Let's Do The News! (December 28, 2016)

- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to visit the Philippines on January 12 and 13, the first head of state to visit the country under the Duterte administration, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. Yasay states that Abe's visit reciprocates Duterte's own successful trip to Japan last October.

- The National Bureau of Investigation has now the custody of high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian due to death threats. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II confirmed that Sebastian was transferred to NBI custody from New Bilibid Prison on Tuesday night.

- Former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. requested anti-graft court Sandiganbayan to grant him furlough to visit his father for the second time this month. His father, former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr., was admitted to St. Luke's Medical Center - Global in Taguig City last December 22 due to kidney inflammation.

- Republican Arizona Senator John McCain said that despite rhetorics from US President-elect Donald Trump, the United States will remain committed to NATO and Baltic security. McCain told reporters that he and Estonian leaders discussed the outcome of the American election.

- House Republicans have proposed punishing representatives who shoot video or take photos on the floor of the chamber following a dramatic sit-in in June by House Democrats demanding a vote on gun control legislation that was streamed live online.

- French police are investigating the possibility that a text message sent from a missing Japanese student was sent by someone else in an attempt to delay the search. A 21-year-old Japanese student went missing after having dinner with another foreign student in his 20s on December 4th in the eastern city of Besancon. The head of her language school says a classmate received a text message from her at about 1130 hours on December 5th after she was absent from class in the morning.

- Veteran actress Carrie Fisher passed away at the age of 60. Fisher was famed for being Princess Leia from the Star Wars franchise and later endured drug addiction and stormy romances with veteran actors, including Harrison Ford. Her last appearance was from 2015's Star Wars The Force Awakens and filming on her next appearance in 2017's Star Wars sequel film has finished.

TTFN!!!