People power hits cell phones
The week's news at a glance.
Manila, Philippines
If Filipinos could vote with their cell phones, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would be in real trouble. Arroyo has been hounded by accusations of fraud in last spring’s election, which she won by just over 1 million votes. The key evidence is an audiotape on which she is heard asking the head of the electoral commission, “So, can I still win by 1 million votes?” Snippets of Arroyo’s conversation have been set to tunes like “Ice, Ice, Baby” and posted all over the Internet for easy downloading. Such audio clips have now become the most popular ring tones on Philippine cell phones. For now, at least, the political elite is sticking by Arroyo. Former president Fidel Ramos this week came out publicly in support of her, and the country’s influential Catholic bishops declined to support the opposition.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why UK scientists are trying to dim the Sun
In The Spotlight The UK has funded controversial geoengineering techniques that could prove helpful in slowing climate change
By Abby Wilson
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK