Daily News Highlights – July 7, 2015 Edition

It’s been more than 2 years since the Philippines brought China to an international arbitration court over maritime disputes. The Philippines claims China’s 9-dash line, which swallows a vast expanse of the Exclusive Economic Zone, violates international law as stipulated in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which China is a signatory. Rappler talked to Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who has extensively studied and lectured on the historical roots and legal dimensions of the South China Sea dispute. Carpio said, “Once the jurisdiction is won by the Philippines, and the tribunal says it has jurisdiction, then we practically know the tribunal will strike down the 9-dash line,” he said.

Watch Carpio’s interview with Maria Ressa.

The death toll from a boat disaster in Ormoc, Leyte has risen to 61, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the local government. This figure is up from 41 confirmed by officials last Friday, July 3. The boat, called M/V KIM Nirvana, capsized with 173 passengers and 16 crew members on board on Thursday, July 2, shortly after it left the Ormoc port en route to Camotes Island, Cebu. Some survivors blame the boat crew and Philippine authorities for letting the boat sail despite alleged “overloading” and rough seas, but the PCG said no gale warning was issued at the time the boat set sail.

Read more on MV Kim Nirvana.

The Department of Health confirmed that a 36-year-old foreigner tested positive for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This is the second confirmed MERS case in the country. Health Secretary Janette Garin said the patient traveled from Saudi Arabia, passing by Dubai in the Middle East. The foreigner is currently in isolation at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine. Garin said the patient has been responding to treatment and is likely to recover soon. Downplaying fears of transmission, the health secretary said 8 close contacts of the patient have already been identified and are now under quarantine.

Read more on second MERS-Cov case.

New Zealand passed a law that classifies cyberbullying as a crime.

The Harmful Digital Communications Law includes provisions against causing “serious emotional distress” online or via messaging services or social networks. Considered illegal are racist or sexist remarks, speaking ill of another’s sexual orientation or disabilities, or showing religious intolerance. A person found guilty can be put in jail for two years or fined up to $50,000 (US$33,000). Companies may be fined up to $200,000 (US$134,000). Inciting someone to commit suicide, even if the person does not do so, is punishable with up to 3 years in jail. Publishers like Facebook and Twitter will be able to sign “safe harbor deals” as long as they promise to delete allegedly offending messages within 48 hours of discovery.

Read more on New Zealand’s anti-cyberbullying law.

Fastfood chain Jollibee says there was “deception” involved in the viral post of a man who boasted on Facebook that he fooled a rider to avoid paying. The customer that went by the name “Jay Bee” on Facebook drew ire online over the weekend. He supposedly dismissed the public backlash on Facebook, posting a photo of him with his middle finger raised – an indecent hand gesture – to netizens who criticized his post. Jollibee reminded the public to treat riders “with the courtesy, honesty, and respect that they deserve.”

Read more on viral post on Jollibee delivery.

It’s back to reality for Athens as panicked customers lined up in ATMs on Monday to hoard money. This comes after Yanis Varoufakis, Greek finance minister, and champion of the anti-austerity camp, quit. Fears in Greece spread that the country’s banks could run dry within hours or days, forcing untold numbers of companies to go bust. Greeks were divided over whether the European Central Bank would inject emergency euros into the country’s banks — or whether the country’s perceived nemesis, Germany, would make them suffer.

Read more on Greece’s post referendum scenario.

Malaysia’s ringgit hit a 16-year low Monday, July 6 on growing political uncertainty, following allegations that a probe into a state investment fund found hundreds of millions of dollars were transferred into prime minister Najib Razak’s personal accounts. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that government investigators had uncovered nearly $700 million that moved through government agencies, banks, and companies linked to state-controlled investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). Najib, who chairs the advisory board of 1MDB, dismissed the allegations as “political sabotage.” Najib is struggling to fend off a persistent campaign for his ouster by influential former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Read more on Malaysia’s political uncertainty.

Amos Yee, the Singaporean teenager behind online attacks on former premier Lee Kuan Yew was given a four-week jail term Monday but freed in view of time served. Yee was accused of offending Christians and posting an obscene image. The 16 year-old boy was jailed for 3 weeks for wounding religious feelings in an expletive-laden YouTube video comparing Lee Kuan Yew to Jesus, which was posted after the independence leader’s death in March. He also received a one-week jail term for posting an obscene drawing of Lee and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Yee’s case gained international attention after critics of the long-ruling People’s Action Party, co-founded by Lee Kuan Yew, said he was a victim of censorship and excessive punishment. It has divided public opinion in the city-state, with some attacking Yee for insulting both Christianity and Lee Kuan Yew.

Read more on teen who hit LKY.

On Monday, July 6, a total of 23 inmates from the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory graduated from high school and one graduated from grade school. The graduates said getting an education is their first step to freedom. “Joining the ALS program may help lower an inmate’s sentence. Quezon City jail warden Superintendent Randel Latoza said it will be a way to rehabilitate them as well as help decongest the jail.”  The Quezon City government recently adopted the ALS program of the Department of Education to rehabilitate recurring offenders and prevent them from coming back to jail.

Read more on graduating inmates.

People magazine reported Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis married in a secret ceremony over the 4th of July weekend. They’ve been engaged since 2014 and have a daughter, Wyatt Isabelle. The two starred in That 70’s Show and started dating in 2012. This is the first marriage for Mila while Ashton was previously married to Demi Moore. His divorce from Moore was finalized in 2013.

Read more on Kutcher-Kunis wedding.