Maria Ressa is second Filipino named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is the second Filipino to be part of the prestigious “Person of the Year” roster of Time magazine after late President Cory Aquino in 1986.

Ressa, who is facing several tax evasion charges, joins the late Jamal Khashoggi, detained Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe and the Capital Gazette, a small newspaper, in Time’s list of “The Guardians.”

The group of journalists appear in four variant covers of the magazine.

Her inclusion came days after she posted bail of P204,000 for four of the five tax cases the government filed against her in 2018.

Filipino women named as “Person of the Year”

Time described Ressa and Rappler, the news website she helped establish in 2012, as fearless in their reporting of President Rodrigo Duterte’s propaganda machine on social media.

“While the Philippine government denies a political motivation for the charges against Ressa and Rappler, the news site she founded in 2012, international observers regard them as the latest salvo in President Rodrigo Duterte’s bid to muzzle critical press and silence criticism of his administration’s deadly war on drugs,” said Joseph Hincks.

Ressa told Time that being a journalist during Duterte’s presidency is more difficult than her work as a war zone correspondent before.

“I’ve been a war zone correspondent. I’ve planned coverage when one side is shooting against the other side. That is easy compared to what we’re dealing with now,” she said.

Her supporters use the hashtag #Holdtheline as they lauded her for the recognition.

This was her statement on the possibility of getting arrested upon her arrival in Manila on December 2. She went to the United States to receive the international Press Freedom Award given to her by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The veteran reporter had been indicted over three counts of violating Section 255 of the Tax Code for failing to provide the correct information on her Income Tax Return for 2015, Value Added Tax returns for the third and fourth quarters of that year.

Corazon Aquino

Back in 1986, Aquino, the wife of late Senator Ninoy Aquino, held many “first’s.” She was hailed as the first female president of the country and the first Filipino to be the Woman of the Year.

“Whatever else happens in her rule, Aquino has already given her country a bright, and inviolate, memory. More important, she has also resuscitated its sense of identity and pride,” said Time.

Aquino that time said that being given with such recognition is an achievement of the Filipino people.

“I don’t want to say that this is my achievement. It is the Filipino people together who were able to believe in themselves because of what they were able to do in the election and then in the revolution. Because of this belief in each other they were now also able to look up to their leaders and follow their leaders,” she said.

She succeeded late Dictator Ferdinand Marcos as the leader of the country after he and his family were exiled to Hawaii,

Her son Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III became president in 2016.

The Guardians and the War on Truth

Edward Felsenthal, Time’s editor-in-chief, explained that his team decided to feature journalists this year because of their bravery in surpassing risks just to tell impactful stories.

“This year we are recognizing four journalists and one news organization who have paid a terrible price to seize the challenge of this moment: Jamal Khashoggi, Maria Ressa, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and the Capital Gazette of Annapolis, Md.,” Felsenthal’s  statement read.

“They are representatives of a broader fight by countless others around the world—as of Dec. 10, at least 52 journalists have been murdered in 2018—who risk all to tell the story of our time,” he added.

Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist who was a known critic of the Saudi government, was murdered after entering his country’s Istanbul consulate for divorce documents.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, Reuters journalists from Bangladesh, were detained in their home country for documenting the deaths of 10 Rohingya Muslims.

Five members of the Capital Gazette or the Capital, the local paper in the city of Annapolis in the state of Maryland, were gunned down inside their newsroom last June 28.

source: interaksyon.com

India appoints Modi ally as new central bank head

NEW DELHI, India — The Indian government Tuesday named an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as new central bank head after his predecessor quit following a row about alleged government interference.

Shaktikanta Das, named in a government statement as new Reserve Bank of India governor, is a former senior finance ministry official and a key figure in Modi's controversial "demonetisation" scheme of 2016.

His predecessor Urjit Patel announced his surprise resignation late Monday following months of tensions with Modi's government over interference in policy.

The government was thought to be pressuring the RBI to enact policies to help spur growth ahead of next year's elections, when Modi will run for a second term.

It was also believed to be unhappy with the RBI over issues including its handling of interest rates, how to deploy reserves and what to do about the sliding rupee.

Modi stunned Asia's third-largest economy in November 2016 by withdrawing 86 percent of banknotes from circulation.

