July 10, 2013 Edition

Nina Landicho

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

  1. IMF: Global growth forecast down 3.1%

    FORECAST. The Washington-headquartered multilateral lender cuts global economic forecast anew.

    The International Monetary Fund cut its global economic growth forecast, citing new downside risks in key emerging-market economies and a deeper recession in the eurozone. The IMF projected the world’s economy would grow 3.1% in 2013, down from its April estimate of 3.3%. China and other emerging economic powers now face new risks, it warned, “including the possibility of a longer growth slowdown.” The global lender said that growth had been affected by increased financial market volatility and rising interest rates in advanced economies since its last World Economic Outlook report was published in April. “Emerging-market economies have generally been hit hardest, as recent increases in advanced economy interest rates and asset price volatility, combined with weaker domestic activity have led to some capital outflows, equity price declines, rising local yields, and currency depreciation,” the Fund said in a WEO update.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  2. Has Snowden agreed to Venezuela?

    edward snowden nsa whistleblower

    US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who has been holed up in a Moscow airport for more than two weeks now, has agreed to an offer of political asylum from Venezuela, a top pro-Kremlin lawmaker said on Tuesday. Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian lower house of parliament’s international affairs committee, posted this message on Twitter. “As was expected, Snowden agreed to (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro’s offer of political asylum.” but deleted it minutes after the announcement. Pushkov’s announcement came after the leftist governments of Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua had over the past few days offered the 30-year-old former National Security Agency contractor asylum. But it remains unclear how the world’s most famous refugee would be able to leave the transit zone of Sheremetyevo, where he has been marooned without valid documents since he arrived from Hong Kong on June 23. There are no direct flights between Moscow and Caracas. The quickest way to get to Venezuela would be to fly via Havana. A spokeswoman for Russian national carrier Aeroflot, Irina Danenberg, said she was not aware if Snowden had been on the flight to Havana that left Moscow earlier. “I have no clue,” she said. There are no direct flights to Havana from Moscow on Wednesday.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  3. SC hears oral arguments on RH Law

    Graphic by Bobby Elyas

    Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said the Supreme Court “may not be the best forum” for questions on the Reproductive Law (RH law), suggesting the Court might exercise “judicial restraint” in this case. Sereno made these remarks while grilling Maria Concepcion Noche, one of the lawyers of the 15 petitioners who are questioning the constitutionality of the law before the High Tribunal. Without mincing words, the Chief Justice noted how Noche “grappled” with answers to “difficult questions” at the start of oral arguments on Tuesday, July 9. Sereno, together with 13 justices of the Supreme Court, grilled Noche for more than 5 hours as she defended the basis of her opposition to the law: that life begins at conception. (Associate Justice Arturo Brion is on sick leave.) Noche argued that the law violates the constitutional right to life and that contraceptives are abortifacient. She pleaded, “Let the voice of the unborn be heard in the august halls of this tribunal. Let their voice be yours.” But other justices told her they are not in the best position to decide on matters of faith and medical science. Rappler Editor-at-large Marites Vitug says RH faces an uphill climb at the Supreme Court. She sees 6 justices for the RH law, 4 to 5  staunchly against it, and 3 possibly ending up a swing vote.

    Read the full story here and here.

     

  4. Transition plan faces opposition

    INTERIM LEADERS. Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour (R) meeting with with new-appointed Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi, on July 9, 2013 in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. AFP/Egyptian Presidency handout

    Egypt’s main coalition, which backed the military ouster of Mohamed Morsi, denounced a roadmap granting the interim president extensive powers ahead of new elections, further complicating a bloody transition to civilian rule. The National Salvation Front (NSF), the main coalition that called for Morsi’s resignation, announced “its rejection of the constitutional decree.” Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, which insists on the ousted president’s reinstatement, has also rejected the interim charter and timetable. Meanwhile, new premier Hazem al-Beblawi is planning to extend an olive branch to the Muslim Brotherhood by offering them cabinet posts. The conciliatory move will likely be rejected by the Brotherhood.

    Read the full story here.

