SUMMARY
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How’s your Tuesday so far, Rappler readers?
Monday, December 11, was a flurry of congressional activity, as Congress tries to wrap up work before the holiday break. At the House of Representatives was the ongoing hearing on the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno; at the Senate, there were hearings on the dengue vaccine controversy, as well as the jeepney modernization program.
Congress is also rushing the new tax law, among other bills; and President Duterte has formally requested the extension of martial law in Mindanao – prompting the scheduling of a joint session on Thursday, December 14.
Abroad, New York City was again rattled after a man attempted to bomb a subway station, sparking panic and travel disruptions.
These, and more stories, in today’s wRap.
The haste by which fund was made available for Sanofi’s dengue vaccine defies the government cycle, where requesting agencies have to ‘recite 3,000 novenas’ before their funds are released, says Senator Richard Gordon.
With the goal of “total eradication” of Islamic State-inspired terror groups in Mindanao, President Rodrigo Duterte asked Congress to extend martial law in the region by one year.
In a rare public display of disdain towards the “first among equals,” several associate justices of the Supreme Court (SC) openly criticized Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno for the apparent mistakes she repeatedly made during her 5-year term.
Members of the bicameral conference committee on Monday, December 11, finalized the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill, seeking to cut personal income tax but impose higher levies on fuel, coal, cars, mining, and tobacco, among others.
A 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh detonated a homemade pipe bomb strapped to his body in a crowded New York subway passage during the morning rush hour Monday, December 11, injuring 3 people and putting the city on edge just 6 weeks after a deadly truck attack.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said all public utility vehicles (PUVs) would eventually be required to “modernize” after a 3-year transition period.
Saudi Arabia on Monday, December 11, lifted a decades-old ban on cinemas, part of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s far-reaching liberalization drive that is shaking up the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom.
Top photo: The Christmas tree of St Peter’s square is illuminated with the dome of St Peter’s basilica in the background during the inauguration of the Christmas crib on December 7, 2017 in Vatican. Alberto Pizzoli/AFP
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