The move was aimed at cleaning up India's graft-ridden economy where large volumes of transactions are conducted in cash and therefore undetected by the tax authorities.

Critics said it caused unnecessary suffering to millions of India's poor who operate outside of the formal economy.

Indian growth slumped as low as 5.7 percent in mid-2017 as it reeled from the move and other economic reforms, including the introduction of a nationwide goods and services tax.

"Modi government has hired an insider who will be sympathetic to government concerns and not hold diverging opinions as the head of RBI. Unlike Patel or (predecessor Raghuram Govind) Rajan, Das will offer no independent views and was also a key member when the demonetisation decision was taken," said Ashutosh Datar, an independent economist.

"This is extremely disappointing a choice and is the final straw in chipping away RBI's integrity and freedom to set rates or take policy decisions," he said.

source: philstar.com

102-year-old great-granny becomes 'oldest' skydiver

SYDNEY, Australia — A 102-year-old great-grandmother is believed to have become the world's oldest skydiver after plunging 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) through the South Australian sky.

Centenarian adrenaline junkie Irene O'Shea said she "felt normal" after a 220 kilometre per hour (140 mph) dive that sent her cheeks flapping wildly.

She completed her first skydive to mark her 100th birthday in 2016, but organisers claimed it was Sunday's successful tandem dive at the age of 102 years and 194 days that earned her a place in the history books.


"It was very clear up there, and the weather was good but it was very cold," said O'Shea, according to Australian media.

O'Shea took the plunge to raise funds for a motor neurone disease charity, after her daughter died from the illness.

source: philstar.com

EU court rules Britain can revoke Brexit unilaterally

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg — Europe's top court ruled Monday that Britain could halt Brexit without the approval of fellow EU member states, in a victory for pro-Europeans on the eve of a key House of Commons vote.

"The United Kingdom is free to revoke unilaterally the notification of its intention to withdraw from the EU," the European Court of Justice said, in response to a suit from a group of Scottish politicians.

"Such a revocation, decided in accordance with its own national constitutional requirements, would have the effect that the United Kingdom remains in the EU under terms that are unchanged as regards its status as a member State," the court ruled.

Following a 2016 referendum, Britain declared its intention to quit the European Union on March 29 last year, triggering the "Article 50" EU treaty procedure that would see it definitively leave two years later, on the same date next year.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's government insists it has no intention of halting the process and has agreed a draft withdrawal agreement with the 27 remaining member states.

The withdrawal agreement is expected to go before the British parliament for approval on Tuesday.

If, as appears likely, it is rejected it would raise fears that Britain could crash out of the union on March 29 without a deal or that it could revoke or postpone Brexit in order to hold another referendum.

The court's ruling will be welcomed by campaigners for a second referendum, but May's government insists it has no intention of reversing course, whatever the court in Luxembourg might say.


"We don't want to stay in the EU. We voted very clearly," Environment Secretary Michael Gove, an influential cabinet Brexiteer, told BBC radio.

"This case is all very well but it doesn't alter either the result of the referendum or the clear intention of the government to leave.

"It's the intent of the government to honour that referendum mandate."

source: philstar.com

Kevin Hart out as Oscars host for anti-gay tweets

HOLLYWOOD — US comedian and actor Kevin Hart abruptly withdrew from hosting the Oscars Thursday night amid flack for past homophobic and anti-gay tweets.

Two days after announcing he had landed what he called a dream gig, Hart said that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had told him to choose between apologizing for the tweets or losing the job.

Hart said the tweets were from nearly a decade ago and that he has matured since then.

"I chose to pass on the apology. The reason why I passed is because I've addressed this several times," Hart, 39, said during a video posted to Instagram.

"I've said who I am now versus who I was then. I've done it. I'm not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I've moved on and I'm in a completely different place in my life," Hart said.


On Twitter, Hart apologized to the LGBTQ community for what he called "my insensitive words from my past."

"I'm sorry that I hurt people," he added. "I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again."

The Academy must now find a new host for the 91st Academy Awards in February.

The "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" star was to have hosted the glitzy event after talk show host Jimmy Kimmel held the gig for two consecutive years.

