US President Donald Trump himself passed dozens of protesters on his way to visit wounded soldiers at a military hospital.

“Stop denying the earth is dying,” one sign visible from Trump’s motorcade read.

Despite rainy weather, protesters gathered around the Washington Monument for a festive day of music, speeches and teach-ins by scientists disturbed by the rise of so-called “alternative facts” around crucial issues like climate change following Trump’s election.

“We have no Planet B,” read one of the signs carried by demonstrators, many of whom sported “Keep Our Science Great” caps as they arrived from around the country on Earth Day to remind fellow citizens of the importance of science to their daily lives.

Protesters were to march to the US Capitol later in the day to carry their pro-science message.

The movement was echoed in hundreds of satellite events across the United States and around the world, from Sydney to Accra.

At a time when the Earth has marked three consecutive years of record-breaking heat, and ice is melting at an unprecedented rate at the poles, risking massive sea level rise in the decades ahead, some marchers say it is more important than ever for scientists to communicate and work toward solutions to curb fossil fuel emissions.

“Ditch the jargon,” advised Tyler DeWitt, the star of a popular YouTube show on science. “Make it understandable. Make people care. Talk to them, not at them. We cannot complain about slashed funding if we can’t tell taxpayers why science matters.”

Spiking concerns

Organizers stressed their protest is non-partisan, but concerns about the challenges to the role of science in society have spiked under Trump’s presidency.

He has proposed deep cuts in funding for scientific research, elevated opponents of climate pacts and environmental regulations to cabinet-level positions, and drawn support from conservative Christians who challenge the teaching of evolution in US schools.

“If this president has his way, science is in danger but I think there will be a lot of resistance from Congress,” said Elisabeth Johnston, a retired biologist.

Trump later issued a statement defending his administration’s policies as aimed at protecting the environment “without harming America’s working families.”

“That is why my administration is reducing unnecessary burdens on American workers and American companies, while being mindful that our actions must also protect the environment,” he said.

Satellite events

In London, hundreds of people marched from the Science Museum to the Houses of Parliament, holding up signs with messages like “Science is Sexy” and “Less Invasions, More Equations.”

The London rally was attended by actor Peter Capaldi, who plays TV’s time-travelling hero of science, Dr Who.

In Ghana, organizers used the day for a teach-in at a beachside hotel in Accra about environmental issues of local concern like the impact of plastic waste on the environment.

“It’s killing our fish, we have flooding in our communities, we have a rise of environmental diseases,” said Cordie Aziz, an American activist involved in plastics recycling.

Vocal protesters in Sydney wearing white lab coats called on politicians to support the scientific community. “We need thinkers not deniers,” read one banner.

‘Fake news’ fears

Demonstrators turned out across Australia, in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and other cities, as well as Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand.

“In this day and age, there’s so much fake news and alternate facts going around that it’s important to remember that science is what has built the society we know today,” Parissa Zand, who was at the Sydney march with her molecular biologist mother, told AFP.

High-school science teacher Byrne La Ginestra said “we need to… teach people that science isn’t a political agenda, it’s just facts.”

Protestors in major university cities in Europe posted pictures on Twitter of marches in Bonn, Helsinki, Munich and Stockholm.

In Paris, a banner in French read: “We are the resistance against the orange menace in Washington! Defend science!”

Other rallies were scheduled in Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria and South Korea.

Scientists ‘energized’

“Seeing the assault on fact-based thinking, scientists are energized,” Paul Hanle, chief executive officer of Climate Central, an independent organization of scientists and journalists, wrote in an op-ed this week.

Scientists “are not famous for their camaraderie,” said professor of carbon management at the University of Edinburgh, David Reay. “We are trained to question, criticize and, where needed, contest each other’s work.

“That we are now marching together is testament to just how threatened our disparate community feels.”

Hundreds of thousands of French nationals are eligible to vote in the United States, Canada and South America in one of the most unpredictable elections in decades, seen as crucial for the future of a deeply divided country and the beleaguered European Union.

Voters in the rainy US capital Washington cast their ballots in the election’s first round at a polling station at the French embassy.

Adrien Gontier said he was fulfilling his duty as a citizen.

“In the United States, you can see what happens when people don’t vote, or vote badly,” he said. “We don’t want there to be a Trump in France.”

