March 21, 2012 Edition

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Monday, March 20 that North Korea has invited inspectors to return to the country in line with a deal it made with the United States last month. According to the deal, North Korea would suspend long-range missile tests and allow inspectors from the United Nations to enter the country in exchange for 240,000 tons of food aid. World leaders will gather in Seoul next week for the Nuclear Security Summit where raising issues of nuclear terrorism will be discussed.

Read more in the New York Times.

Amid rising tension between Iran and Israel, an Israeli graphic designer has used Facebook to break through the communications divide between both countries and send out a message of peace and love to Iran. Ronny Edry from Israel’s capital city of Tel Aviv created several posters with the message “Iranians, we will never bomb your country. We love you” and posted them on his Facebook page. Soon after, he began to receive thousands of messages from people in Iran sending back their love, other users have also started a meme based on the original post.

Iran and Israel are in conflict over Iran’s nuclear development program.  The program has raised fears that Iran is developing nuclear weapons but Iran denies it is for anything other than a clean energy source.  

Read the full story on CNN.

See Ronny Edry’s Facebook page.

Weeks before he starts training for his bout against Tim Bradley, Manny Pacquiao told the press that he is looking at 3 more fights before he ends his career as a professional boxer. Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum is said to be eyeing possible fights against Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather if both camps are willing to come up with an agreement.

Read more in the Manila Bulletin.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on governments and civil society groups to unite against cigarette firms calling them “ruthless and devious enemy”.  Speaking at a conference on tobacco and health Singapore, WHO Director General Margaret Chan slammed cigarette companies from undermining a UN-backed campaign against tobacco use. Chan was referring to Cigarette companies proposing to create “joint government industry committees” to oversee anti-smoking campaigns. She called these proposals a trap, and was aimed at giving cigarette companies a stake in policies and other legislative matters pertaining to cigarette control.

Read full story on Rappler.

Just when we thought 2012 would be a year where more Filipinos could fly cheap, soaring oil prices are pushing airline companies to increase fuel surcharge fees and passing on these costs to consumers. Philippine Airlines’ hike in fuel surcharge already took effect March 14 with other airlines have seeking similar adjustments.

Read full story on Rappler.

Two Filipino actresses took top honors at the Asian Film Awards held Mach 19 in Hong Kong. Theater Actress Shamaine Buencamino took home the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the independent film “Niño” while Eugene Domingo took home the award for People’s Choice for Best Actress for “Ang Babae Sa Septik Tank”.

Read story on Yahoo Philippines.

Starting today, March 21, jeepney fares in Metro Manila will increase from P8.00 to P8.50. This comes after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) decided to grant the petition by Metro Manila operators for a provision fare increase in public utility jeepneys given the soaring global oil prices. This is the first time the LTFRB has imposed a jeepney far hike since July 2008.

Read more on Rappler.

Even celebrities get bullied online. Megastar Sharon Cuneta whose late entry into the social media space was welcomed with open arms when she joined Twitter early this year is no exception. Last Monday, March 19 the actress complained about personal attacks made against her and her daughter by fans of actor Piolo Pascual. The actress chose to take an aggressive stance against the cyber-bullies responding to their name calling strong words as well but soon decided to leave Twitter temporarily so she could cry it off.

Read more on Rappler.

Days after its official release, tech websites are reporting that the new iPad runs up to 18% hotter than the previous iPad. A Dutch website, Tweakers.net used an infrared camera to take a heat map of the new iPad, revealing that the new device runs at up to 33.6 degrees Celsius with the most heat coming from the lower right corner where the device’s dual-core A5X processor is located. Apple PR has issued a statement in relation to these reports saying, “the new iPad operates well within our thermal specifications. If customers have any concerns they should contact AppleCare.”

Despite the talk, Apple announced Tuesday, March 20 that it had sold 3 million new iPads it its opening weekend, its biggest ever for the iPad. Investment firm Piper Jaffray is also predicting Apple could sell up to 66 Million iPads in 2012.

Read more on The Verge.

Back in early February the Armed Forces of the Philippines reported that 2 top Jemaah Islamiyah leaders were killed in a bombing operation in Sulu. The incident was reported globally and hailed as a great victory. On February 22 however Rappler reported that the two JI leaders were still alive, the report was corroborated by a March 13 in the New York Times. Piecing together information from intelligence and military sources in 3 different countries Rappler explains how the two were able to get our alive.

Read full story on Rappler.