#ThewRap: Things you need to know, December 18, 2016

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#ThewRap: Things you need to know, December 18, 2016

AFP

Hello! Here are the stories you shouldn't miss this Sunday.

Hello there! How’s your weekend so far?

Over the weekend, the big news was the crisis in Aleppo, Syria, where thousands of civilians are awaiting evacuation to safety while world powers bicker on what to do. Halfway across the world, a drone seized near the Philippines’ Subic Bay sparks a heated back-and-forth between China and America. The weekend also saw Philippine President Duterte coming home from Cambodia and Singapore. Online, Facebook is gearing up, finally, to fight fake news. That’s just some of the biggest stories in the past few days: catch up with today’s wRap!

One final note: It’s one week until Christmas – are you ready for the holiday? 

Aleppo evacuations: On, then off, then limbo

The past few days has been a living hell for residents of Aleppo, once Syria’s economic hub but now the center of a nearly 6-year civil war. Thousands of trapped civilians and rebels waited desperately Saturday, December 17, for evacuations to resume from the last opposition-held areas of Aleppo after the operation was suspended by the Syrian regime.

Underwater drone sparks tensions between China, US

The US called on China to immediately return an underwater drone, an unclassified “ocean glider” that gathers military oceanographic data, which the latter seized Friday, December 16. It was intercepted on water off the coast of the Philippines’ Subic Bay, operating “in accordance with international law” according to the Pentagon. The Philippines, a treaty ally of the US, however was not aware of the presence of the drone, until the demand to return was made public. China later said it will return the drone. 

We’ll let China continue militarization of Spratlys, says PH’s Yasay

Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr said the Philippines will not file a diplomatic protest against China’s reported “militarization” of the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “We will make sure that there will be no further actions that will heighten the tensions between the two countries, particularly in the Scarborough Shoal,” Yasay said in Singapore, in reference to another part of the West Philippine Sea, according to Reuters.

Fake news? There’s a new tool for that, says Facebook

Facebook, finally, has started to roll out several ways to address fake news and hoaxes. Facebook hopes to make it easier to report a hoax if you see one on Facebook, which you can do by clicking the upper right hand corner of a post. Facebook started a program to work with third-party fact checking organizations that are signatories of Poynter’s International Fact Checking Code of Principles. 

Surprise win for Pinoy boxer Sultan in South Africa

Filipino boxer Jonas Sultan scored an upset knockout win over world-rated junior bantamweight Makazole Tete on Friday, December 16 (Saturday Manila time), finishing him off in the second round at the Orient Theatre in East London, South Africa. Sultan (12-3, 8 knockouts) of Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte, earned the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Inter-Continental super flyweight (115 pounds) title, a regional belt that often brings a top-15 world ranking, with the win over Tete (15-2-2, 11 KOs), who entered the fight as the number 14-ranked contender by the IBF.

A really ‘Amazing Race’ for Pinoy teams in reality show

The Amazing Race Asia season 5 ended on Thursday, December 15, with two teams from the Philippines making it to the Top 3: former beauty queens Maggie Wilson and Parul Shah were the grand winners, while Eric Tai and Rona Samson finished in 3rd place. It may have been hard, but they said none of them had thought of giving up at any point during the race. The race has opened up a lot of opportunities for both teams when it comes to their plans for the future.

Pasko sa Diiman: The annual UP Lantern Parade in photos

It’s Christmastime once again, and the students of the University of the Philippines-Diliman came together for the school’s annual tradition, the Lantern Parade! Many of UP’s departments showed off their colorful lantern designs on Friday, December 16, all inpired by the theme “Himig ng Diliman, Hagkan ang Gabi.” Here’s a look at the photos from the 2016 parade, as captured by photographer Martin San Diego.

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