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Hello Rappler readers,
The first few hours of 2017 were marred by a deadly shooting incident in Turkey, after a gunman stormed a nightclub in Istanbul and killed 39 revellers celebrating the new year. In the Philippines, health officials say fear of the tough-talking President Rodrigo Duterte may have contributed to a decline in the number of fireworks-related injuries this year.
The controversial former Davao mayor also seems poised to break a campaign promise – an across-the-board pension hike for SSS members – although he has delivered on several of his promises in the first 6 months of his presidency.
In the entertainment world, singer Mariah Carey makes headlines in the dying hours of 2016 as she delivers one awkward performance in Times Square.
Below are the biggest stories you shouldn’t miss.
Turkish police launched a massive manhunt for the gunman who killed 39 New Year revellers at an upmarket nightclub in Istanbul. The shooting spree occurred when Turkey was just 75 minutes into 2017 – making this the first attack in the country that has seen a string of deadly attacks last year.
As Filipinos greeted the new year, health officials reported 350 fireworks-related injuries as 2017 began – a figure lower than the 5-year average and lower than the 384 injuries reported last year. What caused the decline? Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial attributed this to fears that President Rodrigo Duterte would punish those who celebrate New Year with firecrackers.
Philippine police officials are investigating the case of a 15-year-old girl who was hit by a bullet on New Year’s Eve and was earlier reported to be a victim of a stray bullet. Health officials earlier said the girl was watching a fireworks display when a stray bullet hit her head. But police said that based on their initial investigation, the 15-year-old was a victim of a shooting incident.
After making it a campaign promise, President Rodrigo Duterte appears poised to reject the P2,000 across-the-board hike in the monthly pension of members of the Social Security System. Duterte cited the concerns of his economic managers about the risks of the state-run insurance agency going bankrupt if the pension rates were raised. His new position echoed that of his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, who had vetoed a measure for the pension hike during the 16th Congress.
President Rodrigo Duterte promised change was coming when he was swept into power in May 2016. In the 6 months since he took over the presidency, Duterte has delivered on several of his promises – from cutting down red tape in government agencies, to waging a war on drugs, to creating a color-coded map for agricultural crops. Read the full list and accomplishment report here.
Singer Mariah Carey delivered an awkward performance to close 2016, as revellers from around the world gathered in Times Square for Dick Clark New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2017. Carey was set to perform two songs, but instead of singing, Carey kept walking around the stage because she claimed she could not hear the song. The singer also made several comments during her performance, saying there had been no sound checks. At one point, she asked the audience to sing the songs instead.
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