July 09, 2012 Edition

With a score of 93.10, Boracay has bested Santorini and Bali in go-to island destinations in the world. This was based on an annual survey of American travel magazine Travel+Leisure, which saw Boracay taking a leap from its previous No. 4 slot in the 2011 survey. “Barefoot elegance is the prevailing vibe on this tiny island, where the two-and-a-half-mile stretch known as White Beach is often singled out for having the softest sand in the world,” the travel magazine said of Boracay. Survey respondents were asked to rank their favorite islands on the basis of natural attractions, activities/sights, restaurants/food, people, and value. Awards will be given on July 14 in Los Angeles.

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Other details are available on Travel+Leisure. 

Monday, July 9, marks a historic day for Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she takes her seat as an elected official in parliament. She will join other members of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), who transform from dissidents to mainstream political players. She was unable to make her parliamentary debut last week to recover from a gruelling European tour and to visit her constituents. The 67-year-old activist, one of NLD’s lower house members of parliament, assumes office amid what has been described as “confidence building with military representatives.” The shift from protest to mainstream politics also comes as a result of sweeping changes by a new regime that has released political prisoners and called for ceasefires with ethnic rebel groups.

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Ernest Borgnine, the Oscar-winning actor, died of renal failure Sunday, July 8, in a Los Angeles hospital with his family by his side. He was 95. Borgnine won an Oscar in 1955 for his role as a shy butcher in love in the movie, “Marty.” He was primarily known for his supporting roles in comedies such as “McHale’s Navy” and dramas like the World War II film, “The Dirty Dozen.” In a previous interview, he advised aspiring actors to “get a real job before you try to get an acting job.” He also said, “Learn about life and then learn your craft.”

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Other details are available from BBCNews. 

Nations from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and their counterparts are meeting on Monday, July 9, in Cambodia to discuss how to ease tensions in the South China Sea. The Asean Regional Forum that brings together foreign ministers from the 10-member Asean and other representatives from China, Japan, and the Koreas, among others, are expected to step closer to resolving disputes in the South China Sea, a contested area in the region. China, however, has preferred to deal with claimants individually.

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The deal involving the second largest media firm, GMA-7, and TV-5, the third biggest and chaired by businessman Manuel V Pangilinan, will cost an estimated P52.5 billion. Once it is sealed, the deal will grant the Pangilinan group an 80% controlling share in GMA Network Inc. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, citing sources familiar with the discussions, reported that Pangilinan’s Mediaquest Holdings Inc is in the process of setting up bank financing, equity shares for a possible share swap, and the issuance of Philippine depository receipts. Pangilinan earlier said the deal could be sealed this year and that they can pay in cash.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Nonito Donaire Jr won over South African boxer Jeffrey Mathebula on Sunday, July 8, to retain the World Boxing Organization crown he won in February. He won unanimously with the judges scoring 117-110, 118-109 and 119-108. He won his 28^th straight fight in a streak that dates back to 2001. While Donaire, hailed as “the next Manny Pacquiao” improved to 29-1 with 18 knockouts, Mathebula dropped to 26-4 with two draws and 14 knockouts. The title-holder said in an interview after the fight, “One more belt, and I’m good to go to 126.”

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Roger Federer won his 7^th Wimbledon title and 17^th Grand Slam crown on Sunday, July 8, to join the ranks of Pete Sampras and William Renshaw as 7-time champion. The Swiss tennis great defeated Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, dashing Britain’s 76-year wait for an All England Club men’s champion. Federer is also just the third man over 30 to win the coveted Wimbledon crown – after Rod Laver in 1969 and Arthur Ashe in 1975. The 25-year-old Murray was the stronger player in the opening exchanges but momentum shifted in the early stages of the 3^rd set. Even the presence of British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Beckhams failed to sustain Murray through the tougher sets.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Read more on BBCNews. 

Other details are on CNN. 

A total of P2.39 billion in funds will be released by the Department of Budget and Management to facilitate work on various road projects under the administration’s Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) program. Close to P260 million has been earmarked for the Daang Hari Road Project, a 4-kilometer, 4-lane toll road – also the first PPP project the Aquino government was able to bid out. A bigger amount, over P284 million, has been allocated for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway Project that will connect the airport to Pagcor Entertainment City, an upcoming tourism and casino hub. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said in a statement the fund releases will be made to the Public Works department so that work on “the preliminary requirements for projects [will] facilitate quicker and more efficient project execution.”

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Malacañang released a new mining executive order (EO) on Monday, July 9, that, among others, imposes a moratorium on the approval of new mineral agreements until legislation that rationalizes existing revenue-sharing schemes and mechanisms take effect. All existing mining contracts approved before the EO takes effect are, however, considered valid. This does not preclude the environment department from reviewing existing mining contracts and agreements for possible renegotiation of terms and conditions which should be mutually acceptable to the government and the mining contractor. The EO likewise emphasizes the primacy of national laws and directs local government units to conform to the decisions and policies of the national government.

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It’s the next best thing to being on Mars – that’s seeing a panoramic view of new tracks and an old impact crater on the Red Planet. Over a period of 4 months, the panoramic camera Pancam mounted on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took a total of 817 images. The panoramic scene that fuses together all the images shows a “spectacularly detailed view of the largest impact crater that we’ve driven to yet with Rover over the course of the mission,” Pancam lead scientist Jim Bell of Arizona State University, Tempe said. July 2 marked Rover Opportunity’s 3,000^th Martian day, while the US space agency marked its 15^th year of robotic presence on the Red Planet.

Read the full story on Rappler.