June 13, 2013 Edition

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima confirmed on Thursday, June 13, that the National Bureau Investigation (NBI) has recommended the filling of criminal and administrative charges against personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard involved in the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman. In a text message to reporters, De Lima also confirmed that she already submitted the NBI’s recommendation to President Benigno Aquino III. De Lima is currently in Europe on official business. The PCG admitted on May 10that its personnel shot dead a 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman, after his vessel sailed into Philippine waters.

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Whistleblower Edward Snowden has opened up further on the extent of United States’ surveillance capabilities, saying that the US has been infiltrating computer systems in China and Hong Kong for years as part of its widespread surveillance programs. In an interview with the South China Morning Post (SCMP) published Thursday, June 13, Snowden claimed the Prism program of the US National Securiy Agency (NSA) “extends to people and institutions in Hong Kong and mainland China.” Snowden showed the SCMP documents that showed the US agency has been hacking computers in Hong Kong and mainland China since 2009. Snowden, who was interviewed by the paper Wednesday, June 12, in an undisclosed location, also said these hacking targets are part of around 61,000 operations globally.

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Related story: Snowden vows more disclosures on US surveillance program  

North Korea on Thursday, June 13, blamed South Korean arrogance and deceit for the collapse of planned talks between the two rivals and warned that prospects for any future dialogue had been severely damaged. The two Koreas had initially agreed to hold their first high-level talks in six years in Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday(June 12 and 13) this week, but they were called off at the last minute following a dispute over protocol. The talks initiative had been seen as a step forward after months of soaring military tensions, but its collapse has instead resulted in a sizable backwards stride. Even the one positive development — the restoration of an inter-government hotline — seemed in doubt, with the North refusing to answer calls from the South since Wednesday morning.

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, June 12, said he would consider holding a referendum on plans to redevelop an Istanbul park that have sparked nationwide protests, in his first major concession in nearly two weeks of anti-government unrest. The gesture came as thousands gathered in the city’s Taksim Square, next to Gezi Park, for a 13th evening of demonstrations. The mood was subdued and peaceful, in stark contrast to the previous night when protesters fought running battles with riot police. A campaign to save Gezi Park’s trees from being razed to make way for a replica of Ottoman-era military barracks was met with a heavy-handed police response on May 31. The crackdown sparked a countrywide outpouring of anger against Erdogan, seen as increasingly authoritarian.

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Worried about latest exposes on U.S. government’s surveillance programs that expand monitoring to other nationalities, New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch urged U.S. Congress to “re-evaluate and rewrite surveillance laws.” The watchdog said the government’s surveillance practices already “impinge on privacy in ways unimaginable years ago.” It particularly identified the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court and the Patriot Act, which it said allow the government “too much latitude to engage in justifiably broad and arbitrary surveillance.” Aside from Snowden’s revelations, Human Rights Watch cited other reports disclosing the extent of government surveillance, including a Wall Street Journal report that the NSA is also collecting records from AT&T and Sprint, Internet service providers, and information about credit card transactions. It also cited a Washington Post report describing another program that supposedly requires “US Internet companies, including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft” to “facilitate collection of user data and monitoring of communications by US government agencies. In relation to this, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook urged the US government to allow them to disclose more details to the public whenever state security agencies ask for data from them. 

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Related story: Web giants ask US gov’t for more transparency

Senator-elect Nancy Binay outspent Grace Poe and Bam Aquino, two other winning candidates who have submitted their statement of election contributions and expenditures (SECE) to the Comelec. Binay spent over P128 million compared to senatorial race topnotcher Poe who spent over P123 million. Aquino, who placed 7^th among 12 winning senatorial candidates, spent over P124 million. A day before the June 13 deadline set by the poll body for the submission by candidates of their SECE, only 5 senatorial candidates have submitted their reports. Election laws require candidates to submit their SECE exactly a month after the May 13elections. Those who fail to comply will be unable to assume office by June 30.

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Starting July, flight attendants will be required to secure a license from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) before they can be part of the cabin crew. The license requirement, according to CAAP deputy director Capt John Andrews, will help ensure that flight attendants and cabin crew members have the needed skills to follow and implement standard operating procedures in emergency situations. These procedures should be in accordance with acceptable global standards. Licenses will be valid for 3 years and attendants will have to undergo a refresher course and training every year. The license requirement – phased out after implementation in the 1970s and 1980s – was reimposed after a Cebu Pacific Manila-Davao flight skidded off the runway. The plane’s 165 passengers were kept on board instead of immediately evacuated.

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On his 5^th day in hospital, the anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is responding better to treatment, South African President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday, June 12. “I am happy to report that Madiba (Mandela’s clan name) is responding better to treatment from this morning,” Zuma told parliament. AFP quoted him as also saying, “We are very happy with the progress that he is now making, following a difficult last few days.” Government had described Mandela’s condition as “serious but stable.” The Nobel Peace laureate was sentenced to life in prison 49 years ago, along with 7 other anti-apartheid fighters. Mandela spent 27 years in prison, freed only in 1990 before becoming South Africa’s first black president in 1994.

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Additional information is available from the BBC. 

Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Hugo Gutierrez died Wednesday afternoon, June 12, at the age of 86. He suffered multiple organ failure resulting from diabetes. SC spokesman Theodore Te said that for the last two years, Gutierrez had been in and out of the hospital and had been in the Critical Care Unit for the past 3 weeks. His remains will lie in state at the Sanctuarium in Quezon City until Friday, June 14, after which, he will be brought to Pampanga. He was forced to resign from the High Court after he was accused in a report by the Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism of allegedly faking authorship of a decision that favored the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. Gutierrez said the charge was “false and totally unfounded.”

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Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S4 zoom, a variant of the Samsung Galaxy S4. It comes after the introduction of the Galaxy S4 Active and the Galaxy S4 mini. Combining features of the smartphone and digital cameras, it allows smartphone users to take digicam-quality photos. The Galaxy S4 zoom’s main attraction is likely to be its 16 megapixel rear camera which is equipped with 10x optical zoom, enhanced viewing modes, and a built-in optical image stabilization. The rear camera is complemented by a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera. Turning the device around reveals a Samsung Galaxy smartphone powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1.5GB of RAM. More details are expected to be unveiled at Samsung’s premiere event on June 20.

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