Daily News Highlights – October 18, 2015 Edition

Typhoon Lando (international codename Kappu) has weakened slightly and has picked up some speed late Sunday morning, October 18, as it crosses Nueva Ecija, heading towards the Cordilleras.

As of 10 am, Lando’s center was located in the vicinity of Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, with maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h near the center and gusts of up to 185 km/h, state weather bureau PAGASA said in its 11 am bulletin. Lando made landfall early Sunday over Aurora.

Read more on Rappler, and follow updates on Agos.

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Saturday, October 17, that climate change was a threat to global security and has inflamed volatile situations from Europe’s migration crisis to the Syrian conflict.

“This isn’t only about food security; it’s about global security, period,” he said during a speech at Milan’s 2015 Expo.

Agence France-Presse reports from Milan.

The last day of the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) on Friday, October 16, saw a number of controversial figures vying for national elective posts in the 2016 elections.

All in all, 130 individuals filed candidacies for president, 19 for vice president, and 172 for senator.

Read more on Rappler.

China gathered defense officials and experts from across the Asia-Pacific in Beijing Friday, October 16, for a three-day security forum intended to boost the Asian giant’s influence on the global stage.

The Xiangshan, or Fragrant Hills, conference comes as tensions rise between Washington and Beijing, the region’s two largest economic and military powers, over the latter’s construction of artificial islands in disputed South China Sea waters.

Agence France-Presse reports from Beijing.

Australia on Saturday, October 17, announced plans to legalize the growing of cannabis for medicinal purposes, saying those suffering debilitating illnesses deserved access to the most effective treatments.

Health Minister Sussan Ley said the government planned a licensing scheme to allow controlled cultivation and distribution for medicinal and scientific purposes. She said it would deliver a safe, legal and sustainable supply of locally produced product for the first time.

Read more on Rappler.

Malaysia’s opposition on Saturday submitted a notice for a no-confidence vote against embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak as he faces increasing calls to answer a barrage of corruption allegations.

Critics want Najib to explain massive sums allegedly missing from state-owned development company 1MDB which he launched, as well as the revelation in July that nearly $700 million in mysterious transfers had been made to his personal bank accounts.

Read more in this dispatch from Agence France-Presse.

Four more migrants, 3 of them children, died attempting to cross the Aegean Sea to reach safety in Europe, the Greek coastguard said early Saturday, October 17.

The children and a woman, whose nationalities were not disclosed, drowned when their boat capsized near the Greek island of Kalymnos, the coastguard said. 

Nearly 300 people trying to escape conflict and poverty in their home countries have died in the Aegean Sea this year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Read more on Rappler.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) anticipates cash remittances to pick up steam in the last quarter despite booking its first monthly decline in 12 years last August.

BSP deputy governor Diwa Guinigundo said the state central bank is confident of meeting its 5% growth target for remittances this year despite a letdown in August, anticipating high numbers once the Christmas season sets in.

Read more on Rappler.

The tamang panahon (right time) has finally arrived. After 3 months of waiting, Maine “Yaya Dub” and Alden Richards will be together, with their fans, for a special day at the Philippine Arena on October 24.

The gathering will benefit the AlDub library project, where 100% of the ticket sales from the event will be given to the 3 elementary schools they picked.

Read more about the event – and a recap for all you AlDub fans – on Rappler.

Roman Gonzalez overcame a brave challenge from Brian Viloria, knocking him down in round 3 before forcing a referee stoppage at 2:53 of round 9 on Sunday, October 18 (Saturday U.S. time) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The WBC flyweight champion Gonzalez (44-0, 38 knockouts) of Managua, Nicaragua lived up to his billing as THE RING magazine’s pound-for-pound champion, weathering an aggressive start from the 34-year-old Filipino-American Viloria (36-5, 22 KOs) of Waipahu, Hawaii.

Read more on Rappler.