Daily News Highlights – December 24, 2015 Edition

It’s a bleak Christmas for the Grace Poe campaign. But it’s not over yet. The senator remains a presidential candidate for the 2016 elections despite a final decision by the Commission on Elections to cancel her certificate of candidacy due to issues on her citizenship and residency. The Poe camp will ask the Supreme Court to nullify that decision, and they have next week to do that before the New Year break. The Court has the option to temporarily stop the poll body from implementing its verdict.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Read the full story on the Comelec decision on Rappler.

Read Comelec chairman Andres Bautista’s dissent on Rappler.

Saying the festivities might attract attacks from extremists, Somalia banned the celebration of Christmas and New Year in the Muslim majority country. Last year, Shebab militants launched a Christmas attack on Mogadishu airport that killed at least 12 people. Brunei also reiterated its policy of banning the commemoration of Christmas, warning citizens that punishment for violating the ban is a 5-year jail sentence. 

Read the full story on the Somalia ban on Rappler.

Read the full story on the Brunei ban on Rappler.

American household Christmas lights, a favorite holiday tradition, use up more electricity than some poorer countries – such as El Salvador or Ethiopia – do in a year. They account for 6.63 billion kilowatt hours of electricity consumption every year, according to a recent blog post by the Center for Global Development. In contrast, El Salvador uses 5.35 billion kilowatt hours, while Ethiopia consumes 5.30 billion and Tanzania 4.81 billion.

Read the full story on Rappler.

A United States-based non-governmental counterterrorism organization this week put the spotlight on the alleged links between the Islamic State (ISIS) and Filipino jihadis in Mindanao. SITE Intelligence Group posted a video of supposed Filipino jihadists claiming to be “soldiers of the caliphate,” prompting international media coverage and a statement from Malacañang. The Philippine military says it’s investigating the video.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The real estate magnate’s campaign trail bombast – including extraordinary comments that have stunned many observers – appears to have done him little if any harm in the polls as he  solidifies the frontrunner status he has maintained since late July. A new national CNN/ORC poll of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters has Trump leading with 39 percent support, more than twice that of his nearest competitor, a two-point gain since the companies’ last poll in November.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The World Bank approved a $500-million loan to help the Philippines deal with natural disasters. It can access the new credit line following “a state of calamity” declared by President Benigno Aquino III, the World Bank said in a statement. Just this week, Oriental Windsor suffered more than P4 billion worth of damage due to Typhoon Nona. On average, more than 1,000 lives are lost every year in the Philippines, with typhoons accounting for the majority of deaths and damage. 

Read the full story on Rappler.

Read the full story on the Typhoon Nona’s impact on Mindoro on Rappler.

Thailand’s highest court upheld a royal defamation conviction against an online newspaper editor who fell foul of the draconian law after failing to speedily remove reader comments deemed critical of the monarchy. Thailand undergoes an unprecedented lese majeste crackdown, with convictions skyrocketing and record breaking jail sentences handed down. Chiranuch Premchaiporn, editor of the popular Prachatai news portal, was initially charged over 10 reader comments posted on the website in 2008. The case drew widespread international condemnation at the time, including from Google which described it as a “serious threat” to internet freedom in Thailand.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Corruption, accountability, truth-telling, transparency, and events behind-the-scenes. These were the running themes of major stories in the Philippines that called public attention to burning issues. Filipinos witnessed exposes against their vice president. The formidable Iglesia ni Cristo faced its worst crisis. And through the sheer power of citizens, a Filipino OFW was saved from the death row.

Read Newsbreak’s top 2015 stories on Rappler.

The year 2015 saw a significant spike in Rappler’s video views, and as the year draws to a close, we look back at 10 of the most watched. Three of the Top 10 are videos of Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines in January 16, in particular his arrival, the mass at the Luneta and when he joined Filipinos in singing the song “Tell the World of his Love” at the UST compound in Manila. Two of the most watched are Rappler’s interview with presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte, as well as his sensational speech in a rally in Taguig.

Check the complete list on Rappler.

The Beatles released on December 24 their back catalog on streaming sites including Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal for the first time. The classic albums by the Fab Four such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver are now available on a total of 9 streaming services. “On December 24 at 12:01 am local time – here, there and everywhere – The Beatles’ music is available for streaming worldwide,” an announcement on the band’s website said. “Happy Crimble (Christmas), with love from us to you.”

Read the full story on Rappler.