US President Donald Trump’s election in November on the heels of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union has prompted concern among critics that the French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen could be next to victory.

Another voter, Marianne Hart, said she believes absentee voting will influence the elections.

“Everyone who lives abroad or has experienced it has a more open-minded view of the world,” she said.

A total of 119,773 French voters are registered in the United States, including 11,242 in Washington, 30 percent more than for the first round of the last presidential elections in 2012, according to the embassy.

Security measures have been strengthened at the 69 polling stations across the country, it said, following a jihadist’s killing of a policeman in Paris this week that put the country on edge.

‘Against the extreme right’

In France, nearly a quarter of voters are still undecided, and surveys showed that the French have been more concerned until now about jobs and the economy than terrorism.

But analysts warned that the policeman’s killing could shift opinions, possibly handing an advantage to candidates seen as taking a hard line on security, such as Le Pen.

She and 39-year-old centrist former banker Emmanuel Macron are leading the polls, but the race has tightened in the final days and any one of four candidates could reach the runoff vote on May 7.

In the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, voters cast their ballots at a polling station in the French embassy, housed in the grandiose Ortiz Basualdo Palace.

Retired doctor Pierre Aguerre, 78, said he was taking part “against the extreme right.”

“This is an important moment in the history of France,” he said.

“A lot of people have come to vote,” his wife, Noemie Nabel, 75, said. “I think the attacks have mobilized people.”

Caroline Rostain, 41, said she was surprised by a campaign that included corruption allegations and fluctuating polls.

“I was disappointed by so much lack of transparency and ethics during the campaign,” she said. “I think we’re lagging behind our European neighbors.”

Chinese passenger-car sales have quadrupled over the past 10 years to 24.38 million last year, having become the world’s biggest market in 2009.

But with Chinese economic growth moderating, one question being asked at the Shanghai Auto Show is: where in Asia can carmakers look for the next boom?

“There is a challenge to seek growth where the growth is. You look at countries that are less equipped and are in the process of growth or acceleration,” said Marc Boilard, industry analyst at the firm Oliver Wyman.

Southeast Asia’s potential remains significant, with more than 600 million people, solid economic growth and just 2.1 million passenger vehicles sold last year in the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

But carmakers say issues such as import taxes, regional dominance by Japanese manufacturers and lagging infrastructure work against broad-based growth.

ASEAN “is a market that is closed, where import taxes are very high”, making it necessary to invest in local manufacturing, said Carlos Tavares, chairman of France’s PSA, which produces Peugeot and Citroen.

Indonesia has 250 million people, but US automaker Ford pulled out last year in the face of Japanese firms’ more than 90 percent market share, said David Schoch, CEO of Ford China.

“When I sit back and look at it, and think about electrification, smart mobility, and where the industry is going … where are you going to place your bet?” Schoch said.

Ford has announced plans to double down on China, where electric-vehicle and SUV sales continue to surge.

“Although Indonesia represents a fairly large market and is growing, again, we couldn’t see a way forward that we could be successful there,” Schoch said.

Vietnam holds potential with more than 90 million people and less than 30 vehicles per 1,000, compared with China’s 120 and 800 in the United States.

“The only downside, however, is that these markets have been dominated by the Japanese for a very long time,” said Fran�ois Jaumain of PwC Autofacts.

Japanese carmakers account for 71 percent of sales in Thailand and 59 percent in Vietnam, according to PwC.

PSA, whose China sales plunged 16 percent last year, plans to target five percent of Vietnam’s passenger-car volume, which reached just 158,000 last year.

It also is pursuing a strategic partnership with Proton, the struggling national carmaker of Malaysia, where half a million cars were sold last year.

Infrastructure development, which helped facilitate China’s private-car boom, has not kept up in Southeast Asia.

Sebastien Amichi of consultancy Roland Berger said: “We’ve been talking a long time about the ‘new dragons’, which have had difficulty taking off.

“When we take these countries together, Southeast Asia could be a good growth area, if the infrastructure and banking networks are set up effectively.”

The rallies were staged as parliament began reviewing controversial bills which are designed to stop the struggling pension system from collapsing but are expected to hit nearly 500,000 civil servants and teachers.

