January 2, 2014 Edition

Fireworks-related injuries during the New Year celebrations reached 804 cases Thursday, January 2. So far, the tally is about 10% lower than the 894 injuries recorded in the same period last year,Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Eric Tayag said on his Twitter account, @erictayagsays. Among the victims of the New Year revelry is a 16-year-old male bystander from Payatas, Quezon City, who lost his left eye due to the firecracker kwitis. The DOH is expected to provide the final tally of New Year injuries on January 5.

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South Sudan’s warring parties arrived in Addis Ababa Wednesday, January 1, for talks aimed at ending nearly 3 weeks of conflict that have left thousands dead, even as fighting continued in the world’s newest nation. Government and rebel negotiating teams had both arrived in the Ethiopian capital by Wednesday evening, a source close to the talks said. Ethiopia, which is brokering the talks, said they would focus on monitoring mechanisms for a ceasefire. The two sides will begin talks Thursday but formal negotiations may not open for several days, the country’s foreign minister said.

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The Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic, Jamal al-Jamal, was killed by a blast in his Prague residence on Wednesday, January 1, police said. Jamal, who took office in October, had only recently moved to the new residence on the northern outskirts of Prague. The Palestinian foreign ministry said the blast occurred on Wednesday morning as Jamal “was opening an old safe which had been brought from the previous embassy (building) to the new one.” The ministry added, “Minutes after opening the safe the explosion took place, causing serious injury to Ambassador Jamal who was taken to hospital and operated on.”

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Pope Francis on Wednesday called for greater solidarity in the world in his first New Year blessing as pontiff in front of crowds of pilgrims on St Peter’s Square. “We all have a responsibility to act so that the world may be a community of brothers who respect each other, who accept their diversity and who take care of one another,” the pope said on Catholic World Peace Day. The first pope from Latin America said violence and injustice “cannot leave us indifferent or immobile” and said 2014 should bring “a real commitment to build a society with more justice and more solidarity.” Francis said he hoped that greater “fraternity” and a “cry for peace” from war-torn parts of the world would encourage more dialogue and “tear down walls that prevent enemies from seeing each other as brothers.”

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Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla on Wednesday, January 1, pleaded with heavy users of electricity – starting with mall owners – to use generators until power rates stabilize in an effort to protect them from sudden price hikes if the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) were to become unstable. His proposal has not yet been discussed with Meralco’s customers, but he said he would meet with industrial and commercial customers in batches. A meeting with SM is expected this month. Petilla expressed confidence that mall owners would agree with his proposal, which is similar to what Mindanao has been doing. Mindanao deals with perpetual power outages. According to the records of DOE, major malls and shopping centers have a combined capacity of 236.39 MW.


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“The President spent a quiet and private New Year, taking a much needed rest and preparing for the great effort in 2014,” Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said in a statement on Wednesday, January 1. The Aquino government is expected to jumpstart the reconstruction of disaster-stricken areas after a succession of calamities in 2013. These include the Bohol quake, the Zamboanga siege, and Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Aquino went on vacation for 3 days in Baguio City before reporting back for work on December 30 to celebrate Rizal Day in Tarlac.

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Passengers will now be allowed to use phones and laptops to communicate and access the Internet during flights, budget carriers Cebu Pacific and Tigerair Philippines said Wednesday, January 1. Phone calls will be allowed only while the doors of the aircraft are still open. After doors close, only voice calls made via GSM OnBoard Aircraft devices will be allowed. Tigerair president and chief executive officer Olive Ramos however said implementation should have clear guidelines. The use of gadgets and phones, she said, “should not create annoying sound, noise or distraction during flight.”

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Marijuana users celebrated Wednesday as Colorado became the first US state to allow retail cannabis sales, putting it in the vanguard of efforts across the country to legalize the drug. The western state famous for its ski resorts and breathtaking mountain vistas has issued 348 retail licenses – including for small pot shops – than can sell up to 28 grams of pot to people aged 21 or older. Washington state on the Pacific Coast will follow Colorado several months from now, when it also allows stores to begin selling cannabis. As America’s attitudes on marijuana use evolve, Colorado and Washington legalized recreational consumption of the drug in November 2012 referendums, but the new rules coming into force allow cannabis shops.

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German racing legend Michael Schumacher was in “stable” condition on Wednesday, January 1, but entered the new year in an induced coma and a critical condition, reports said. He spent a 3rd night in a hospital after sustaining severe brain injuries from a skiing accident in the French Alps. Schumacher fell and hit his head on a rock on Sunday, his helmet cracking on impact. He remains in intensive care, even as doctors said on Tuesday, December 31, that he showed signs of improvement. The 7-time Formula One champion had quit the sport at the end of 2013. He remains in danger, doctors said.

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Additional details are on the BBC.

The first of January has seen some of the world’s important events in the past years. Among them are the discovery by Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi of the first asteriod which was named Ceres. It turned out to be the largest asteroid. More recently too, the Euro was introduced to the European Union in 1999, and Kofi Annan was named secretary-general of the United Nations in 1997. And in 1908, the Times Square ball drop in New York was first celebrated. It is an event that New Yorkers and tourists alike celebrate each year, except the war years of 1942 and 1942.

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