July 23, 2012 Edition

More than 2 years into his term, the Philippines boasts of having the second fastest growth rate in the region next only to China. It has also achieved a low budget deficit and improved revenue collection, which have earned it credit rating upgrades and provided more jobs. In September 2010, 9 million families considered themselves poor, compared to 10.3 million in May 2012. In April 2010, there were 35.4 million working Filipinos as compared to 37.8 million in April 2012. But the number of underemployed rose from 6.3 million to 7.3 million. Total revenue collection has risen to over P645 billion in May 2012 as compared to P500 billion for the full year 2010. The budget deficit from January-May 2012 is pegged at P22.8 billion as compared to P162 billion for the same period in 2010. Government debt has continued to rise in the last few years though at a slower pace during Aquino’s term.

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A key ally of President Benigno Aquino III urged him to reassure the public during his State of the Nation Address that government was in control of the situation in the South China Sea. Sen Francis “Chiz” Escudero said Mr Aquino “must assure the public that the tensions will not escalate any further.” The dispute between Manila and Beijing has escalated since April over the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea over nearly all of which China claims sovereignty. It is believed to hold rich resources of oil and gas, and is one of the region’s most important fishing grounds. Escudero said that while the President must give a form of assurance or address the issue, he must do so without “fanning the flames of misunderstanding.”

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The Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws won 48-46 over the De La Salle Green Archers, while the Ateneo Blue Eagles routed the National University Bulldogs 89-65 in the 75^th UAAP men’s basketball tournament Sunday, July 22. With 46.7 seconds remaining on the clock, FEU sophomore Mike Tolomia scored with a fadeaway jumper, before Archer Almond Vosotros’s ball bounced off the rim. Tolomia’s jumper secured the Tamaraws’ victory. The Eagles meanwhile returned from their first loss with Nico Salva leading the scoring at 21 points, followed by Kiefer Ravena with 17. FEU remains undefeated with a 2-0 slate.

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Forces loyal to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a new assault on rebels in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday, July 22, even as clashes raged in the city of Aleppo. Assad’s younger brother Maher led the Fourth Brigade offensive in Barzeh, forcing residents to flee. “Regime forces are using helicopters to pound the Barzeh district…Families are trying to flee their homes, but it is difficult to get out of the neighborhood. It is surrounded, and violence on the edges is intense,” activist Abu Omar told Agence France-Presse. General Mustafa al-Sheikh, military council head of the rebel Free Syrian Army said, “The regime is collapsing, the speed at which it is falling has increased. That means it will use greater violence in order to try and save itself.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 19,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011.

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Other details are available from the BBCNews. 

Norwegians held a memorial ceremony on Sunday, July 22, to mark a year since right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik gunned down 69 people in a summer camp on the island of Utoeya in Norway. The summer camp was attended by members of the Labor Youth League. Breivik’s campaign started in Oslo where he set off a bomb outside the main government building before proceeding to Utoeya where he went on a shooting spree. Breivik said he carried out the attacks to protect Norway from a Muslim invasion and targeted the Labor Party because of its immigration policies and its support for a multicultural society.

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James Holmes, the 24-year-old suspect in the killing of 12 moviegoers during the screening of the Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises,” tried to join a private gun club weeks ago but was denied. Glenn Rotkovich, the owner of gun club Lead Valley Range in Aurora, Colorado, told FoxNews that when he called Holmes after receiving his application for membership, he was greeted by a “bizaare and creepy” voicemail greeting. “If I’d seen the movies, maybe I’d say it was like the Joker,” Rotkovich said. In his application, Holmes said he had no convictions for domestic violence, had no pending criminal charges, was not using illegal drugs, and was not prohibited by the law from possessing firearms. Among those who died were a 6-year-old girl and two US military servicemen.

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The heaviest rainfall since 1951 killed at least 37 people and forced the evacuation of 50,000 in Beijing, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. More than 6 inches of rain fell overnight Saturday into Sunday, July 22, leaving about 80,000 passengers at the Beijing International Airport stranded overnight. About 500 international flights were cancelled as a result of fierce thunderstorms. Rains started pouring at noon of Saturday and stretched into the early morning of Sunday. Among those who died were a police officer who was electrocuted by a falling power line and another who was hit by lightning. Meteorologists warned of more stormy weather in the coming days.

Read the full story in the New York Times. 

More details are available on BBCNews. 

Chirp, a new application developed by Animal Systems, allows the transmission of data between smartphones through a burst of “digital birdsong.”  Chirp plays a two-second noise made by what sounds like a robotic bird; when heard by other devices, it triggers a download of data. Users can send pictures, website links or text messages no more than 140 characters in length. Chirp can send data to multiple devices at once without the need for pairing or a wireless connection. The app works by uploading material to the servers of Animal Systems. The data is then identified with a 50-bit address space. This location is then sent to the sender’s device, and when the user presses a button in the app, it plays an audio-recorded version of the address. For now Chirp is only available as an iPhone app.

Read the full story on BBCNews. 

Three-time Olympic track champion Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France on Sunday, July 22. He finished with a winning margin of 3 minutes and 21 seconds. “I don’t know what to say, I’ve had 24 hours for it to soak in,” the 32-year-old Wiggins was quoted as saying in BBC News. He began his sprint early and kept Slovakian Peter Sagan and Australian Matthew Goss at bay. The track champion crossed the line with his arms raised, having helped set up the sprint victory of compatriot Mark Cavendish who claimed a fourth consecutive final-stage victory. Wiggins said, “You never imagine it will happen to you but it’s amazing.”

Read the full story on the BBC. 

President Benigno Aquino III trumpeted his administration’s achievements on Monday, July 23, pointing to economic gains and increased basic services to Filipinos. In his much-applauded third State of the Nation Address, he said he increased the budget for education, health, housing and cash transfers for the poor. He added that now change is the “norm,” even as he urged final approval of the sin tax bill that could generate as much as P30 billion in annual revenues. Alluding to the Reproductive Health bill still pending in both Houses of Congress, the President said that responsible parenthood is the answer to the backlog in school buildings and classrooms. He also expressed confidence a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will soon be reached.

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Other related stories are available also on Rappler.

Read the President’s full State of the Nation Address here.

He touched on economic gains, the sin tax bill, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and the Mining Reform law.