January 3, 2014 Edition

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  1. Lacson: Haiyan victims all buried by Sunday

    File December 28, 2013 photo by Marlon Tano/AFP

    Nearly two months since Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated the Visayas, rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson said burial of remaining bodies started Thursday, January 2, and is expected to be finished before Sunday. Lacson said the 1,400 figure is not accurate. Asked how many bodies the government counts as unburied, Lacson said, “As of this morning, the total bagged [cadavers] are 600 and total on the ground is 200.” The world’s most powerful typhoon killed 6,166, based on the government’s official death count as of Friday, 6 am. The rush to bury the bodies came as President Benigno Aquino signed a P14.6-billion supplemental budget for disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction programs. This is in addition to the calamity funds approved in the P2.265-trillion budget for 2014. The amount will come from lawmakers’ remaining pork barrel for 2013, which effectively turned into savings after the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional.

    Read the full story here and here.

  2. New Year pollution triples from last year

    TOXIC REVELRY. During the first few hours of the new year, air pollution in Metro Manila skyrockets

    Fireworks in the Philippines on New Year’s eve is literally a family tradition – with nearly every family in a neighborhood setting off their own fireworks display. That means safety issues (substandard fireworks, careless lighting) and air pollution levels are an annual concern. That’s been slightly tempered in recent years by a government campaign, but Filipinos are now used to a blanket of dark haze hovering over the capital on New Year’s Day.  In 2014, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said air pollution in Metro Manila after New Year celebrations was 3 times worse than 2013.  The World Health Organization (WHO) said the safe PM10 measurement for air quality is 150 ug/NCM (micrograms per normal cubic meter of air).  On January 1, Metro Manila hit 1,437 ug/Ncm, more than 3 times 2013 levels and 10 times more than WHO’s safe level.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  3. Huge explosion hits Beirut

    Photo from AFP

    A huge explosion hit the Lebanese capital Beirut, killing at least 6 people and injuring 66 others. The blast was caused by a car bomb that went off Thursday in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, stronghold of the Shia armed group Hezbollah. The explosion damaged several buildings and set cars ablaze. An Al-Jazeera correspondent said the blast was a “major violation” of Hezbollah’s security in the area because many of the buildings in the area belonged to the group. The group’s media relations head declined to speculate on who was responsible for the attack. The incident came a week after an explosion killed former Lebanese finance minister Mohamad Chatah and 6 others.

    Read the full story on Aljazeera.

  4. Balloon attempt to land on disputed islands goes wrong

    Photo from the Japan Coast Guard/AFP

    A Chinese man’s attempt to land a hot-air balloon on disputed islands in the East China sea failed, forcing him to call for help from Japan’s Coast Guard. The 35-year-old took off from Fujian province Wednesday morning, aiming to land on the Tokyo-controlled islands– Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. A Japanese rescue helicopter found the balloon 22 kilometers south of the islands. The man was handed over to a Chinese patrol ship outside territorial waters. Chinese and Taiwanese activists have tried to land on the islands by ship several times but were blocked by the Japanese coastguard. Tensions between the two countries over disputed maritime territories rose in recent years, with Chinese ships approaching the islands to demonstrate Beijing’s territorial claims. Japan meanwhile nationalized some of the islands in September 2012.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  5. Thein Sein backs charter change

    PRESIDENTIAL BACKING. Myanmar President Thein Sein supports moves to change the country’s constitution drafted under the former military junta. File photo by Soe Than Win/AFP

    Myanmar President Thein Sein supported moves to change the country’s constitution to allow opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to run for president. On Thursday, he said debates about revising the charter shows increasing “political maturity.” Thein Sein added he supports amending provisions which exclude anyone whose spouse or children are overseas citizens from becoming president, a clause widely believed to be targeted at Suu Kyi whose two sons are British. Myanmar is preparing for the 2015 parliamentary elections, when the country’s president will be selected by the legislature. Suu Kyi spent 15 years in house arrest under military rule, before she was freed after elections in 2010. A parliamentary panel is reviewing the constitution.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  6. Gang-rape victim dies after being set on fire

