Daily News Highlights – November 18, 2015 Edition

For lack of evidence or probable cause, the Department of Justice (DOJ) exonerated top leaders of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) over charges of illegal detention, coercion and grave threats filed by expelled minister Isaias Samson Jr. and expelled member Jose Norlito Fruto. Prosecutor General Claro Arellano signed two separate resolutions dated November 13, dismissing the complaints filed against 8 Sanggunian or Council members. According to a report by the Inquirer, the DOJ said Samson failed to prove that he was illegally detained or “compelled to do something against his will.” Fruto’s separate complaint against 17 individuals for coercion, harassment, and arbitrary detention was also dismissed due to lack of evidence. Another expelled minister, Lowell Menorca, has also filed charges against the INC.

Read the full story on Rappler.

United States president Barack Obama reiterated the US’ “ironclad” commitment to the Philippines on Tuesday, November 17 after touring the Philippine navy’s BRP Gregorio del Pilar in Manila. “You can count on the United States”, said Obama of the defense agreement between the two countries and their “unbreakable alliance.” Obama also announced that the US would transfer two additional ships to the Philppines: a naval research vessel to help the country map its archipelagic waters and an additional US Coast Guard cutter. Obama is in town for the APEC Summit where he is expected to raise the issue of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), a hotbed topic in the region. The US plans to provide $259 million to its Southeast Asian allies for maritime security in 2015 and 2016. 

Read the full story on Rappler.

Japan may be the next country, after the United States, to offer military equipment to the Philippines. On Tuesday, November 17, Japan said it is negotiating a “legal arrangement” with the Philippine government on a possible transfer of used military assets. The deal could be one of the talking points for President Benigno Aquino III when he meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the APEC Summit this week. A Japanese government spokesperson said Japan has strict rules on exporting military equipment but added that it was “important for the Philippines to build its capacity to contribute to peace and stability in the region.”

Read the full story on Rappler.

Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical weekly, mixes poignancy and defiance in its latest cover and headline in response to Friday’s terror attacks in Paris. On the cover is a cartoon of a happy Frenchman drinking champagne that pours out of holes in his body. “They have weapons,” the headline reads, adding underneath: “Screw them, we have champagne.” The latest issue comes 10 months after the attack on Charlie Hebdo’s offices – itself a short walk from the Bataclan theater where many people were killed. The attack on the magazine decimated their editorial team and killed popular cartoonists. The tone of the magazine’s editorial remained critical: “Avoiding the pitfall of division should not make us renounce the right to criticize religion on the pretext that its exercise is sometimes irritating.” 

 Read the full story on Rappler. 

The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) beheaded a Malaysian hostage on Tuesday, November 17 in Indanan, Sulu. The hostage, whose name we are withholding, was beheaded supposedly after ransom negotiations failed. He was kidnapped nearly 6 months ago from a restaurant in Sandakan in the province of Sabah, Malaysia along with a Malaysian woman, Thien Nyuk Fun. Fun was released earlier this month after ransom was allegedly paid. The killing took place on the day Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak arrived in Manila for the APEC summit.

Read the full story on Rappler.

In a not surprising ranking, the top Philippine urban areas of Metro Manila and Metro Cebu lag behind other APEC cities when it comes to livability and ease of doing business, according to a new study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The study, launched on Tuesday, November 17 at the APEC 215 CEO Summit, ranked Manila at 22 and Cebu at 26 out of 28 cities. Toronto, Vancouver, and Singapore emerged as the top 3 cities in terms of livability, sustainability, and competitiveness. The study should “serve as a wake up call for mayors”, according to Bill Luz, co-chairman of the National Competitiveness Council. 

 Read the full story on Rappler.

In the middle of traffic, international land disputes, and terror fears that have overshadowed the Philippines’ hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, netizens have managed (surprise, surprise!) to find something to smile about: sexy APEC leaders. At least two APEC head honchos turned heads when they arrived in the country. Newly-elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, became the center of social media attention with netizens polling who was the hotter #APEChottie. Yes, leave it to Filipinos to find the light and bubbly in even the most unsexy world summits. 

 Read the full story on Rappler and vote for your #APEChottie on Rappler.

At least one group of environmental activists are not on #TeamCanada’s side. Greenpeace Philippines on Tuesday, November 17 wrote an open letter addressed to Canada’s newly minted prime minister Justin Trudeau asking him to take back 103 container vans containing garbage imported from Canada. The garbage was imported to be ostensibly recycled but ended up containing mixed wastes like diapers that cannot be recycled. According to Greenpeace, the Canadian government “has literally done nothing to resolve this mess.” Greenpeace called on Trudeau to demonstrate how ‘green’ Canada is and how it treats its allies. “Do the right thing and take your country’s waste back home to Canada where it belongs,” the letter ends.

Read the full story and letter on Rappler.

The popularity of Emojis are so evident that the Oxford Dictionaries named, for the first time ever, a pictograph as its “Word of the Year” for 2015. The Oxford University Press (OUP) announced on Monday, November 16, that it chose the popular pictograph officially called “Face with Tears of Joy” as its “word” for 2015 because it best reflected “the ethos, mood, and preoccupations” of the past year. Found to have been part of the English language since 1997, data from the Oxford Dictionaries Corpus said the frequency of use of the word “emoji” itself tripled in 2015. Now, that’s one word that won’t be too difficult to misspell!

Read the full story on Rappler.

The 7th day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit is a powerhouse day of speakers, world leaders, global CEOs. On Wednesday, November 18, three main events will take place. The APEC CEO Summit concludes on Wednesday with speakers including US President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Alibaba’s Jack Ma. In the afternoon, the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will take place at the Philippine International Convention Center. In the evening, President Benigno Aquino III will host a welcome reception for the economic leaders at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Catch the livestream of the day’s events on Rappler.com