Daily News Highlights – May 12, 2015 Edition

Senator Grace Poe has no definite answer yet on whether to run for president or vice president in 2016. Poe revealed she met with President Benigno Aquino III last Tuesday night, May 5, in Malacañang. The senator, who is faring well in surveys, said her meeting with Aquino did not dwell on specifics, but there was a particular question she boldly asked: “Mr President, if ever [I decide to run], I am not a member of the Liberal Party, will you support me?” Poe said Aquino responded with a commitment “from a personal level,” but will have to consult his party for approval.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Gregorio Catapang Jr on Monday, May 11, visited the disputed Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) at a time that tension in the region continues to escalate due to maritime disputes. Catapang says he’s visiting to “establish the fact that Pag-asa is municipality of Palawan and Palawan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. Therefore, Pag-asa is a territory of the Republic of the Philippines.” The statement is obviously meant for China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea. Pag-asa is the second biggest naturally occurring island in the West Philippines. It is home to a small community of about a hundred Filipinos who depend largely on government subsidy.

Watch the video on Rappler.

The majority of Philippine investors are happy with their investment returns in 2014 and are optimistic about expected returns in 2015, with many relying on cash and property as the bulk of their investments, Manulife said Monday, May 11, citing its latest research. For 2014, at least 76% of investors reported being happy with actual investment performance, while 2% said they were unhappy, according to Manulife’s Investor Sentiment Index in Asia, a quarterly, proprietary survey measuring and tracking investors’ views across 8 markets in the region. Of those who are happy, 42% attributed their performance to “pure luck” and 15% to unexpected market events that increased returns.

Thai national Prasertsri Kosin, who goes by the name “Koko Narak” on social media, was deported to his country on Friday, May 8. His deportation stemmed from racially offensive remarks against Filipinos that he posted on Facebook, a charge he admitted to by requesting for voluntary deportation.The deportation charge for undesirability against Kosin is based on his “contemptuous act and maligning remarks against Filipinos.” Kosin had called Filipinos “slave,” “low class,” “Pignoy,” and “wriggling like cockroaches.” His former employer, Taguig-based business process outsourcing company Cognizant Philippines, already fired him over the slur. Kosin has apologized for the anti-Filipino remarks.

Read more on Rappler.

Three tourists appeared in a Cambodian court Monday, April 11, accused of taking photographs of their bare bottoms inside the country’s famed Angkor temple complex. Two men – an Italian and Argentinian – and a Dutch woman, were arrested after a guard spotted them taking the cheeky pictures at one of the temples at the ancient site on Sunday. Earlier this year, three French men and two American sisters were deported after they were convicted in two separate cases of taking naked photos inside Angkor temple complex. They received a suspended 6-month prison sentence and will be banned from re-entering Cambodia for 4 years. A few days before, a series of photos of Asian women posing nude at ancient Cambodian temples went viral online, outraging officials who vowed to step up efforts to prevent similar stunts. The Angkor Archaeological Park, a world heritage site, is Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination.

Read more on Rappler.

A shocking allegation against North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un surfaces: He ordered his own aunt, a blood relative, to be poisoned. In a report by CNN, a former North Korean senior official who defected, identified as Mr. Park, says “On May 5th or 6th of last year, Kim Jong Un ordered his aunt, Kim Kyong Hui to be killed. Only his bodyguard unit, Unit 974, knew this.” Park adds the North Korean leader wanted to silence her for her incessant complaining over the next few months after her husband Jang Song Thaek was killed in December 2013. Jang and his wife guided the young leader during his early years in power after the death of Kim Jong Il, but Park says the younger Kim and his uncle did not see eye to eye on finances.

Read more on CNN.

Sweden’s Supreme Court said Monday, May 11, it had rejected WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s appeal against his arrest warrant for alleged rape and sexual assault. Sweden issued the warrant in 2010 following allegations from two Swedish women. Assange insists the sexual encounters were consensual. Assange has been staying Ecuador’s embassy in London since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden. He faces arrest if he tries to leave the embassy.

Max Kellerman, the HBO commentator who drew ire for his frank line of questioning in his post-fight interview with Manny Pacquiao, defended the Filipino boxing icon’s decision to push through with his heavily-hyped showdown against Floyd Mayweather Jr. despite the shoulder injury. During the broadcast of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs James Kirkland fight, last Saturday, May 9, Kellerman said Pacquiao “manned up” by doing so. Pacquiao injured his right shoulder three weeks before the highly-anticipated bout versus Mayweather and was forced to take several days off from sparring. An MRI exam subsequently showed a rotator cuff tear in Pacquiao’s shoulder, but his camp says they opted to proceed with the fight since he made good progress in the gym and looked like he could still compete.

Read more on Rappler.

Singer and West End actress Rachelle Ann Go will play Fantine in the London West End production of Les Miserables. According to the production’s official website, she will take on the role starting June 15. In Les Miserables, Fantine struggles to care for her young daughter Cosette, and is forced into prostitution to earn a living. She sings the famous song “I Dreamed a Dream.” Les Miserables is based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. Rachelle was previously in West End’s Miss Saigon, where she played Gigi Van Tranh.

Britain’s Prince Harry said Monday, May 11 he wants to have children and would like a partner to “share the pressure” of royal duties, but is still waiting for the right woman. The fifth in line to the throne made the comments in New Zealand where he is relaxing after calling time on a decade-long military career, saying he felt “at a crossroads”. He said the birth of brother William’s second child Princess Charlotte last week had increased his desire for a family of his own. The prince, who has won praise in New Zealand for his down-to-earth manner, admitted both he and William wanted to work alongside “normal people” and earn a living.