Hello Rappler readers,
Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista just took his wife, Patricia, to court. President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, has dissolved the Negros Island Region.
In crisis-hit Marawi City, the Philippine military aims to rescue remaining hostages, including Catholic priest Fr Teresito Soganub.
North Korea has also issued a new threat against the US.
Below are the big stories you shouldn’t miss.
The battle between the Bautista couple goes to court. Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista sued his wife, Patricia Paz “Tish” Bautista, for robbery and extortion, after she accused him of amassing ill-gotten wealth.
As expected, President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order dissolving the Negros Island Region (NIR). This was a decision announced October 2016, and Duterte signed the EO last Monday, August 7.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will prioritize the rescue of remaining hostages in Marawi City for the “last lap” of its operations against terrorists there. The AFP said these hostages are still being used as human shields in the battle zone.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano admitted he “didn’t want to include” China’s aggressive behavior in the ASEAN foreign ministers’ joint statement. But Cayetano said he eventually conceded to majority of the foreign ministers.
North Korea said it is considering strikes near US strategic military installations in Guam, using its intermediate range ballistic missiles. US President Donald Trump earlier warned Pyongyang of “fire and fury” if it made more threats against Washington.
Hackers claiming to have accessed a whopping 1.5 terabytes of HBO data are demanding millions of dollars in ransom payments from the television group. Several files were earlier leaked, including what may be another Game of Thrones script.
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