00:01Fugitive and former lawmaker Zaldi Koh is arrested in Germany and is now with Czech authorities.
00:07Israel and Lebanon begin a 10-day ceasefire.
00:10Myanmar reduces the sentence of imprisoned ex-leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
00:15Leader of global girl group Katzai Sofia La Forteza continues to proudly raise the Philippine flag on the international stage.
00:23And the label of Filipino rapper Hev Abi categorically denies allegations of illegal possession of drugs and firearms.
00:37President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says Friday, April 17, fugitive and former lawmaker Zaldi Koh was stopped at the German border
00:45and returned to the Czech Republic where he remains in custody.
00:48The night before, Marcos announced Koh was in the custody of Czech authorities in Prague after trying to cross into
00:53the Czech Republic without proper documentation.
00:56Koh has arrest warrants issued in the Philippines and his Philippine passport has since been cancelled due to those warrants.
01:03The Marcos administration has been eager to bring Koh back to the country since the flood control corruption scandal became
01:08public.
01:09Koh slipped out of the country even before the 20th Congress convened when no charges had been filed and no
01:14arrest warrants had been issued against him.
01:16He was former chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and is accused of being behind the manipulation of the
01:22national budget.
01:23A Rappler investigation also earlier found Koh retained beneficial ownership of SunWest, a company that bagged billions of pesos in
01:30government projects.
01:33A 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect Thursday, April 16.
01:39Celebratory gunfire rang out across parts of Beirut as the clock struck midnight on Thursday, the time the ceasefire went
01:45into effect.
01:46For around half an hour, the booms of rockets that were also fired in celebration could be heard, but the
01:51pause in hostilities remains fragile.
01:54Lebanon's state news agency NNA reports Israeli artillery continued shelling areas in southern Lebanon about half an hour after the
02:01ceasefire took effect and machine gun fire was also heard in the area.
02:04Meantime, United States President Donald Trump says the next meeting between the US and Iran may take place over the
02:11weekend.
02:11Trump adds, Iran offered not to have nuclear weapons for more than 20 years and he thinks they are quote
02:17-unquote very close to making a deal with Iran.
02:21Myanmar reduces the sentence of imprisoned ex-leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
02:27Her lawyer says Friday, April 17, the sentence has been cut by one-sixth.
02:31But it remains unclear whether she will be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest.
02:37Suu Kyi was serving a 27-year sentence for a litany of offenses her allies said were politically motivated,
02:43ranging from incitement and corruption to election fraud and violating a state secrets law.
02:48Myanmar's new president, Min Ong Lain, approved an amnesty for more than 4,300 prisoners, the third such move in
02:54the past six months.
02:55Min Ong Lain staged a military coup against a democratically elected government led by Suu Kyi in 2021 and plunged
03:01the country into a brutal civil war.
03:06Filipina performer and leader of the Global Girl Group Cats Eye, Sofia La Forteza is among a growing number of
03:11artists proudly raising the Philippine flag on the international stage.
03:15She and members Daniela, Lara, Yunche and Megan made their Coachella debut on the Sahara stage last April 11.
03:21The group's performance made the rounds online especially of Sofia pointing out the Philippine flag raised in the crowd during
03:28their set.
03:29She said, quote, I'm overwhelmed with emotion. You guys are making our dreams come true.
03:34She is the daughter of singer and theater actress Carla Guevara and chef Godfrey La Forteza.
03:38She got her big break in the music survival show, The Debut, Dream Academy, where she was a consistently strong
03:44contender.
03:44The six survivors of the Dream Academy made their debut in June 2024 as members of Cats Eye.
03:50In January 2026, the girl group performed at the 2026 Grammys where they were nominated for Best New Artist.
03:56Cats Eye is set to take the Coachella stage again on April 18, 11am Manila time.
04:03The label of Filipino rapper Hev Abi categorically denies the artist's alleged illegal possession of drugs and firearms.
04:09In a statement, April 16, Urban Department denies any and all allegations that led to his arrest last April 14
04:17and says its legal counsel is working with authorities.
04:20Hev Abi and six other individuals were taken into police custody early morning of April 14.
04:25The hip-hop star was scheduled to perform at Calietun's UP Fair on Wednesday, April 15 but failed to show
04:31up for his set time.
04:33Further details on Hev Abi's case are yet to be released by the police and his label.
04:37Hev Abi rose to fame in 2023 and is best known for songs like Alamo Ba Girl, Para Sa Streets,
04:43and Babaero to name a few.
04:45In 2024, he was named the top local artist in the Philippines by Spotify.
04:51And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Gutinga. Thank you for watching. Click the link below for the full story.
04:56For more updates, download the Rappler app.
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