Daily News Highlights – November 26, 2015 Edition

The Society of Jesus in the Philippines is facing its first sexual abuse complaint after a former student in one of the Jesuit high schools surfaced and alleged he had been sexually molested by a Jesuit 3 decades ago. Now 46 years old, the alleged victim born and raised in the southern city of Zamboanga said he converted from Islam to Roman Catholicism upon the invitation of a Jesuit seminarian then teaching at the Ateneo de Zamboanga. Sexually abused “a few hundred times” from 1984 to 1987, Lucas (not his real name) sent his complaint to the Office of the Provincial on October 15. He is also seeking compensation in the amount of $16 million. The complaint is now the subject of a preliminary investigation that seeks to verify the allegations.

 Read the full story on Rappler. The related story on compensation is also on Rappler.

China’s island-building activities have destroyed the seabed in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the Philippine team told a United Nations-backed tribunal. On the second day of hearings on the merits of its case against Beijing, the Philippines also accused China of “flagrant and persistent” violations of international law. Lawyer Andrew Loewenstein showed satellite images of installations constructed by China on Mischief Reef in the disputed waters. He argued that China was violating sovereign rights of the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The United Nations (UN) World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that based on data for the first 10 months of the year, 2015 will be the “warmest year on record.”  WMO said land and sea temperatures are likely to surpass those of 2014 as the highest since record-keeping began. The preliminary findings were intended to “inform negotiators at the UN Climate Change Conference” that will be held in Paris. More than 145 world leaders are set to gather there on Monday, November 30, for a summit that seeks to cap average global warming at 2 degrees Celsius above the mid-19^thcentury levels.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The Turkish military said it did not know the warplane it shot down near the Syrian border was Russian. Turkish armed forces said they attempted to find and rescue the two pilots of the shot plane on Tuesday, November 24. The sole surviving pilot said he had received no warning and that the plane did not violate Turkish air space, but the Turkish army released audio recordings that proved the contrary. The incident has threatened ties between the two major rival players in the Syrian war and raised fears it could escalate into a bigger geopolitical conflict.

Read the full story on Rappler.

An American aircraft attacked a Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) clinic in Afghanistan due to “human error”, the commander of US forces said, promising disciplinary action. At least 30 people were killed in the October 3 air strike. General John Campbell said those responsible for the attack had been suspended from their duties.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The Philippine economy grew by 6% in the 3^rd quarter of 2015, the Philippine Statistics Authority announced Thursday, November 25. This makes the Philippine GDP growth the third fastest in the region, after China (6.9%) and Vietnam (6.8%). This growth is an improvement from the previous quarter’s 5.8% and the 5.5% of the same period in 2014. Socio-economic Planning chief Arsenio Balisacan said the country needs to grow by 6.9% in the 4^th quarter to hit a full-year growth of 6%.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The number of Filipinos diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus may reach about 133,000 by 2022 without proper intervention, the health department warned on Wednesday, November 25. It also said, “If we do not slow down our HIV epidemic, if we do not invest in preventing new HIV infections,” the number of people with HIV could go beyond 130,000 in 7 years. Just this year, one case of HIV is detected every hour.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The Islamic State (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the bombing of a presidential guard bus in Tunis that left at least 12 dead. A Tunisian suicide bomber boarded the bus in Tunis and blew himself up Tuesday, November 24, according to a statement shared on jihadist social media accounts. The bombing was carried out using 10 kilos of a powerful Semtex explosive, the interior ministry said.

Read the full story on Rappler.

France is deploying almost 11,000 police for the climate summit in Paris, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Wednesday, November 25. The summit, which will draw 147 world leaders, begins just about two weeks after attacks in Paris that left over 120 dead. About 2,800 police officers will be deployed at the conference venue, while 8,000 will be posted to carry out border checks.

Read the full story on Rappler.

US President Barack Obama awarded filmmaker Steven Spielberg with the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, on Tuesday, November 24. The creator of films like ET, Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones, Spielberg was hailed by Obama. “Steven’s films are marked most importantly by a faith in our common humanity…His stories have shaped America’s history, and his values have shaped our world,” the US President said.

Read the full story on Rappler.