Several lawmakers and politicians said they were pushed, punched and had water splashed on them as they tried to enter the legislative complex in central Taipei, which was guarded by barbed-wire barricades and a heavy police presence.

President Tsai Ing-wen vowed to press ahead with the changes despite a recent string of protests and said her government would not tolerate violence.

“Intentionally causing conflicts will not deter the (government’s) determination for reforms… our urgent task is to bring the pension system back from the brink of bankrupcy,” she told reporters.

Anger has been mounting among public-sector workers and retirees as the government unveiled draft bills aimed at reducing their pensions and phasing out a special savings rate for them which pays 18 percent interest.

The government has warned that various pension funds are likely to go bankrupt within three to 14 years unless the system is overhauled.

More than 100,000 civil servants, teachers and servicemen demonstrated last year against the planned reforms — the largest street protest since Tsai became president.

There was also chaos inside parliament Wednesday as opposition lawmakers temporarily seized the podium and demanded the government hold public hearings on the issue.

The pension issue is the latest challenge to Tsai, who has seen her popularity ratings fall rapidly since taking the helm in May last year as her government tackles a range of domestic issues — from gay marriage to judicial reform.

The Pension Reform Oversight Alliance, an organiser of Wednesday’s protests, criticised the government’s “rough and irresponsible” methods and vowed to stage bigger demonstrations.

“The Tsai government blames us but it is their incompetence that is forcing many people, not just civil servants and teachers, to take to the streets,” said Lee Lai-hsi, a spokesman for the alliance.

Last December parliament plunged into chaos with opposing lawmakers brawling in the chamber while labour activists set off smoke bombs outside in protest at proposed holiday cuts.

Taiwan’s parliament, once notorious for its mass brawls, had been relatively peaceful under the previous government, except for fights over a contentious China trade pact and a new nuclear plant.

Taiwan’s pension schemes vary for different occupations. Public-sector retirees typically receive more generous packages than other workers.

The government also aims to improve the pension system for around 10 million non-public sector workers in its reform bills.

Essentially an Internet Age twist on car rentals, car-sharing is attracting Chinese millennials who increasingly demand mobility but shun the burden of auto ownership.

Long, 20, drives himself to school for around 50 yuan ($7) using EVCARD, a service launched by state-owned automaker SAIC Motor that has compact electric vehicles sprinkled around the city, slashing his travel time and costing one-quarter the taxi fare.

“It is cheaper and more convenient and very flexible. I’ll choose EVCARD as my primary mode of transport almost every time,” said Long.

After years of skyrocketing China sales, the global auto industry is contemplating slower growth as it convenes this week for the Shanghai Auto Show, putting alternative sales channels like car-sharing in focus.

Long-established in Western countries, such services only began appearing in China in the past two years, but are part of an ongoing Chinese personal-mobility revolution.

Already bike-sharing businesses have exploded across China, flooding major cities with bicycles that are unlocked by GPS using an app, can be left anywhere and have become critical to countless commutes.

Similarly, drivers typically use a smartphone app to find and unlock shared cars, later parking them anywhere or at set locations.

Dozens of Chinese and foreign companies have now either launched or invested in car-sharing operations, with some making purpose-built cars.

Germany-based consultancy Roland Berger forecasts annual market growth of at least 45 percent.

“That is a significant growth opportunity (for manufacturers). There are only a few hundred thousand cars now, but it’s growing and it’s growing very quickly,” said Johan Karlberg, a Shanghai-based partner with Roland Berger.

– Driving new sales –

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German giant Daimler launched a car-sharing service last year that has since expanded to seven cities, gaining more than 250,000 registered users, the company said.

Jochem Heizmann, China CEO for Volkswagen, the country’s top car brand, told reporters in Shanghai VW would partner with Chinese car-sharing operator Shouqi in multiple cities, partly to boost electric-vehicle sales.

“You have to see the development of such fleets as sales channels,” he stressed.

Lynk & Co — a new unit of Chinese automaker Geely, which owns Volvo — unveiled in Shanghai two SUVs with built-in touch-screen sharing software developed with Microsoft and Sweden’s Ericsson.

