Let's Do The News! (June 13, 2019)

- The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest over the sinking of a Filipino fishing vessel off Reed Bank (Recto Bank) in the West Philippine Sea on June 9. “I fired off a diplomatic protest yesterday (Wednesday, June 12). The Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO (International Maritime Organization) is it,” Foreign Affairs secretary Teodoro Locsin said in a tweet on Thursday noon.

- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has apologized for using an inverted Philippine flag for its Independence Day greeting.

- Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the government will run after health care providers and PhilHealth officials who engage in fraud.

- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at least one other university have research partnerships with a Chinese artificial intelligence company that has business ties with police in China’s Xinjiang region, where a sweeping crackdown on Uighurs has drawn international condemnation.

- US President Donald Trump asserted his executive privilege to block Congress from obtaining documents related to how his administration added a citizenship question to the 2020 US census. A Democratic-led House of Representatives committee responded emphatically, voting to hold two Trump cabinet members — Attorney General Bill Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross — in contempt for refusing to produce the subpoenaed material.

- Traffic has been restored in the heart of Hong Kong a day after clashes between police and protesters who oppose legislation that would allow criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial.

- The United States is open to dialogue with India after taking away its preferential trading status, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said as he prepares to travel to New Delhi.

- The new Toyota Corolla sedan and Corolla Touring wagon models will be launched in Japan this fall 2019.



- Volvo and Uber unveiled the XC90-based fully autonomous vehicle built to accomodate Uber's self-driving technology direct from the factory.

- Actor Eddie Garcia suffers hypertension as he's still in critical condition following last weekend's accident.

- Jimmy Bondoc posts long message in reaction to House of Representative's decision to freeze ABS-CBN's franchise renewal.

TTFN!!!