March 27, 2013 Edition

The Philippines won its first ever investment grade debt rating from global credit rating firm Fitch. By upgrading the Philippines’ sovereign credit rating to BBB- from BB+, Fitch gives the Philippines a vote of confidence and marks the first time the Philippines, once a basket case in Asia, joins the A-lister countries considered safe to invest in. In a statement on Wednesday, March 27, Fitch added a stable outlook and cited a robust economy and improved fiscal management. “The Philippine economy has been resilient, expanding 6.6% in 2012 amid a weak global economic backdrop. Strong domestic demand drove this outturn,” Fitch said.

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Large enterprises in Metro Manila had more new hires than employees who either quit or were terminated in the last quarter of 2012, latest data from the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) showed. Data released by BLES this March showed that the labor turnover rate—the difference between jobs gained and jobs lost, was at 2.47%, indicating an addition of 25 workers per 1,000 employed. BLES attributes the higher employment growth to gains in accommodation and food services, wholesale and retail trade, and construction subsectors, adding that there were more job vacancies due to “replacement of workers” rather than businesses expanding.

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Pope Francis will continue to stay at the Vatican guesthouse where he was billeted during the conclave “until further notice” instead of moving into the official papal residence the Apostolic Palace. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi says the new pontiff will remain in the 120-room guesthouse among other members of the clergy, “he is trying out this type of simple living with other priests.” The pontiff has been taking his meals in the common dining room of the guesthouse and celebrating 7am mass with Vatican employees in its main chapel.

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A magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook buildings in the Taiwanese capital Taipei on Wednesday, injuring at least four people and sparking a fire, emergency officials report. The US Geological Survey says the quake struck at 10:03 am (Manila Time), 48km east of Nantou in central Taiwan at a depth of 20.7km. Taiwan’s high speed rail company said it had suspended all trains pending safety checks while the metro system in the capital Taipei was also temporarily suspended. Nantou county was the epicentre of a 7.6-magnitude quake in September 1999 that killed around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s recent history.

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The United States Supreme Court considers Wednesday the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law which defines marriage as an act between a man and woman. This comes a day after arguments were heard over California’s Proposition 8 which bans same-sex marriage. The court will take months to issue a ruling but several justices indicated that they would be in no hurry to make a verdict that could extend the right to same-sex marriage to the entire country. Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose remarks are closely watched as he is often the swing vote on the nine-member bench, voiced reluctance for the Court to step into “uncharted waters” on a case involving Californian law. Some rights advocates hope the Supreme Court will guarantee gay marriage across the United States, while opponents want to leave the decision to state lawmakers.

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President Benigno Aquino III is set to grace Lim’s proclamation rally on Monday, April 1, at the Bonifacio Shrine, Lim’s campaign manager and chief of staff Ric de Guzman said. The event will start at 3 pm but the President is expected to arrive an hour later. “He will endorse the mayor, not only because of his affiliation with the Liberal Party (LP), but also because the President has known Lim as an effective local executive,” De Guzman said. The President’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, endorsed Lim in his bid for the presidency, but Lim lost to Joseph Estrada.

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Freak blizzards and freezing weather over the first few days of spring have hit Europe and parts of the United States, causing fatal cases of hypothermia, power outages and transport chaos. In Poland five people have died from exposure since spring arrived on March 21 as overnight temperatures plunged to a bone-chilling minus 24 Celsius (- 11.2 Fahrenheit). This pushed the total death toll this month to 25. Bad weather has also claimed at least two lives on the British mainland where media have dubbed the unseasonably icy month “Miserable March.” A huge snow storm also wreaked havoc in the US, stretching from St. Louis, Missouri in the mid-west to Washington D.C. on Monday, grounding hundreds of flights.

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North Korea’s top leaders are to meet in the coming days to decide on an unspecified “important” issue, official media said Wednesday, March 27, as tensions simmer on the Korean peninsula. The Political Bureau of the Communist Party’s Central Committee will convene its plenary meeting before the end of March to “discuss and decide an important issue for victoriously advancing the Korean revolution”, the Korean Central News Agency said. KCNA did not specify the date for the meeting, which will also reportedly make a “drastic turn” in accomplishing the North’s Juche (self-reliance) revolutionary cause.

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The Philippine Azkals avenged their 2012 AFC Challenge Cup loss against the Turkmenistan Green Men after winning the final game of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers Group E, 1-0, at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium Tuesday night, March 26. Phil Younghusband scored the lone goal of the match in the 66th minute after a skirmish inside the box. The Philippines topped Group E of AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers and qualified for the main tournament to be held in Maldives in 2014.

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A few weeks after allowing tourists in North Korea to purchase and use 3G connectivity to browse the Internet on phones, it seems the country has once again revoked that privilege. Koryo Tours announced on its website that “3G access is no longer available for tourists to the DPRK.” While tourists can still buy sim cards to make international calls, Internet access will not be made available. While no explanation has been formally given, increased tensions with other countries may be one contributing factor to the sudden revocation of 3G access.

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