“Communities”, such as companies or residential developments, can jointly purchase vehicles to share, or owners can share their car for a fee with other drivers who join Lynk & Co’s network, said Alain Visser, the company’s senior vice president.

“It becomes an interesting concept because sharing can reduce the cost of ownership,” he told AFP.

Lynk & Co also is partnering with TripAdvisor and Tujia — China’s Airbnb — on a proposed system combining shared accommodation and cars.

“Instead of entering the (car-sharing) market once it becomes big, we want to make it big,” Visser said.

Bill Russo, head of Shanghai-based consultancy Gao Feng, said such services will guide auto manufacturing in future.

“You may build them to entertain people in the backseat, or to provide more connectivity so people can be productive. We’ll see this segment influence specifications,” he said.

China’s central government and many local authorities are keen to reduce congestion and air pollution and have dangled various incentives for car-sharing, such as eased licensing requirements and guaranteed parking.

Further supporting car-sharing’s potential, countless Chinese face significant car-ownership hurdles, including cost, scarce parking and limits on car use in several major cities.

By 2020, China will have just 195 million cars for 355 million licensed drivers, Roland Berger estimates.

“Many middle-class families that can afford a second car are opting not to. It’s a real hassle,” said Karlberg.

High start-up costs and other hurdles in the fledgling car-share industry mean no one is making money yet, analysts say.

But they expect the growing numbers of industry entrants soon to consolidate into a solid few able to run sustainable businesses, perhaps in partnership with government.

Britain’s second female leader after fellow Conservative Margaret Thatcher, May took over the helm of government in July last year after the country’s shock vote to leave the European Union after four decades of membership.

She was officially — but unenthusiastically — in favour of Britain staying in the European Union and had kept a low profile throughout the often poisonous and polarising campaign.

But after stepping into the political vacuum left by David Cameron’s decision to quit — becoming prime minister without winning an election — her constant refrain was “Brexit means Brexit”.

She faced a struggle to keep together a country deeply divided by the referendum, with Scotland planning to hold a new referendum on its independence.

After formally launching the divorce process from the European Union in late March, May insisted there could be “no turning back” from the historic decision and appealed for national unity.

“We need a general election and we need one now. We have at this moment a one-off chance to get this done… before the detailed talks begin,” said May in a dramatic announcement outside her Downing Street residence.

‘Bloody difficult woman’

The clergyman’s daughter was once labelled by senior Conservative Kenneth Clarke in an unguarded moment, a “bloody difficult woman.” But the 60-year-old claimed this was the very quality which would stand her in good stead for the battles ahead.

May was born Theresa Brasier in the southern English seaside town of Eastbourne in 1956. Her father Hubert was an Anglican clergyman, one of several points which has drawn comparisons between May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Her education — at a series of little-known state and private schools — has been contrasted with the elite Etonian background of Cameron and many in his so-called “Notting Hill Set” circle.

Like Cameron, she attended Oxford University but kept a low profile. It was here that she met her husband Philip, a banker – they were reportedly introduced by Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto.

The couple married in 1980 but were unable to have children. May’s rival Andrea Leadsom withdrew from the leadership race two days after comments were published suggesting this made her less qualified to be prime minister.

‘The nasty party’

May worked in finance, including at the Bank of England, before being elected as MP for the London commuter town of Maidenhead in 1997.

As Conservative chairwoman in 2002, she made waves by suggesting the Tories were seen as “the nasty party” and needed to overhaul their image – although under Cameron’s leadership, they did so.

When the Conservatives won the 2010 general election, May was named home secretary, seen as one of the hardest jobs in government which has wrecked a string of other political careers.

But May kept the job for six years — the longest serving interior minister since 1892. Supporters say her achievements in that post include deporting radical cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan — where he was later freed after a decade of legal cases — and standing up to the Police Federation, the powerful police officers union, to try to address a string of scandals.

In 2013, May revealed she has type 1 diabetes but insisted it would not affect her career, saying it was a question of “head down and getting on with it”.

While widely respected, she is not part of any clique in the corridors of power in Westminster, acknowledging that she does not drink in parliament’s many bars or “gossip about people over lunch”.

A source who has worked closely with her once told AFP on condition of anonymity that she was “incredibly hard-working”.

“She’s always got up three hours before everybody else and knows five times more than anyone else in the room,” the source said.