Whoever hosts it will face pressure to boost audience ratings for the annual show that will be held on February 24 in Hollywood and which had an all-time low of 26.5 million viewers last year, compared to 43 million in 2014.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has said that it was introducing a number of changes to improve viewership, including shortening the show to three hours and handing out some of the awards during commercial breaks.

source: philstar.com

British MPs wrangle ahead of momentous Brexit debate

London - UK lawmakers held up a momentous Brexit debate on yesterday, accusing the government of contempt over its handling of the withdrawal agreement, as a top EU legal opinion stated Britain could even call off its departure from the bloc altogether.

Prime Minister Theresa May is facing resistance on all sides of the House of Commons to the withdrawal agreement she struck with the European Union last month.

Its chances of being approved look slim, raising the risk of Britain crashing out of the world's largest single market on March 29 without trade arrangements in place.


The Conservative leader was set to tell MPs in a speech later on yesterday that the deal "delivers for the British people".

"The British people want us to get on with a deal that honours the referendum and allows us to come together again as a country, whichever way we voted," May will say, according to comments released by her Downing Street office.

But her speech is being delayed by a dispute over the government's refusal to publish the full legal advice it has received about the implications of May's plan.

Conservative House leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs that May's government had a right to receive confidential opinions that were unhampered by political considerations.

"What we break now may be very difficult to fix later," Leadsom said.

Opposition Labour Party member Keir Starmer said "the government is wilfully refusing to comply with a binding order of this House and that is contempt".

The row is unlikely to have any impact on the course of Brexit.

But it does highlight how little control May's fragile minority government has over MPs ahead of next yesterday crucial vote.

- 'Brexit shambles' -

Pro-European MPs pressing for a second referendum on staying in the EU received a sudden boost from an opinion issued by a legal adviser to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

Advocate General Campos Sanchez-Bordona stated that Britain could halt the entire process without the agreement of other EU countries.

"That possibility continues to exist until the withdrawal agreement is formally concluded," he said.

Downing Street reaffirmed on yesterday that May has absolutely no intention of doing so -- and that the ruling was in either case only advisory.

"It does nothing, in any event, to change the clear position of the government that Article 50 is not going to be revoked," May's spokesman said.

But the Scottish National Party's Alyn Smith -- one of several MPs who brought the case -- proclaimed: "We now have a roadmap out of the Brexit shambles."

- Renegotiate Brexit? -

The vote next week has huge implications for Britain's future and that of May herself.

Left-wing Labour said May's defeat next yesterday would likely trigger a confidence vote to bring down her government.

She has also been constantly challenged by hardline eurosceptics in her own party and might face an internal leadership contest as well.

Hardline Conservative Brexiteers say May's compromise deal does not represent enough of a break with Brussels.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) -- the Northern Ireland party propping up May's government -- also objects to special provisions for the province.

Many of May's critics want her to go back and renegotiate.

- Brexit bill -

The EU Withdrawal Agreement covers a settlement of £39 billion (43.7 billion euros, $49.8 billion) that Britain will have to play for leaving.

It also sets out the rights of EU expatriates and plans for a post-Brexit transition period lasting to December 2020.

The extra time is intended to give both sides a chance to strike a new trade and security relationship.

Failure to do so would trigger a "backstop" arrangement that keeps Britain in an EU customs union -- with Northern Ireland also following EU rules on regulation of goods.

May insists this is necessary to avoid border checks in Ireland. Opponents say this risks tying Britain to the EU for years to come.

source: philstar.com

Miss Universe Australia opens up about depression: 'Mental health issues kill 1 in 5 Australians'

MANILA, Philippines — Miss Universe Australia 2018 Francesca Hung revealed her past struggles because of depression.

Speaking with the Real Talk podcast, Francesca said her parents are high achievers, so she was pressured to impress them.

“I didn’t really understand depression and that that is what I was feeling; straight after school I went to university and focused. It was all about focusing on the future,” she said.

But she clarified she never acted on any suicidal thoughts and it “was more like self-sabotage; I would do things to, sort of, ruin my life so that no-one expected anything from me.”

The Australian-Chinese beauty queen continued that she felt horrible to be around her family and friends and started rebelling.

“I was partying a bit too hard, and doing anything to distract myself; I was hanging out with the wrong people and wasn’t doing anything with my life,” she said.

“I hated myself so much and I thought I was so worthless, and I would look at myself in the mirror and think ‘ugh you’re disgusting, what are you doing with yourself?’” she added.

