Following through on his campaign promise, President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday, July 9, met with his allies in Congress in Davao City and asked them to revive the death penalty. Among the lawmakers present during the meeting, ended in the wee hours of Sunday, July 10, were senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Sonny Angara, Masbate 3rd District Representative Scott Davies Lanete, and Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Representative Sherwin Tugna. Duterte’s allies in Congress have already filed bills echoing the President’s desire. Angara, however, is still non-committal on the controversial measure. 

Read more: Duterte asks lawmakers to revive death penalty

Newly-installed Interior Secretary Mike Sueno, according to a press release from the department, has instructed PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa to “proceed with the lifestyle check in the entire police force, starting with the police generals.” It’s a move consistent with the new administration’s promise to rid the country – including, and especially the police force – of scalawags. But it’s also a move that’s been promised before. Will things be different this time?

Read more: Finally, a PNP-wide lifestyle check?

Malacañang on Sunday, July 10, said this week would be a historic one for the country, as it awaits several landmark announcements both internationally and locally. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is expected to decide on Tuesday, July 12 on the case lodged by Manila against Beijing in 2013 over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Aside from the international ruling, the Palace is also expected to release President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order on Freedom of Information, according to Palace Communications Secretary Martin Andanar in an interview over state-run Radyo ng Bayan.

Read more: Palace: It will be a ‘very, very historic week’ for the PH
Check out this cheat sheet about the Phlippines-China case

Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) is expected to take up the protest filed by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr in an en banc session on Tuesday, July 12. The protest was filed on June 29 and PET rules gives Marcos’ rival, Leni Robredo, 10 days from receipt of PET order to answer said protest. Her lawyer, Romulo Macalintal, however said 10 days would not be enough to answer what he described as “the longest election protest ever filed” in the country. The Marcos case consists of an “unprecedented” 1,000 pages, plus more than 20,000 documents in its annexes, according to Macalintal.

Read more: ’10 days not enough to answer Marcos election protest’

Boracay Island remains firmly on track to reach its target of 1.7 million tourist arrivals by the end of this year. Data from the Malay Municipal Tourism Office showed overall tourists arrivals hit the 982,710 mark in the first 6 months this year, an increase of 15.32% from the 852,168 tourists seen last year. About a 3rd of Boracay-bound tourists are foreigners, mostly from the Asia and Pacific region. International interest in Boracay remains strong, with foreign arrivals up by 32.33 % to 472,814 compared to 357,303 last year.

Read more: Boracay tourist arrivals near the 1M mark for 2016

Berlin police said Sunday, July 10, that 123 officers were hurt in clashes with left-wing extremists who hurled rocks and bottles at them, smashed shop windows, and set cars ablaze. Described by the police as city’s “most aggressive and violent demonstration in the past 5 years,” the overnight violence follows weeks of escalating tensions around a building that is a center of the far-left youth scene.

Read more: 123 German police hurt in clashes with protesters

The Islamic State (ISIS) group continues to lose ground after a string of setbacks last year, according to an analysis by British think-tank IHS. In 2015, the Islamic State’s caliphate shrunk by 12,800 square kilometers to 78,000 square kilometers, a net loss of 14%, the IHS said. The group lost another 12% of the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria in the first half of 2016.

Read more: ISIS territory shrinks 12% since start of 2016 – British think-tank

With an excavation in southern Israel unearthing a Philistine cemetery for the first time, bones of the biblical giant Goliath’s people can finally shed new light on mysteries of their culture. Bone samples taken from the site are currently undergoing DNA, radiocarbon, and other tests to try to shed fresh light on the Philistines’ origin. Among the findings so far: they were “normal size” with no evidence of any Goliath-sized giants.

Read more: Old bones cast new light on Goliath’s people

Thousands fled renewed heavy fighting in South Sudan’s capital on Sunday, July 10, as former rebels and government soldiers exchanged fire in several parts of the city. The battles began on the western outskirts of Juba where both former rebels and government soldiers have bases at the foot of the Jebel Kujur mountain close to a UN camp. Regional leaders, including from Kenya and Sudan, have urged an end to the fighting and plan to hold a special summit in Nairobi on Monday, July 11.

Read more: Heavy fighting erupts in South Sudan capital

The world of Encantadia meets Game of Thrones. Conan Stevens, who first played Ser Gregor Clegane (a.k.a. “The Mountain That Rides” or simply, the Mountain), has been confirmed to join the show. It will begin airing July 18. According to a report from GMA News, Conan cannot yet reveal his role in the upcoming retelling of the 2005 hit show.

Read more: Game of Thrones’ actor joins ‘Encantadia’ 2016