“Theresa is not going to do anything radical … she’s incredibly risk-averse, a safe pair of hands.”May has little time for hobbies but is well known for her collection of leopard-print kitten heels and enjoys cooking and taking walking holidays with her husband.//AFP

“We need a general election and we need one now. We have at this moment a one-off chance to get this done… before the detailed talks begin,” said May in a policy U-turn that caught everyone off-guard.

Speaking outside her Downing Street residence in London, May warned that “division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit”. She said parliament would be asked to vote Wednesday to decide on whether or not to hold an election. May justified her change of heart, saying: “I concluded the only way to guarantee certainty and security for years ahead is to hold this election.

” The dramatic announcement caps nearly a year of tumult in British politics following the Brexit vote in June 2016 that included the resignation of May’s predecessor David Cameron and her rapid rise to power last year. A round of opinion polls over the Easter weekend also showed her Conservative Party far ahead of the main opposition Labour Party.

The Conservatives polled at between 38 percent and 46 percent, with Labour at 23 percent to 29 percent, according to the polls by YouGov, ComRes and Opinium. The poll lead had prompted many senior Conservatives to call for an election, particularly as May will need a strong parliamentary majority as she seeks to negotiate Brexit.

The Conservatives currently have a majority of just 17 from the last election in 2015 and some of their MPs have indicated they could vote against the government on key aspects of Brexit legislation.

“Our opponents believe because the government’s majority is so small that our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change. They are wrong,” May said on Tuesday.

‘Damaging cuts’

EU leaders except May are set to hold a summit on April 29 where they will agree on the strategy for negotiating Britain’s expected departure in 2019. The negotiations themselves are not expected to start until May or June at the earliest. The European Commission has said it wants the exit talks to be concluded by October 2018 at the latest and stressed in an initial reaction to May’s shock announcement that the plans were unchanged.

Britain’s next election was due to have been held in 2020 — a date enshrined in legislation according to which elections have to be held every five years in May. But the law can be overruled if two-thirds of lawmakers in the British parliament vote in favour of early elections — and main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Tuesday he would back May’s call.

“Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS,” he said in a statement.

“We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain.”

‘Nasty party’

Corbyn, a veteran socialist with support on the left of the party, won the Labour leadership in September 2015 after the party’s defeat in that year’s election. The 67-year-old enjoys grassroots support from left-wingers but is opposed by most of the party’s more centrist lawmakers, who say that Labour under his leadership is not appealing to the middle classes.

May in contrast has scored consistently well in terms of personal popularity, and polls have shown approval of her handling of the run-up to Brexit negotiations. When asked who they thought would be the best prime minister, 50 percent of respondents in the YouGov poll named May and only 14 percent opted for Corbyn.

May came to power in July 2016 following the resignation of Cameron, who had campaigned for Britain to stay in the European Union. The 60-year-old vicar’s daughter is Britain’s second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher and many commentators have drawn comparisons to the steely determination of the “Iron Lady”.

She worked in finance, including at the Bank of England, before being elected as MP for the London commuter town of Maidenhead in 1997. As Conservative chairwoman in 2002, she made waves by suggesting the Tories were seen as “the nasty party” and needed to overhaul their image — something that they did under Cameron’s leadership. When the Conservatives won the 2010 general election, May was named home secretary, one of the hardest jobs in government which has wrecked a string of other political careers.

This year, Mars – the American global manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products – will open a center in Russia for studying pet food (Pet Centre). The news was announced by Alexander Zobkov, corporate relations manager at Mars, during a meeting with authorities from Russia’s Ulyanovsk Region at the American Chamber of Commerce in Moscow on April 10. According to Zobkov, the project will cost 782 million rubles ($13.7 million).

The new research center will “hire” 260 cats and 100 dogs from special catteries and kennels, located in Moscow region. The researchers will deal with nutrition, study cat and dog food’s palatability, and will gather information for preparing pet food.

The research center in Ulyanovsk will be the fourth Mars center of its kind in the world and the first in Russia. One center operates in the U.S. and two in Europe.