She also thought she was unattractive and ugly and was so conscious because she is a half-Chinese.

“That was completely ingrained in me, and I was so self-conscious that when I would look in the mirror I would see this disgusting blob. I was overweight, and I would sabotage my eating so I would fit a certain look; I hated the way I looked… I always felt like I was my own worst nightmare.”

After realizing she needed some help, Francesca spoke to her family about her condition.

“My dad comes from a medical background, so I think that the psychological side of things is a different world to the scientific world, to him. I think it was definitely difficult for them to comprehend that I was feeling this way ... and I never wanted to speak about it with my friends because I didn’t want it to look like a sign of weakness.”

She also got the help she needed through different psychologists and anti-depressant medicines, but the medication always changed her mood.

“I went numb and I didn’t feel anything at all, and I was becoming a mean version of myself, and didn’t care about anybody else’s feelings, and I acted like I didn’t really care about the world and I was rebelling again.”

Nevertheless, she met someone who changed her and helped her feel good about herself again.

“I started working on my diet and fitness. I started weaning myself off the antidepressants and that took quite a long time to feel good without them, and now I’m completely off them and I feel so much better than I ever had before... I think it grew from an understanding that a lot of people in his family have suffered from mental health issues, and I think it kind of clicked with him then, that if I was going through a similar thing, that a lot of it can be passed down – it’s not just a feeling, it can be a chemical thing sometimes as well.”

According to her, one in five Australians suffer from mental health issues every year and it is the second biggest killer of young people.

Francesca will be competing against her fellow half-Australian Catriona Gray of the Philippines at the Miss Universe 2018 pageant on December 17 in Bangkok, Thailand.

source: philstar.com

America mourns former president George H.W. Bush

College Station (United States) - Flags flew at half-staff across the United States on Saturday as Americans prepared for a week of solemn tributes to George H.W. Bush, in his home state of Texas and in the US Capitol, a day after the former president died at age 94.

Tributes poured in from world leaders in memory of the 41st US president, who guided America through the end of the Cold War and launched the international campaign to drive Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait.

Many of those same leaders are expected to attend Bush's state funeral next week, alongside President Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Trump was notably absent from the funerals of the statesman's late wife Barbara, and of veteran fellow Republican John McCain.

Although the two Republican presidents were in many ways polar opposites -- the soft-spoken, patrician Bush reportedly once dismissed the blustering New Yorker as a "blowhard" and even voted for his rival Hillary Clinton -- Trump paid the late leader a gracious tribute, saying he had "inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service."

"His accomplishments were great from beginning to end," Trump tweeted.

Declaring a national day of mourning for December 5 -- when the federal government and New York Stock Exchange will close in Bush's honor -- Trump also signaled his respect by calling off a press conference planned at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires.

The days-long national farewell to Bush will begin Monday with a commemoration in Houston, where the Bushes lived for years and where he died on Friday surrounded by friends and family.

From there, Bush's casket will travel to Washington on board Trump's presidential aircraft -- in what the US leader called "a special tribute that he deserves very much."

The former president will lie in state in the US Capitol between Monday and Wednesday ahead of a state funeral at the towering National Cathedral, expected to draw dozens of dignitaries from around the world.

Bush's remains will travel back to Texas on Wednesday, where he will lie in repose at St Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston with a funeral service the next day preceding his interment at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station. He will make his final journey aboard a funeral train.

At the presidential library on Saturday, people came to sign the memorial book in Bush's honor, or lay flowers at the feet of his statue.

Chris Griffin, a student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University who helped organize a candlelight vigil Saturday, said: "I think his legacy is really what inspires all of us."

- 'Grace, civility and social conscience' -

Bush was a decorated World War II pilot, diplomat and onetime CIA chief who saw his son George follow in his footsteps to the Oval Office -- making them only the second father-son duo in American presidential history, after John and John Quincy Adams.

From former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to current heads of state, leaders praised Bush both for his strength and his moderation, as well as the commitment to internationalism typified by his assembling of a global coalition to oust Iraqi invaders from Kuwait in 1991.

Jimmy Carter, now the oldest surviving former US president, said Bush's administration "was marked by grace, civility and social conscience."

Britain took the rare step of lowering flags in government buildings.

Gorbachev called him "a true partner" in winding down the Cold War, and French President Emmanuel Macron mourned the loss of a leader who "strongly supported the alliance with Europe."

