Twenty-nine citizens of the United States have perished in Hamas attacks in Israel, a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed on Saturday. The spokesperson said that the U.S. was aware of 15 citizens and one lawful permanent resident who were unaccounted for, and was "working around the clock" to determine their whereabouts. The U.S. was working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence, the spokesperson said.
A nation which no longer demands that her citizens and leaders be unselfish, loyal, honorable, compassionate and courageous will not survive. Read more.
By: Atty. Perry Solis Press freedom is alive and well in the Philippines despite the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) release of its annual World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) putting the country in an unenviable position of no. 147 under what it called a new methodology, down from 138 last year. According to RSF's website, the low ranking of the country was due to many factors, foremost of which is media killings, especially the Ampatuan Massacre that happened more than a decade ago in 2009. As presented by RSF, it would be easy to assume that countries with a higher ranking would have a "freer" press than those with low rankings but that is not the case. Journalists should ask: Do citizens in African countries such as Namibia (18), South Africa (35), or Ivory Coast (37) enjoy greater press freedom than those from countries below it in ranking, such as let's say, citizens of the United States, which is currently at no. 42 in RSF's index? Journalists should wonder how