while GrabCar has been able to follow LTFRB’s accreditation procedures, Uber has not done so.

 Read the full story on Rappler.

The 2014 Stock Market Investor Profile report of the Philippine Stock Exchange, Incorporated (PSE) showed that more people are trying their hand at the stock market online. In 2014, online accounts surged by 35.1% to 174,592 from 129,255 in 2013. Of this total, 99.6 % or 173,895 were retail accounts. “The growth in online accounts continues to be impressive and validates our strategy of expanding the retail investor base through this platform. Online accounts now comprise 27% of total stock market accounts from a mere 6% share in 2009,” PSE President and CEO Hans B. Sicat said.

 Read the full story on Rappler.

It’s on the road to economic integration. And it’s a region that has surprised the world with its resilience. But how well do you know the group that brings it together, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? This November, Kuala Lumpur will be the host of the 26th ASEAN Summit that gathers leaders from all ASEAN member-states to discuss matters of regional and international concern.

But before you dive into the discussion boards of what issues should be tackled at the summit and how ASEAN integration can benefit its member-states, get to know a little bit more about the countries involved.

Check a crossword puzzle on ASEAN on Rappler.

The final 6 advance to the semi-finals. The Sing-Off rounds are officially over on The Voice Kids Philippines season 2, and each judge now has his or her final two picks – meaning we now have our top 6 heading into the semi-finals. Let’s take a look at each kid from the different teams.

Check them out on Rappler.

It’s been more than two decades since she first appeared in Playboy and since the blockbuster “Basic Instinct” that catapulted her to fame. Now 57 years old, Sharon Stone is once again revealing all – “emotionally and physically,” as CNN puts it – in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar which features her nude. The photos go with a story on how she struggled to revive her career after a brain hemorrhage in 2001.

Read the full story on CNN.