Suffering from Parkinson's disease, Bush had been wheelchair-bound and in failing health. He is survived by his five living children and 17 grandchildren.

Former secretary of state James Baker recounted anecdotes from his longtime friend's final days to The New York Times.

He said Bush's last words were to the younger George, who was put on the speaker phone to say goodbye, saying he had been a "wonderful dad" and that he loved him.

"I love you, too," Bush replied.

- 'New world order' -

Born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts into a wealthy political dynasty, Bush left school to join the US Navy during World War II. He was rescued at sea after being shot down over the Pacific.

After graduating from Yale University, he briefly worked in the Texas oil industry.

But the world of politics was calling this son of a US senator.

He served in the US House of Representatives, as Washington's envoy to China and as chief of the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming Ronald Reagan's vice president.

Eight years later, in accepting his party's nomination for president in 1988, Bush pleaded for a "kinder, and gentler nation."

Bush was a foreign policy pragmatist who led the United States through the turbulent end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union.

He declared a "new world order" in 1990 and -- backed by a 32-nation coalition -- drove Iraq from Kuwait with a lightning air and ground assault.

The crushing sanctions he imposed on Iraq, however, were blamed by Iraqis for thousands of deaths, drawing him the bitter nickname of "Mr Embargo."

And Panamanians said his invasion of their country in 1989 claimed hundreds of civilian lives.

But it was primarily a weak economy at home that cost him the 1992 election, won by upstart Democrat Bill Clinton.

In his later years, Bush turned to philanthropy, joining forces with Clinton to raise funds for victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and with ex-presidents Clinton, Carter, Barack Obama and son George to raise money for hurricane victims in Texas last year.

source: philstar.com

Adonis Stevenson in stable condition after KO, say promoter

QUEBEC CITY — Canadian boxer Adonis Stevenson has been upgraded from critical to stable condition and remains in an induced coma Sunday (Monday Manila time) after being knocked out Saturday night (Sunday Manila time) in his light heavyweight title fight.

Boxing promoter Yvon Michel tweeted about the 41-year-old Stevenson's condition.

"The state of Adonis has gone from critical towards stable from yesterday to today which is a relatively good news. He is in controlled sedation to facilitate his recuperation." Michel said. "His family, his wife Simone and Groupe Yvon Michel would like to thank the many people who have taken the time to send comforting messages. New information will be published as we get it. No other comments will be made until then."


Oleksandr Gvozdyk stopped Stevenson at 2:49 of the 11th round Saturday night to take the Canadians' World Boxing Council light heavyweight title.

The Montreal-based Stevenson was put on a stretcher after the bout and left Videotron Centre in an ambulance. He was making his 10th title defense since winning the belt against Chad Dawson in 2013 and was ahead on two of the judges' cards and tied on the third when he was stopped.

Stevenson dropped to 29-2-1 with his first loss since 2010 and first in Canada. The 31-year-old Gvozdyk, from the Ukraine, improved to 16-0.

source: philstar.com

George H.W. Bush in 10 dates

WASHINGTON — Here are 10 key dates in the life of George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States who died Friday at the age of 94:

June 12, 1924: George Herbert Walker Bush is born in Milton,  Massachusetts
June 12, 1942: Bush enlists in the US Navy on his 18th birthday, and becomes its youngest pilot, flying 58 combat missions in a torpedo bomber during World War II. He is shot down over the Pacific and rescued at sea
January 6, 1945: Following his discharge from the Navy, Bush marries Barbara Pierce. They have six children: George Walker, Robin (who died at the age of four), John (also known as Jeb), Neil, Marvin and Dorothy
1953: Bush co-founds the Zapata Petroleum Company in Texas
1967-1971: Serves as a Republican member of the US House of Representatives from Texas for two terms
1971-1973: Serves as US ambassador to the United Nations
1976-1977: Serves as director of the Central Intelligence Agency
1981-1989: Serves as US vice president under Ronald Reagan, whom Bush had opposed for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980
1989-1993: Serves as US president. In August 1990, Bush leads an international coalition to counter Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and liberates the country in February 1991 with Operation Desert Storm.
1992: Bush loses his bid for a second term as president to Democrat Bill Clinton

source: philstar.com