September 15, 2014 Edition

After battering Luzon overnight, Typhoon Luis (Kalmaegi) made its way out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday, September 15. As of 4 am, the eye of the typhoon was located in the West Philippine Sea. It was spotted 100 kilometers West Northwest of Laoag, Ilocos Norte. Storm warning signals have been lowered in 7 areas.

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President Benigno Aquino III’s 8-day trip to Europe costs taxpayers P31.9 million (USD 725,495). Malacanang said the amount covers the expenses of the delegation for the visit to Spain, Belgium, France and Germany. The President left Saturday night, September 13, to apprise potential investors of positive economic developments in the Philippines, which has received a series of credit ratings upgrades during his administration. After his Europe trip, Aquino will head to New York City for the United Nations Global Climate Change Summit.

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Two weeks after Filipino troops defied the order of their United Nations commander is the Golan Heights, Philippine military chief General Gregorio Catapang Jr reminded cadets of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) about the value of following orders. During the recognition rites of PMA Class 2018, Catapang said, “Before you become leaders, you have to follow orders.” The Filipino troops’ defiance sparked questions about the peacekeeping operations of the UN. On August 28, UN Disengagement Observer Force commander Lieutenant General Iqbal Singha ordered the Filipinos to surrender their firearms to Syrian rebels who stormed UN encampments. The Filipinos refused, triggering a standoff and later executing an escape mission which their commanders in Manila approved. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario will meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon next week to discuss the Philippines’ “operational and tactical issues” concerning the deployment of peacekeepers to Golan Heights.

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In another signal of the openness of his papacy, Pope Francis led a taboo-challenging ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday, September 4, when he married 40 people from different social backgrounds – including couples who lived together “in sin.” One of the couples the Pope married was a single mother and her partner, whose previous marriage was annulled by an ecclesiastical tribunal. The ceremony comes three weeks before a major synod of the Catholic Church will discuss the divisive issues of marriage, divorce and conception. The charismatic Argentine pope has shown himself more open than his predecessors on the subject of marriage, and has spoken of a more realistic attitude to social problems.

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British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed Sunday, September 14, that Britain would hunt down the killers of an aid worker beheaded by the Islamic State (IS). On Saturday, the terrorist group released a video showing the killing of David Haines, the third Western hostage to be killed in less than a month. The video opens with a clip of Cameron outlining Britain’s moves against the “brutal extremist militants.” The video then shows Haines speaking to the camera, explaining that he is paying the price for Cameron’s policy. IS has threatened to execute another British captive, Alan Henning.

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Appearing in Iowa on Sunday, September 14, former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton joked about her potential 2016 White House bid, telling Democratic supporters she was “thinking about it.” Clinton has said she will announce next year whether she will run for president. Iowa, a small farming state of 3.1 million, holds disproportionate sway in US presidential politics due to its caucuses. A CNN/ORC International poll released Friday showed the former first lady is already polling ahead of other potential Democratic contenders, including in Iowa. The poll showed approximately 53% of Democratic voters there favor Clinton.

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A left-leaning coalition led by Sweden’s opposition Social Democrats defeated the incumbent center-right government in the September 14 general elections. The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats more than doubled their votes, to 12.9%, becoming the Nordic country’s third-largest party and striving for a role as “absolute kingmaker” in the legislature. The coalition garnered 43.7% of the vote, compared with 39.3% for the four-party conservative-liberal Alliance led by incumbent Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. The electoral win for the Sweden Democrats confirms a Europe-wide trend of soaring popularity for populist right-wing parties.

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More than 1,000 activists took to Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday, September 14, carrying huge lengths of black cloth displaying Chinese characters painted in white that read ‘civil disobedience’ and ‘boycott classes.’ This comes after Beijing in August announced plans for a highly restricted form of universal suffrage. Under the proposal, candidates for the 2017 polls will be vetted by a pro-Beijing committee. Pro-democracy groups called Beijing’s restrictions a “fake democracy” and vowed to usher in a new “era of civil disobedience” against the decision. Beijing’s proposal must win two-thirds support in Hong Kong’s 70-seat legislature, where pro-democracy lawmakers who control slightly over a third of seats vow to veto it.

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Liberia’s president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said Sunday, September 14, that she had sacked 10 senior government officials who defied an order to return to the west African nation to lead the fight against the deadly Ebola outbreak. Sirleaf had told ministers to return within a week as part of a state-of-emergency announcement on August 6. In a statement, Sirleaf said, “These government officials showed insensitivity to our national tragedy and disregard for authority.” Liberia has been hit hard by the Ebola epidemic, with at least 1,137 deaths recorded as of September 7.

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For the second straight year, the National University (NU) Pep Squad emerged victorious in the 2014 UAAP Cheerdance Competition Sunday, September 14 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. NU wowed the crowd with a Native American-themed routine with highly complicated stunts, tosses and pyramids. Coming in at second place was the University of the Philippines (UP) Pep Squad, impressing judges with a socially relevant theme of equality. UP last won the top award in 2012. Rounding up the top three was the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe with a Chinese dynasty dance theme.

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