May 3, 2012 Edition

After 6 days hiding in the US embassy in Beijing, blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng emerged Wedneday after a deal was supposedly struck between the US and China for his safety.  He spoke with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and said, “I want to kiss you.” Although China slapped the US for “interfering” in its domestic affairs, there seemed to be relief for resolving a problem that highlights the freedom in China.  Chen was under house arrest for exposing forced abortions and sterilizations.  By Thursday morning, however, Chen said he felt betrayed by US officials and appealed to President Obama for help to leave China.

Read more on Rappler.  

One month after a standoff between the Philippines and China over its competing claims in the South China Sea, Taiwan joins the fray – also staking a claim on the controversial Scarborough Shoal.  The Philippines claims China is sending more ships to the area.  On Wednesday, the diplomatic standoff reaches the people as prominent NY-based Loida Nicolas-Lewis, who heads the US Pinoys for Good Governance, called for global protests against China on May 11.

Read more about Taiwan’s claim, the arrival of more Chinese ships and the call for May 11 protests – all on Rappler.

After historic 2+2 bilaterals this week in Washington, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario gave a candid assessment of the state of his country’s maritime capabilities.  On Wednesday, he asked for US help with patrol boats, radars, planes and other hardware to help build a “minimum credible defense.”  He also said the Philippines would strengthen diplomatic ties with other nations to help in other areas.  Earlier, the US committed to at least one naval ship to help upgrade the Philippine navy.

Read more on Rappler.  

Shortly after US President Barack Obama left Afghanistan Wednesday, 7 people were killed in an attack claimed by the Taliban. This follows coordinated attacks two weeks ago that seem to warn Afghans to join the Taliban or be on the losing side, especially after more than 20,000 US troops begin to pull out in September. Obama highlighted the importance of this nation in the global war on terror by flying there on the 1 year anniversary of covert operations which killed Osama bin Laden. Obama said US counterterrorism operations would continue for at least a decade after the 2014 pullout of US troops. Critics say this isn’t enough and warn Afghanistan may spiral into the same conditions which gave birth to al-Qaeda: in 1989 after the Soviet-Afghan war, the Soviets and US pulled out hastily, leaving a power vacuum that was filled by bin Laden. 11 years after 9/11, al-Qaeda has morphed from a group of thousands to a social movement which is now focused on regional conflicts.

Read more about Afghanistan’s role, Wednesday deaths and al-Qaeda’s latest moves – all on Rappler. 

The Philippines, touting its economic achievements, hosts the Asian Development Bank’s annual meeting, the first time it’s done so in more than a decade.  ADB gives a rosy assessment on the euro crisis and advises the Philippines to diversify its exports and expand its manufacturing base to ensure its growth.  Other analysts say Asian gambling is at a tipping point.

Read more about the Philippines and Asian gambling on Rappler.

A report by British Parliamentarians after the News of the World corruption scandal found Rupert Murdoch “unfit” to run a major international company threatens to drag in other Murdoch businesses.  Britain’s biggest satellite broadcaster, BSkyB – British Sky Broadcasting, reported a big surge in profits on Wednesday.  The Murdoch family is Sky’s biggest shareholder.  Its top executive said, “its important to remember that Sky and News Corporation are two different companies.” That’s not the case, however in the US where a group is calling on regulators to revoke News Corporation’s 27 Fox broadcast license.

Read more about BSkyB on the New York Times and about Fox licenses on the Guardian 

Read the full report on Rupert Murdoch here and News Corporation’s reaction 

Facebook’s long-awaited initial public offering is reportedly set for May 18.  It starts pitching the stock to investors on Monday, but some are now asking – what exactly do they get for it?  Analysts said Facebook may be able to raise as much as $10 billion by going public, making it one of the most valuable IPO tech stocks of all time.  Last week, Facebook announced it now has more than 900 million monthly users, although its income dropped the first quarter after preparations for its IPO, including a $1 billion buy for Instagram.

Read more on the Wall Street Journal.  

In a must-watch Rappler documentary, Patricia Evangelista captures the sights, sounds and dreams of the informal settlers in Silverio, a compound in Paranague where demolitions turned bloody.  It’s a case of a city government saying it would provide socialized housing balanced with its commercial interests. Or not.

Watch Silverio: a Rappler documentary and read its background on Rappler.

Why would the Philippines’ version of a youth olympics matter?  Palarong Pambansa kicks off on May 6 and lasts for 6 days in Lingayen, Pangasinan.  The Department of Education has earmarked nearly P140 million for this year’s annual competition.  Talk Thursday takes a closer look at the sportsfest which discovers future athletes by building the human spirit. 

Read more about why it matters and watch Talk Thursday – all on Rappler.

Meet ten outstanding students of the Philippines – selected for the TOSP-NCR 2012 awards.  They are accomplished and have their sights set on changing their nation for the better.  This year’s theme is “Making the mission of Nation-Building Trend” – focusing on technology and social media.  See what it was like behind the scenes of the difficult selection process and how one Rappler judge Natashya Gutierrez, just a little older than the students, tried to understand why the students cried and how those tears reinvigorated her own hope for the future.

Read about the winners and their tears on Rappler.