Mars already owns nine factories in Russia, including in Ulyanovsk, which produce chocolate bars (Mars, Milky Way, Snickers, Bounty, and other brands) and pet food (Pedigree, Whiskas, Kitekat, Chappi, Sheba, Perfectfit, RoyalCanin). The company is currently building its tenth Russian factory in the Rostov Region.

Mars owns two plants in Ulyanovsk and employs 600 people in total. In Zobkov’s words, the Ulyanovsk plant is a strategic hub for the company. Mars chocolate bars produced in Ulyanovsk are shipped to nations in the Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as North Africa and the Middle East.

Russia’s new military base – Arctic Shamrock – is situated in the far north Arctic on the island of Alexandra Land, which is part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

The base can house up to 150 personnel for more than 18 months at a time, has an autonomous power unit, and is totally independent from the outside world.

Unfortunately, visitors may only view the non-secret parts of the military base, such as rooms for accommodation, the officers’ canteen, a gym, and concert halls.

Other military infrastructure – specialized warehouses and storage facilities – can only be visited with a special permit.

Russia’s Arctic Shamrock military base on Alexandra Land. Source: Vadim Savitskii/RIA Novosti

This is Russia’s second military base of this kind. The first one – called Northern Clover – is located on Kotelny Island in the New Siberian Islands archipelago.

Viktor Litovkin, a military observer at the TASS news agency, told Sputnik that these bases are needed for three main reasons: To insure Russia controls the Northern Sea Route, to protect the resource rich region, and to monitor other countries’s military activity in the Arctics.

He got 5 per cent of the total “yes” votes in the online survey, which asked readers to vote for who should be included on TIME’s list of the world’s most influential people.

Duterte bested other world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, each of whom received 3 per cent of the yes votes.

Malacañang, the Presidential Palace, was elated by the news.

“What makes President Rodrigo R. Duterte so admired by Filipinos and international leaders alike is his national agenda – he has prioritised public interest first and foremost, especially the needs and aspirations of the poor and common people,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

Faithful servant

“With or without the distinction, the President continues to be a hardworking government worker and faithful servant of the Filipino people. In positive terms, he has a simple three-point agenda: prosperity for all; restore trust in government; build a fair and equitable society,” Abella said.

“Indeed, Filipinos find in the President a kindred spirit – a leader who acts for the common good,” he added.

TIME will announce its official 100 Most Influential List – selected by the magazine’s editors – on Thursday.

TIME was one of the first international publications that criticised Duterte’s brutal war on drugs, with a cover article in September titled “Night Falls on the Philippines.”

At the time, more than 3,000 drug suspects had been killed by police and unknown assailants in Duterte’s crackdown on narcotics.

To date, the body count has risen to more than 8,000, according to the international news agency Reuters, whose tally is disputed by the Philippine National Police.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is not surprised that Duterte has topped the TIME readers’ poll, but he thinks Malacañang has not handled well the job of boosting the President’s image.

“What else is new? He really has the genuine support of the masses. You know he’s a different breed,” Piñol said, referring to Duterte.

“Like him or hate him, he is a different kind of person and he is making waves in international news,” Piñol said.

Media operations

But Piñol, who was in the Senate on Monday for a hearing, complained that the Palace has not organised well its media operations and has not done a good job in boosting Duterte’s image.

“Their operations are weak. They are left behind when it comes to releasing news about the President. Independent media [are] always the first to report before the Palace,” Piñol, a former journalist, told reporters.

Malacañang is also equally slow in releasing Palace photographs, he added.

“They can’t organise very well the media operations of Malacañang, how much more a popularity contest that has nothing to do with governance?” he said.

Noting he had been “honest” about his opinions, he said he had relayed this to both Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Press Secretary Martin Andanar.

Piñol said he had told Andanar that the slow release of Palace news had resulted in the Palace issuing denials or corrections rather than giving the official version of the story.

Asked whether he meant the Palace always ended up on the defensive, he said: “That’s somehow what I feel.”

Good stories

Piñol said there were a lot of good stories that were not covered extensively by the media, such as out-of-town appearances of Duterte.

He said this did “not give justice to the programmes that (the President) is doing for the Filipino people.”

Piñol said the press was more keen on reporting Duterte’s cursing and his remarks about his war on drugs, which always make it to the front pages.

“The President goes to Basilan to give boats but the media does not care about it,” he said.