China on Wednesday, July 6, urged the Philippines to “work in unison” with it after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Manila is ready to talk with Beijing about the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

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US President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday, July 6, that 8,400 US troops will remain in Afghanistan into 2017 in light of the still “precarious” security situation in the war-ravaged country. Obama had previously vowed to slash the US troop presence from its current level of 9,800 down to 5,500 by 2017, but a resurgent Taliban, coupled with a still-struggling Afghan security force, made such a move untenable.

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No charges will be brought against Hillary Clinton for using a private email server while secretary of state, the Justice Department announced Wednesday, July 6, prompting a swift rebuke from Donald Trump, who alleged the decision was further evidence of his presidential rival’s “crooked” dealings.

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Wednesday, July 6, that it did not have any objection to bills filed in Congress seeking to increase to 20 years the period within which corruption cases can be filed. The Office of the President, through Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs Mildred Yovela Umali Hermogenes, sought the opinion of the justice department about House Bill Number 4146 and Senate Bill Number 2422. The bills seek to amend Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which allows the filing of cases for violation of the law within 15 years from the time the date the alleged act of corruption is committed.

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Millions of Muslims on Wednesday, July 6, celebrated the festival at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, marked this year by a series of deadly attacks. The 3-day Eid al-Fitr festival traditionally means family gatherings and the exchange of gifts and sweets after a month of fasting from dawn until dusk. But a wave of attacks in Muslim countries – from Turkey and Bangladesh to Iraq and Saudi Arabia – have made this year’s Eid a somber occasion.

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More than a hundred first-time legislators at the House of Representatives (HOR) attended an executive course in legislation ahead of the opening of the 17th Congress on July 25. The 4-day course was organized by the HOR Institute for Legislation and Legislative Governance in partnership with the Center for Policy and Executive Development of the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance.

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Former Health Secretary Janette Garin earned the most among Cabinet officials of the Aquino administration in 2015, the Commission on Audit’s 2015 Report on Salaries and Allowances revealed. According to the report released on Tuesday, July 5, Garin’s total earnings amounted to P2.521 million.

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Nepal is selling thousands of tons of rice donated by China and Bangladesh to help earthquake victims, an official said Wednesday, July 6, despite aid agencies warning that survivors remain at risk of food shortages. Nearly 9,000 people lost their lives when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake ripped through the Himalayan nation in April 2015, destroying more than half a million homes and leaving thousands without food or shelter.

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The United States announced Wednesday, July 6, the recall of more than a half-million hoverboards after scores of incidents in which the two-wheeled personal transporters erupted in flames. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the lithium-ion battery packs in hoverboards, which rocketed in popularity last year, can overheat, risking them catching fire or even exploding. The CPSC said there have been at least 99 incidents of the problem, with some involving injuries and property damage.

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Days after the movie was released in cinemas, Antoinette Jadaone’s The Achy Breaky Hearts was leaked online. On Monday, July 4, the filmmaker took to social media to air her views about piracy. She tweeted from the Maldives, where she is with The Achy Breaky Hearts co-writer Yoshke Dimen.

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