May 6, 2012 Edition

Survey puts Hollande in lead, Sarkozy close

France goes to the polls Sunday, May 6, with frontrunner Francois Hollande hoping voters will reject Nicolas Sarkozy’s record in office and make him the country’s first Socialist president since 1995. A bruising campaign saw right-winger Sarkozy against Hollande, who presented himself as a consensus builder. Political speeches and new opinion polls are been banned since campaign season ended Friday night, but the last poll published ahead of the deadline forecast a 52 -48% win for Hollande. France has 46 million voters.

Read more on Rappler.
Mayweather defeats Cotto in unanimous decision

American Floyd Mayweather won the World Boxing Association super welterweight title with a unanimous 12-round decision over Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto Sunday at the MGM Grand. Mayweather, who stepped up in weight to fight Cotto, used fast fists and solid defense to win the fight. Cotto made Mayweather work for the victory as he won some of the middle rounds. Mayweather extends his winning streak to 43-0 with 26 knockouts.

Read more on Rappler.
Ortega suspect nabbed

The second suspect in the murder of Palawan radio journalist Gerry Ortega was arrested in Pasig City after weeks of surveillance Sunday. Percibal Bacomo Lecias, 44, is an aide of former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes, the accused mastermind. The Special Operations Group says Lecias, who was supposed to surrender but changed his mind last April, was in a hideout in Barangay Caniogan in Pasig City when arrested. Authorities allege Lecias produced the gun used to kill the radio commentator in a used clothing store in Puerto Princesa.

Read more on Rappler.
Chaos in Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s trial

Appearing before a military tribunal, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and four others accused of plotting the September 11, 2001 attacks refused to respond to questions. One of the five launched into a defiant outburst, claiming the Americans will kill him before the end of the trial. Athough KSM has admitted responsibility in an interview with media, the five refused to enter pleas on murder and terrorism charges. The 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York killed 2,976 people and the charges can carry the death penalty. The tribunal’s rules include a ban on evidence obtained under torture. Defense lawyers for the 5 say the Guantanamo trials do not have legitimacy mainly due to the lawyers limited access to their clients. Victims’ relatives attended the hearing.

Read more on BBC and on Rappler.
Defense witnesses down from 12 to 9

The defense panel will resume its presentation of evidence Monday May 7, to counter allegations in Article 2 that Chief Justice Renato Corona failed to to accurately declare his assets in his Statement of Assets, Liabilites and Net Worth (SALN). Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza will return to the witness stand so the prosecution panel can continue his cross-examination. Defense lawyer Ramon Esguerra says they have narrowed down their list of witnesses from 12 to 9, to hasten the proceedings. He said the team will be done with their presentation within the month.

Read more on Rappler.
$10-million a game changer —Marites Vitug

Maritess Vitug, author of 2 books on the Philippine Supreme Court, among them “Shadow of Doubt” says in her blog: I did not miss the impeachment trial. In fact, I felt that life was blessed and peaceful without the daily courtroom drama of an all-star amateur-hour prosecution team up against a solid blocking force led by a seasoned lawyer who could say “I object!” with ferocity and lightning speed… But the revelation from Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales about Chief Justice Renato Corona’s multi-million dollar accounts has provided the trial a new twist, the prosecution a decisive edge, and proved the old adage that truth will find its way out, no matter the hindrances.

Read more on Rappler.
Jeffrey Sachs: I wanted to be WB Chief

Development economist Jeffrey Sachs, who is in Manila for the 45th Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual Governors Meeting, said that if Obama had chosen him, he would have steered the multilateral lender into playing a more pronounced role in advancing global development goals, including fighting disease and improving education. Sachs adds, “The World Bank is important because it promotes ideas and convenes government, civil society groups for a common good. It is good when it does that, it fails when it acts like a bank.”

Read more on Rappler.
Resume error

Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson faces calls for his ouster after the online internet company admitted to an “inadvertent error” in his biography. The bio wrongly stated he had a degree in computer science. Until late Thursday, the company’s website said Thompson received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and computer science from Stonehill College. Thompson is the former head of online payments site PayPal, a division of eBay. He took over the helm of Yahoo! in January amid hopes he could revive the company which had been losing online ads. Activist hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb who exposed the fabrication is now leading calls for Thompson to resign for unethical conduct. “CEO’s have been terminated for less at other companies,” Leob said.

Read more on Inquirer.net
Phones for the blind invented

The country’s largest mobile phone network may soon develop phones for the blind. Created by engineering students from the Philippines, the invention integrates a braille pad into the console to help blind people read messages.

Read more on Al Jazeera.
Last supermoon of 2012

Its called the perigee moon, and it will be up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than other full moons on Sunday at around 11:30 pm. The reason for this phenomenon is that the Moon becomes full on its closest approach to Earth on May 6, 2012 (Manila time).

Read more on PhilStar.com