August 13, 2013 Edition

The Philippines and the US will begin on Wednesday, August 14, negotiations on a new agreement that will allow increased rotational presence of US troops in the Philippines and boost maritime security. The two allies have already agreed to conduct “high-value and high impact exercises,” which means more military exercises, more development of Philippine facilities, and prepositioning of equipment. Various camps expressed concern that the plan would violate the Constitution. But the government said they will be guided by the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

Read the full story on Rappler.

Typhoon Labuyo (international codename Utor) has left at lest 2 people dead, one injured, and 11 missing, with preliminary damage pegged at more than P57 million, the government said on August 13. The typhoon swept across northern Luzon on August 12, ripping roofs off houses, tearing down power lines and triggering landslides in remote villages. The typhoon had the strongest sustained winds for the year, according to weather forecasters. It has grown slightly stronger as it left the Philippine Area of Responsibility Monday night, August 12. A total of 7,100 families, or 31,256 people, have been affected by the typhoon across 12 provinces and 3 cities in 5 regions.

Read the full story on Rappler.

British government is considering taking legal action against Spain over stringent border checks imposed at the border with Gibraltar. It said the checks were “politically motivated and totally disproportionate.” Spain, on the other hand, said it is considering taking its row over the disputed territory of Gibraltar to global bodies such as the United Nations and International Court of Justice at The Hague. Madrid is also mulling presenting a united front with Argentina, which is immersed in its own dispute with Britain over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, over the issue of Gibraltar. Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain in perpetuity in 1713,

Read full stories here and here.

Suspected Islamist extremists have stormed a mosque and shot dead 44 worshippers as well as 12 other people in a nearby village in Nigeria’s restive northeast. The attacks at the weekend were believed to be in revenge over citizen vigilante groups forming to help the military battle Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, which has been waging an insurgency since 2009. The violence came as Nigeria’s military pursues an offensive in the country’s northeast aimed at ending the insurgency, with a state of emergency declared in the region in May.

Read the full story on Rappler.

In a bid to encourage more retail investors to invest in stocks, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) said it has signed up its first brokerage firm that will utilize its off-the-shelf online trading facility. The PSE said BA Securities was the first trading participant to avail of the PSETradex, which allows the brokerage firm to offer online trading services to clients. The exchange developed PSETradex to help traditional brokerage firms hurdle the challenge of putting up an online platform that allow retail clients to personally post their buy and sell orders online and on their own.

Read the full story on Rappler.

After the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed on August 12 that the Manila Bay oil spill was caused by a leaking submerged pipeline owned by Petron, the oil company took responsibility and apologized for the incident. “At this stage, we take responsibility for this unfortunate incident. We sincerely apologize and assure all the communities affected that we will strive to resolve the situation at the soonest possible time,” Petron president Lubin Nepomuceno said in a statement. Because of the leak, 500,000 liters of diesel oil spread to coastal villages in three towns of Cavite. It affected thousands of fishermen who depend on the sea for a living. Petron previously said in a statement that its pipelines were intact and had no leaks.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Smartphone maker BlackBerry said Monday it is examining “strategic alternatives,” which could involve putting itself up for sale. The Canadian firm said it had formed a committee to consider “possible joint ventures, strategic partnerships or alliances, a sale of the company or other possible transactions.” The announcement comes with BlackBerry marginalized in a smartphone market dominated by makers using the Google Android operating system and by Apple’s iPhone. Some analysts said prospects look grim for the smartphone pioneer.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Learned and serious like the ancient Greeks or casual like 1950s “Beats,” the full beard is back in fashion in France to the delight of the nation’s barbers. After years in the style wilderness, the sort of bushy beard that takes weeks rather than days to grow — from the plain old full beard to mutton chops or a chin curtain — has finally displaced designer stubble and other barely-there styles of recent years. This summer, displays of thick facial hair are once more fashionable in France. The 1960s hippie counter-culture also embraced the full beard.

Read the full story on Rappler.

There’s National Geographic photographer Dave Yoder who captures photos in perfect timing, and Lauren Santo Domingo, who knows fashion and shows it in her photos. For awesome photos from outer space, you can rely on The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. If you’re tired of all the #Selfies in your Instagram feed, we have a list of 10 Instagram accounts that we think you may want to check out.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Thousands of miles away from Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant — on his 6th visit to basketball-mad Philippines — did not feel a bit that he is far from home. “The passion for the sport is just there. I felt like I’m at the Staples Center!” the NBA star, who is in town to promote Lenovo mobile phones, said. “It’s like home away from home.” The visit comes a day after the Philippine team won its silver medal in FIBA Asia, allowing it to compete in FIBA World in Spain next year.

Read the full story on Rappler.