June 19, 2012 Edition

Bishop diverted millions from calamity victims

Paranaque Bishop Jesse Mercado is accused of diverting multi-million donations for calamity victims into investment accounts. Priests and lay leaders has asked the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines to investigate. Papal Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppi Pinto says he will refer the complaint to the Curia in Rome. Church law states donations must be used for their intended purpose. Funds collected for victims of Typhoon Ondoy, the Haiti eathquake, Typhoon Sendong, and the Muntinlupa fire were either not fully remitted or not remitted at all.

Read more on Rappler.
Mayweather, Pacquiao among richest athletes

Forbes magazine lists Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao among the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. Mayweather, ranks No. 1 for making $85 million off two fights last year. No. 2 on the list is Pacquiao, at $62 million from earnings and endorsements. Tiger Woods, who topped the Forbes list since 2001, fell to No. 2, with $59.4 million, his earnings off by $16 million from the previous year mostly due to lost endorsement deals. Miami Heat star LeBron James ranks No. 4 at $53 million, the highest of 13 basketball players and on the list. Swiss tennis star Roger Federer was No. 5 at $52.7 million followed by NBA star Kobe Bryant at $52.3 million, US golfer Phil Mickelson at $47.8 million, English football star David Beckham at $46 million and Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo at $42.5 million.

Read more on Rappler.
Muslim Brotherhood calls for protest

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is calling on people to troop to the streets against what it calls a “coup” by the ruling military. The Supreme Council or Armed Forces, or SCAF, after invested itself with sweeping powers, swears to hand over power to the civilian government on June 1. The country awaits official results of elections Sunday, where the Brotherhood has declared itself the overwhelming victor. SCAF retains power over the budget and legislature until a new parliament is elected, after it scrapped the last parliament. The head of SCAF’s advisory council says the incoming president would probably have a short term, and would be replaced after a new constitution was drafted.

Read more on AlJazeera.
Obama, Putin call for end to conflict

US President Barack Obama and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin call for an “immediate” end to the Syria conflict amid reports 94 people died to to shelling of rebel strongholds.

“In order to stop the bloodshed in Syria, we call for an immediate cessation of all violence…We are united in the belief that the Syrian people should have the opportunity to independently and democratically choose their own future.” The leaders pledge to work with UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on the crisis, with little sign they had agreed on how to end the conflict. The United States has expressed frustration at Russia’s blocking of UN Security Council moves against Assad. Latest reports say Russia is ready to send warships and marines to its base in Syria.

Read more on Rappler.
After Greek vote, Europe’s economic heath next

After Greek elections calmed fears the country would leave the euro zone, attention shifts to Europe’s biggest task– nursing the region back to economic health. With the upcoming European Union up next week, 27 governments must continue to resuscitate the Greek economy, save Spanish banks and prevent the crisis from pulling in Italy.

Read more on the New York Times.
Prince Salman is new Saudi crown prince

Saudi King Abdullah names his half-brother Prince Salman as his successor, following the death of crown prince Nayef. Salman is appointed “crown prince and deputy prime minister” while also keeping him on as defence minister. Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz would take over from Nayef as interior minister. Nayef died on Saturday in Switzerland of “cardiac problems.” Nayef was the kingdom’s security czar, responsible for the iron-fisted crackdown on Al-Qaeda following a wave of attacks between 2003 and 2006.

Read more on Rappler.
Japan braces for Typhoon Guchol

Japan braces for the arrival of Typhoon Guchol, as it heads northeast along the Okinawa Islans, packing winds of up to 144 kilometers per hour. The Japan Meteorological Agency warns Guchol could cause thunderstorms, strong winds and high waves. The typhoon is forecast to reach the main southern island of Kyushu midmorning on Tuesday.

Read more on Rappler.
Suu Kyi onstage with Bono

Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi takes center stage with rock star Bono to receive her prize from Amesty International in a Concert in Dublin, Ireland dubbed “Electric Burma”. The award was given in 2009 but Suu Kyi was unable to receive it, being under house arrest for the past 21 years. The crowds joined in singing “Happy Birthday” to mark her 67th birthday on Tuesday. Bono told the democracy icon: “We know there are many many other places you could be…and we are humbled, we are grateful.” Suu Kyi replied: “To receive this award is to remind me that 24 years ago I took on duties from which I shall never be relieved but you have given me the strength to carry out”.

Read more on Rappler.
Global weight gain more damaging than rising pop’n?

Researchers say the impact of increasing levels of weight may have the same impact on global resources as an extra billion people in the world. An author of the paper says “When people think about environmental sustainability… it’s not how many mouths there are to feed, it’s how much flesh there is on the planet.” The US tops the list of countries with weight problems. Researchers also note that the car culture has the most impact on weight gain in Arab countries.

Read more on BBC.
‘Surface’ tablet, Microsoft’s answer to iPad

Microsoft unveils it first tablet computer, the Surface, a challenger to Apple’s iPads. The Surface has an ultra-thin cover which doubles as a keyboard, a 16:9 high-definition screen and a flip-out rear stand for switching to desktop mode. Microsoft describes it as a tablet that ‘works and plays”. Analysts say this lets Microsoft compete with Apple on a more even ground. The audience made of up journalists and bloggers burst into spontaneous applause and whoops as key features keyboard case & stand were revealed.

Read more on Rappler.