March 1, 2015 Edition

Is there a way President Benigno Aquino III can recover from the worst political crisis to hit his administration? Former Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz thinks so, if the Chief Executive would only reveal the “accurate facts” he knows about the anti-terror operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

“I think, at the present circumstance, the call is for him to reveal the accurate facts as they happened,” Cruz told Rappler.

Read more on Rappler.

French President Francois Hollande met survivors of one of the world’s strongest typhoons in a remote Philippine coastal town on Friday, February 27, seeking to sound a global alarm on climate change ahead of a crucial UN summit.

Hollande was on a two-day trip to the Southeast Asian archipelago, regarded as a frontline state in the struggle against global warming, as part of his campaign to build diplomatic momentum ahead of the Paris summit in December.

Read more on Rappler.

More than one billion young people risk damaging their hearing through listening to loud music, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, February 27. The WHO estimates that around half of those between the ages of 12 and 35 in middle- and high-income countries are at risk due to unsafe levels of sound on personal audio devices or smartphones.

“More and more young people are exposed to unsafe levels of sounds. Young people should be aware that once you lose your hearing, it won’t come back,” said Shelley Chadha, a WHO specialist on hearing impairment.

Read more on Rappler.

Britain’s Prince William donned the trappings of feudal nobility in Japan Saturday, February 28, wearing the helmet and clothes of an ancient samurai during a tour of a TV studio, one of his many stops during his visit to the country. 

A beaming Prince William was greeted by hundreds of fans as he arrived for his first trip to Japan Thursday, February 26. The last time a major member of Britain’s royal family visited Japan was in 2008 when the duke’s father, Prince Charles, came with his wife Camilla.

Read more on Rappler.

The United Nations climate change chief praised the Philippines for its progressive laws on renewable energy but was disappointed with its urban transportation system. “If you ask me what the future challenge is for the Philippines, it’s transportation,” Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said. She was in the Philippines to accompany French President Francois Hollande during his two-day visit to the Southeast Asian country.

Read more on Rappler.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett hinted Saturday, February 28, he had found a successor to replace him as he reflected on 50 years in charge of his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate in an annual letter to shareholders.

The 84-year-old investment guru, ranked by Forbes as the world’s third richest man with a fortune estimated at $72.3 billion, said his replacement as CEO would be “relatively young” and recruited from within.

Read more on Rappler.

Brazilian astronomers said Friday, February 27, they had found two star clusters forming in a remote part of our Milky Way galaxy where such a thing was previously thought impossible. Using NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope, a team led by Denilso Camargo of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre found giant molecular clouds far outside the central galaxy — seen from the side they lay at distances thousands of light years above and below the Milky Way’s disk.

Read more on Rappler.

Actor Leonard Nimoy, who won a worldwide fan base as the pointy-eared half-human, half-Vulcan Mr Spock in the blockbuster Star Trek television and film franchise, died Friday February 27 (February 28 in Manila) at the age of 83. Nimoy had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which he had previously written about.

President Barack Obama joined Leonard Nimoy’s co-stars from Star Trek to bid adieu to the actor who died Friday February 27 aged 83 after making his name as “Mr Spock.” “I loved Spock,” said Obama.

Read more on Rappler.

Trainer Freddie Roach says that his boxer Manny Pacquiao will take down the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. via knockout when the two go head to head at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas on May 2.

In a phone interview with ESPN’s Skip Bayless, Roach said that he believes Pacquiao will bring down Mayweather “very late in the fight,” but also said that “it will be a process.” “Look,” Roach told Bayless, whose column talked about why Pacman would win. “This will be a very difficult fight. Floyd’s style will be very hard for Manny.”

Read more on Rappler.

The finals for the second season of The Voice of the Philippines kicked off Saturday, February 28. Leah Patricio, Alisah Bonaobra, Jason Dy, and Rence Rapanot are all vying to be the next ‘Voice’ champion. 

For the final round of this season’s competition, the fate of the contestants will depend fully on the public vote, and not partly on the coaches like in the previous weeks.

Read a recap of Saturday’s performance on Rappler, before you watch the grand final tonight.