  5. 3 Filipino-Americans injured in Asiana crash

    FIRE OUT. An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 is seen on the runway at San Francisco International Airport after crash landing. Photo by AFP

    Three Filipino-Americans were injured in the Asiana crash at the San Francisco International Airport last Sunday, July 7, 2013 (Manila time). Two were an elderly couple returning from vacation in the Philippines, and the other a Fil-Am woman and with her two children. The elderly couple was identified by the Philippine embassy in the United States as Ruben Vallero, 75, and Belen Vallero, 73 while the woman is Maricel Anino Knaus. Knaus and her two children were already discharged from the hospital.  The Philippine consulate was earlier told that the flight didn’t carry persons with Filipino passports or Filipino-sounding names, according to the embassy. The embassy said the consulate repeatedly requested access to the passenger manifest of Asiana Flight 214, but was always denied this. It said the Philippine consulate has “anticipated” the possibility that the flight carried Fil-Am passengers, and “has communicated this several times to authorities.”

    Read the full story here and here.

     

  6. Philippines has 3rd most immigration violators in Japan

    Records worsened for the Philippines after the Japanese government deported 75 more Filipinos who violated immigration rules. The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) says 54 adult males, 13 adult females, and 8 children were deported from Japan last Saturday, July 6, via a chartered flight. The Philippines is the country with the 3rd most immigration violators in Japan. This comes despite Japan’s easing of visa rules for Filipinos. Effective July 1, 2013 Filipinos can apply for multiple-entry visas for short-term trips to Japan. Prior to this, Japan issued multiple-entry visas only to businessmen, artists, and specialists, as well as immediate family members of Japanese residents.

    Read the full story here and here.

     

  7. PH corruption down says Global Corruption Barometer

    Infographic from transparency.org

    Corruption in the Philippines decreased over the last two years according to Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer 2013, a survey tracking worldwide public opinion on corruption. The report released on Tuesday, July 9 shows that of 1,000 respondents nationwide 12% reported paying bribes in the past year to any one of these 8 services: police, judiciary, registry, land, medical, education, tax, and utilities. The figure is down from the 16% in the Global Corruption Barometer 2010/2011.

    Read full story here.

  8. Facebook “troll” jailed over massacre threat

    Graphic by Rappler.com

    A British online “troll” who sparked a security alert in the United States by threatening on Facebook to kill 200 schoolchildren was jailed on Tuesday, July 9 for two years and four months. Reece Elliott, 24, used a false name to post offensive messages in February, including the massacre threat, on memorial pages for two teenagers who had been killed in road accidents in the state of Tennessee. The threat came less than two months after the killings of 20 children and six staff at the Newtown elementary school in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, by a lone gunman who afterwards committed suicide. Almost 3,000 children missed school the day after Elliott’s postings as schools in Tennessee’s Warren county went into lockdown because of his threat. Elliott — who already has 17 convictions for 28 offences, including an attempted robbery with an axe — had pleaded guilty to making a threat to kill and to eight counts of sending grossly offensive messages. Judge James Goss told him on Tuesday that the offences were driven by “no more than self-indulgent nastiness”. But he said he had taken into account Elliot’s remorse in determining the length of his sentence. Elliott handed himself in to police as inquiries by the FBI and US Homeland Security were pointing in his direction. He has been in custody ever since. He described himself as an Internet troll who sought to provoke reactions, but told police his threat had been a “massive mistake”.

    Read full story here.

  9. Royal baby to get prince/princess of Cambridge title

    Baby on Board

    Prince William and his wife Catherine’s royal baby is expected within days and, will officially be called a prince or princess of Cambridge following Will and Kate who are officially referred to as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge respectively. Kensington Palace which made the announcement on Tuesday, July 9 says the baby should not be called the prince or princess of Cambridge — without the first name — just as, pre-marriage, William was called Prince William of Wales, rather than prince of Wales, which is his father Prince Charles’s title. The royal couple have not yet revealed the gender or name of the baby. Any children William has will be princes or princesses and enjoy the style of royal highness from birth, following new letters patent issued by Queen Elizabeth at the New Year. Previously, only the eldest son of the eldest son of the prince of Wales — a title bestowed on male heirs apparent — could be styled HRH and bear the title of prince.

    Read the full story here.

  10. Mars 2020 mission to focus on search for past life

    NEXT MARS ROVER. Artist's concept of Mars 2020 rover. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

    The next robotic rover to explore Mars in 2020 will focus on searching for signs of past life. In a 154-page document containing its proposals for the next Mars rover, NASA’s science definition team (SDT) said that it would scour the surface of the red planet more closely than ever to determine if life once existed on the planet. For the first time the mission would use microscopic analysis to collect the first rock samples for possible return to Earth and test ways to use natural resources on site for a future human trip. The Mars 2020 mission would build on the work being done by NASA’s Curiosity rover, which has been exploring the red planet since August 2012 and has already found evidence of potentially habitable environments.

    Read the full story here.

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!