August 30, 2013 Edition

British lawmakers reject their government’s call for strikes against the chemical-armed Syrian regime Thursday, leaving the United States to act alone. Following the House of Commons vote defying British Prime Minister David Cameron’s bid to win support for military intervention, he says, “It is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action. I get that and the government will act accordingly.”But the White House says US President Barack Obama’s decision on Syria will be “guided by what is in the best interests of the United States. ” Earlier, envoys from the permanent five members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — met at UN headquarters in New York. The 45-minute meeting was the second since Britain proposed a draft resolution to permit “all necessary measures” to protect Syrian civilians after a suspected chemical weapons attack last week. Earlier in the week, reports suggested that a Western strike was imminent.US warships armed with cruise missiles converge on the eastern Mediterranean, and US military officials say they are ready to strike if Obama gives the order.

Read more on Rappler and WSJ

The Philippines remains the best performing country in Southeast Asia, beating Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand with its 7.5% GDP in the second quarter. The country is poised to exceed the target of 6 to 7% full year growth for 2013. Driven by the resilient services sector and improvements in manufacturing, Socioeconomic planning secretary Arsenio Balisacan says the Philippines’ April-to-June economic expansion is at par with the growth of regional powerhouse China. Meanwhile, the US economy grows 2.5% in the second quarter, faster than the original estimate of 1.7%. The Commerce Department says stronger consumer spending and exports fueled the boost, while imports grew more slowly than originally estimated.

Read more on PH GDP growth and US GDP Growth

Wearing a bullet-proof vest, pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles is transferred to the Makati City jail Thursday night from Camp Crame. She was accompanied by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima, and other officials. Napoles was brought to an air-conditioned office, not a cell, for “security reasons.” Facing the media an hour after Napoles was jailed, her lawyer Lorna Kapunan says her client was very emotional but held back tears. Kapunan says the threats against her client and her family were real, adding, “The threat is not imagined… the plate numbers of cars, the children are being tracked. We worry about people not in uniform following her.” Kapunan says Napoles “from day one…has said she will tell the truth” and would appear before any investigating body. A Makati Court scheduled a September 9 arraignment for Napoles. On Wednesday, Napoles surrendered to President Benigno Aquino in Malacanang, a move widely criticized in social media as indicative of special treatment to the fugitive wanted for 2 weeks.

Read more on Rappler.

Read other related stories – Napoles moved to Makati City Jail and Napoles surrenders in Malacanang.

There was euphoria on social media Wednesday night when news broke of the surrender of pork barrel queen Janet Napoles. It was short-lived though, when details of the surrender surfaced. Based on a scan of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, news sites and comments from 9:30pm to midnight, August 28, Twitter came alive with 23,000 online mentions. But when netizens learned Napoles surrendered to Aquino in Malacanang Palace, many thought it was not appropriate, with some accusing the government of giving her “special treatment” by guaranteeing her security. Netizens also reacted when Interior Secretary Mar Roxas mentioned the possibility of turning Napoles into a state witness. As of 6pm on August 29, 60% of the sentiment is negative. The other 40% is positive largely because they believe that if Napoles turns state witness, the public will learn more about the masterminds behind the pork barrel scam.

Read more on Rappler.

More of the conversations found here.

The Philippines saw what a Facebook post can do on Monday, after tens of thousands of people held nationwide rallies against pork barrel abuse in what came to be known as the #MillionPeopleMarch. It was a historic first for being a leaderless, social-media driven rally organized around issues and ideas instead of personalities. But people are now asking: what’s next? UP Diliman sociology professor Nicole Curato says the challenge now is to identify concrete objectives. For Ateneo School of Government Dean Tony La Viña, the latest developments — including the surrender of Janet Napoles — provide a clearer focus. He says it’s now moving towards prosecuting and holding those involved in the scam liable. He adds, “It’s easier to target than try to target something very abstract like pork barrel. You’re actually directing your efforts at getting some very high up personalities to be snared in this.” They agree one of the key first steps is to pass the Freedom of Information Act.

Read more on Rappler.

Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel will discuss expanding the US military’s presence in the Philippines in a visit to the country Friday. Hagel flew into Manila Thursday amid fresh strains between the Philippines and China over disputes in the South China Sea. Philippine President Benigno Aquino called off a visit to Beijing next week at China’s request. Manila seeks military assistance from Washington, including ships and radar, to better monitor coastal waters against an increasingly aggressive China at sea. During his visit, Hagel is expected to discuss a proposed agreement to permit more American troops, ships and aircraft to pass through the Philippines on temporary deployments.

Read more on Rappler.

The wildfire threatening Yosemite National Park spreads further into the US tourist landmark. The Rim Fire, which has grown to become California’s sixth biggest wildfire ever, now covers more than 300 square miles. It also threatens San Francisco’s water supply because of ash falling on a key reservoir. The blaze started west of the park on August 17.On Wednesday, it forced the closure of a second main road into the national park. A surge of visitors is typically expected over this weekend’s Labor Day holiday at Yosemite, which draws millions of tourists every year. By Thursday the fire burned through some 45,000 acres inside the park. Officials though say there’s no risk it will reach Yosemite Valley, the park’s main tourist area.

Read full story on Rappler.

A new theory says life on Earth was kick-started because of a key mineral deposited by a meteorite from Mars. The vital ingredient is an oxidized mineral form of the element molybdenum, which helped prevent carbon molecules — the building blocks of life — from degrading. The idea comes from Steven Benner, a professor at the Westheimer Institute for Science and Technology in Gainesville, Florida. Benner says the oxidized form of molybdenum couldn’t have been available on Earth at the time life first began, but Mars did. In this violent epoch of the Solar System, planets were pounded by comets and asteroids. The impacts would have caused Martian rubble to bounce into space until eventually being captured by Earth’s gravity. Recent analysis of a Martian meteorite shows the presence of molybdenum and boron, an element that would also have helped nurture life by helping protect RNA from the corrosive effects of water. Benner says, “The evidence seems to be building that we are actually all Martians, that life started on Mars and came to Earth on a rock.”

Read more on Rappler.

An Indonesian rights commissioner joins the opposition against hosting the Miss World contest, saying the country should protect youth from being “poisoned” by foreign influences. The UK-based organizers of the beauty pageant face opposition from Islamic hardline groups in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, even after they agreed to scrap bikinis in the beachwear round and use traditional sarongs. Commissioner Maneger Nasution says, “We should not put women’s bodies on display like a storefront, as if they are nothing but a commercial product.” Police on the resort island of Bali, where the activities begin on September 8, deploy 1,000 officers to secure the event and escort contestants. The final will be held on September 28 on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta. Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika defends the event, saying there was “no good reason to reject the Miss World contest,” adding the event would promote tourism.

Read more on Rappler.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin splits up with his wife Anne Wojcicki after 6 years of marriage. Stories of the split circulated after technology new website AllThingsD first reported that the couple was living apart.The website says Brin is romantically involved with a 26-year-old member of the Google Glass team.  The man she was dating was Hugo Barra, one of Google’s faces for its Android initiatives, announced he would leave Google for China’s Xiaomi. The BBC reports his move is unrelated to personal issue. California-based Google declined to comment on the Brin breakup other than to confirm an amicable parting took place. The 40-year-old Google co-founder heads a special Google unit devoted to unusual projects such as self-driving cars and Internet-linked eyewear. The development is not expected to affect the running of the Internet giant since the couple was said to have inked a pre-nuptial agreement on how a split would be handled. Brin and Wojcicki have a son and a daughter.

Read more on Rappler, All Things D and BBC.