    Photo from EPA

    Indian police said a teenage girl who was gang-raped twice in Kolkata last October died after she was set on fire by her aggressors. Before her death, the 16-year-old girl from gave a sworn statement claiming that she was set on fire by two people, who had earlier abused her. The victim’s family told police that following their daughter’s rape, friends and family of the accused continually harassed them to withdraw the case. The girl’s family said they received no protection from the police. Until the death-bed statement, police were treating the girl’s death as a suicide. In December 2012, a gang-rape in New Delhi of a student led to a huge public outcry, forcing government to pass stronger laws against rape. There has been a sharp increase in the reporting of rape cases to police since then, but no indication that tougher laws led to a decrease in the crimes committed against women. The new rape case triggered a fresh wave of anger from politicians and women’s groups.

    Read the full story on Aljazeera.

  7. NSA eyes ‘encryption breaking’ machine

    INTEL HQ. The National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland, as seen from the air, January 29, 2010. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP

    The Washington Post reported the US National Security Agency (NSA) is eyeing a “quantum computer” that could break nearly any kind of encryption. Citing leaked documents from ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the computer would allow the spy agency to break encryption used to protect banking, medical, business and government records around the world. Quantum computing uses the power of atoms and molecules to increase the security of computers, and perform millions of calculations at once. But experts said it’s unlikely the NSA would be close to creating a quantum computer without the scientific community being aware of it. The Post said the leaked documents indicate the agency carries out research in large, shielded rooms known as Faraday cages that prevent electromagnetic energy from entering or exiting.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  8. Newspapers call for Snowden clemency

    Photo from AFP

    The New York Times and The Guardian published editorials urging the Obama administration to have mercy on NSA leaker, Edward Snowden.  Both papers played a role in publishing Snowden’s disclosures, which the United States claims is harmful to national security.  The papers suggested that any possible wrongdoing of the former National Security Agency contractor in making public classified documents was outweighed by the importance of his revelations about the scope and manner of the United States’ espionage program.  The Times said, “Considering the enormous value of the information he has revealed, and the abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight.”  The Guardian said it hoped US officials “within the present administration are working on a strategy to allow Mr. Snowden to return to the US with dignity” as a “shining example about the value of whistleblowers and of free speech itself.”

    Read the full story on Yahoo News.

  9. Syrian group hacks Skype

    Screenshot of hacked Skype blog

    The Syrian Electronic Army group hacked Skype’s social media accounts Wednesday to accuse Microsoft of spying on user data. The group posted a message on the Twitter account of Microsoft-owned Skype, telling users not to use Microsoft email services like Hotmail and Outlook. It adds, “They are monitoring your accounts and selling the data to the governments. More details soon.” It was posted around 1030 GMT but removed less than two hours later. Tech blogs also report the Skype blog had the headline: “Hacked by Syrian Electronic Army… Stop Spying!” The Syrian Electronic Army previously hacked accounts of The New York Times, Agence France-Presse and other media organizations. The group’s latest attacks appear to be linked to the PRISM surveillance program of the NSA. The program allegedly gave the NSA access to the world’s top internet companies, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo and Skype.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  10. Twins born in separate years

    Screenshot from ABC NEWS

    Timing is everything, and minutes can turn into years.  That’s exactly what happened with two twins in different cities born at a unique time.  Two of the last babies of 2013 came in twos – they had a twin born minutes later in the new year!  On Dec. 31, 2013 at 11:58 pm, Lorraine Yaleni Begazo was born in Washington, D.C. in the United States.  Her twin brother was born on Jan. 1, 2014, at 12:01 am.  In Toronto, Canada, 2 fraternal twins were also born minutes apart but their birth certificates carry different years. The babies’ mother, Warren Begazo told ABCNews.com, “I feel wonderful – full of joy and happiness and a full sense of realization.”

    Read the full story on Yahoo News.

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