Monday, July 25, 2016

Let's Do The News! (July 25, 2016)


- President Rodrigo Duterte made his first State of the Nation Address ever since he took office since late last month. In his address, Duterte wants crooked execs to be punished, never use human rights as excuse to destroy the Philippines, continue the war against illegal drugs, and many other promises he made during his first SONA.

Following Duterte's first SONA, Senator Koko Pimentel was elected as Senate president after obtaining 20 votes at the opening session of the 17th Congress.

- The ASEAN foreign ministers issued a joint communique without any mention of the recent ruling on Philippines' claims against China. The statement was issued following a deadlock among officials at a meeting in Vientiane, Laos, who tried to reach a consensus to counter China's territorial expansion in the South China Sea.

- German authorities say a 27-year-old Syrian man has detonated a concealed bomb he was carrying, killing himself and wounding 12 others. The authorities held a news conference hours after the explosion occurred in Ansbach on Sunday. They say the man requested asylum in the country two years ago but was rejected last year. They say he has since been allowed to stay at a shelter in Germany on humanitarian grounds. Some say, the man denied entry to an open-air music festival near the scene of the blast. He was believed to have exploded himself near the concert gate.

- Participants in the first major rally organized by Turkey's opposition since the coup attempt earlier this month have expressed their support for democracy. The rally drew a large crowd on Sunday to Taksim Square in Istanbul. Attendees refrained from expressing criticism of the government's subsequent crackdown.

- The International Olympic Committee has defended its decision not to impose a total ban on Russian athletes attending the Rio Olympics next month. Many Western countries are critical of the decision because they had requested a total ban on Russia.

- The finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 nations say the recent Brexit decision has increased global economic uncertainty, naming it one of the new risks, along with terrorism and refugee issues, in a joint statement issued on Sunday after their 2-day meeting in the Chinese city of Chengdu. The participants say they hope Britain and the European Union will work closely to contain the impact of Brexit on the global economy.

TTFN!!!

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