June 7, 2012 Edition

As many as 100 were reported killed by Syrian pro-government forces in Hama, opposition activists reported. This comes less than two weeks after 108 people were killed in Houla. As with the Houla massacre, many of those who were killed were women and children. Mohammed Sermini, spokesman for the opposition Syrian National Council, said “We have 100 deaths in the village of Al-Kubeir, among them 20 women and 20 children.” He accused forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the “massacre.”

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Watch a video report on CNN.

More details are available from the BBC. 

In an interview aired on BBC Wednesday evening, June 6, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said political families often tend to do their best “to preserve their good name.” The heir of two political leaders, his parents Benigno Aquino Jr and Corazon Aquino, the Philippine president said besides his name, his training and experiences “shaped” him into the person he is today. At the same time, he said that while political dynasties may not necessarily be evil, there must be a conscious attempt to avoid a monopoly of economic power.

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More than 600 child soldiers and sex slaves were abducted by Joseph Kony’s Lord Resistance Army over the past two years, the United Nations (UN) said on Wednesday, June 6. “These children are used in various roles: as combatants, as spies, as guards, as porters, as cooks. They are often forced to kill their family and friends, especially in the villages that they come from,” Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN special representative on children and conflict, told reporters. She added that almost all the girls kidnapped were raped or forcibly married to combatants. Most of them had children born of rape and had AIDS and other illnesses when they escaped or were released. Kony, who launched his rebellion in Uganda two decades ago, is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

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Blinding speed versus ferocious determination and stonewall durability. WBO Welterwight champion Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, two pugilists with an interesting contrast of styles, are headed to the ring this Sunday, June 10, for a much anticipated superfight. While Pacman is known for his blend of speed and volume punching, Bradley, who has never lost and never been knocked out, has not much offensive power. But he has rock solid durability and may aim to maximize defense and create counterpunch opportunities. The world awaits the grand fight this Sunday.

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Erivedge, a new drug that could fight two rare types of skin cancer, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration after an expedited review. Produced by a US subsidiary of Swiss drug giant Roche, Erivedge or vismodegib has been found to help some patients with two kinds of basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer in the world. Studies showed that the drug retarded the growth of new tumors but also produced side effects such as loss of taste, hair loss and muscle cramps. More study is needed to determine how long it may work to ward off cancer, when it should be optimally administered, and what populations it may best serve.

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We are headed toward unprecedented environmental destruction, the United Nations warned, if current damaging patterns of production and consumption continue. In a report released ahead of the June 20-22 Rio Summit on sustainable development, United Nations Environment Programme executive director Achim Steiner said that governments will preside over “unprecedented levels of damage and degradation” if consumption patterns are not reversed. The world’s population is expected to hit 10 billion by 2100, even as natural resources are being quickly depleted by a lifestyle that is “gluttonous on energy and use of water, habitat and fisheries,’ the report said.

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Li Wangyang, a leading Chinese activist put in jail after the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests hanged himself in a hospital where he was being treated  for a heart disease and diabetes. He had spent more than 22 years in jail and was freed a year ago. Li’s brother-in-law Zhao Baozhu however said he is a man with a strong mind and strong spirit. “Last evening we were together, Li Wangyang did not show any signs of suicide; it is strange,” Zhao said. Li was found in his hospital room with a white strip of cloth around his neck, hanging from a window bar above.

Read the full story on BBC. 

The little blue bird will fly out soon. Twitter, the fast-growing social media company, unveiled a new Twitterbird Wednesday, June 6. Creative director Doug Bowman announced, “Starting today you’ll begin to notice a simplified Twitter bird. From now on, this bird will be the universally recognizable symbol of Twitter…There’s no longer a need for text, bubbled typefaces, or a lowercase “t” to represent Twitter.” Bowman said the new trademark symbol “grows out of love for ornithology, design within creative constraints, and simple geometry.”

Read the full story on Rappler. 

More details are available on CNN. 

Social network LinkedIn said more than 6.4 million member accounts were breached as their passwords were reported stolen. “We can confirm that some of the passwords that were compromised correspond to LinkedIn accounts. We are continuing to investigate this situation,” Vicente Silveira, LinkedIn director said in a blog post. Passwords on compromised accounts are no longer valid, Silveira said, adding that members will be instructed on how to reset them. Security expert Graham Cluley warned against using the same password on multiple websites.

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Solicitor-General Francis Jardeleza, lawyer Katrina Legarda and former Ateneo Law Dean Cesar Villanueva were nominated to the post vacated by former Chief Justice Renato Corona on May 29, Judicial and Bar Council member Jose Mejia said Thursday, June 7. Jardeleza applied for a seat in the SC in 2011, while Legarda and Villanueva were nominated to the high court in 2010 and 2008, respectively. Legarda specializes in family law, Jardeleza was a former deputy ombudsman for Luzon, while Villanueva is a certified public accountant with an academic background in commercial law. Applications and nominations for chief justice will be accepted by the JBC only until June 18, after which, it will submit a short list of names to President Aquino.

Read the full story on Rappler.