October 22, 2012 Edition

Pedro Calungsod is now the country’s second saint after Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday afternoon, October 21, included him, along with 6 others, in a list of Catholic saints. Before Calungsod, Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized in 1987. In his homily, Pope Benedict XVI said the Filipino saint “displayed deep faith and charity, and continued to catechize his many converts, giving witness to Christ by a life of purity and dedication to the Gospel. Uppermost was his desire to win souls for Christ, and this made him resolute in accepting martyrdom.” A Visayan teenage missionary who worked with the Jesuits, Calungsod was killed by Chamorro natives in the Marianas when a Chinese merchant spread gossip that the baptismal water they used was poisonous. Calungsod and his Jesuit superior Fr Diego Luis de San Vitores were speared by the natives and their bodies thrown into the sea.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

A related story on Calungsod is also on Rappler. 

The intelligence department of Jordan foiled what was described as “a major terrorist plot” aimed at diplomats and shopping centers. 11 militants said to have planned attacks were arrested by Jordanian authorities. The terrorists called their plan “9/11 (2),” according to CNN, while the BBC said it was “an al-Qaeda plot timed for the anniversary of the November 9 attacks on Amman in 2005.” In 2005, suicide bombs that exploded in 3 hotels in Amman killed 60 people. Jordan’s state news agency Petra said the plotters “had planned to bring TNT explosives and mortart shells from Syria.” Their objective, it said, was to “create a highly destructive explosive that would cause the highest number of casualties and extensive physical damage.” Government spokesman Samih Maayta said the 11 militants were in police custody.

Read the full story on BBCNews. 

More details are available from CNN. 

The New York Times  featured on its Friday, October 19, edition the story of forgotten Filipino labor leader Larry Itliong. He was said to be responsible for setting the groundwork for Cesar Chavez, the now famous Latino American civil rights activist, and the agricultural labor union, the United Farm Workers of America (UFWA). According to the Times, it was the Filipinos who were called the “Delano manongs” who helped create UFWA. Leader of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, Itliong led a strike in September 1965 of Filipinos working for Coachella Valley grape growers in California. They wanted to push for better working conditions. Itliong later approached Chavez for support as the latter was then with the National Farm Workers Association. Their alliance led to the creation in 1966 of UFWA, with Itliong serving as assistant director. His son Johnny wants California to observe a Larry Itliong Day and make it a national day of remembrance.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

More details are available in The New York Times. 

Taking another step forward in reforms, President Thein Sein of Myanmar held his first-ever local news conference on Sunday, October 21. After giving so many interviews overseas, he said he felt he should hold one in his own country. The 67-year-old former general admitted struggling to overcome fear of the media, even as he took questions for over two hours from local and foreign reporters. He was careful not to reveal too much on controversial issues, the BBC reported. For instance, he said it would depend on Aung San Suu Kyi on whether she would play a role in the government. Thein Sein became president in 2011 and the elections in 2015 will be a test for the military-led government he leads.

Read the full story on BBCNews. 

Muslim pilgrims have been trekking to Mecca for the hajj, one of the 5 pillars of Islam that every capable Muslim must perform at least once in a lifetime. The main events which start on Wednesday, October 24, are expected to attract over two million pilgrims from all over the world. The bulk of the pilgrims are however expected to come from Asia, mostly from Indonesia. Thursday, October 25, is the most important day for them when they assemble in the Arafat plain outside Mecca. On Friday, October 26, they celebrate the Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice, which marks the end of their pilgrimage.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Oxford University academics are on the brink of decoding the world’s oldest undeciphered writing system. A breakthrough will cast light on a lost bronze age middle eastern society where slaves lived on rations close to starvation levels, the BBC reported. An image-making device is being used by researchers to decipher a writing system called proto-Elamite which was used between 3200BC and 2900BC in what is now in the southwest of Iran. The Reflectance Transformation Imaging System is a device that was shipped to the Louvre Museum in Paris, where the most important tablets are kept. It captured details on the surface of the clay tablets which were put inside the machine. Dr Jacob Dahl, director of the Ancient World Research Cluster, said “I think we are finally on the point of making a breakthrough.”

Read the full story on BBCNews. 

If she had her way, her family’s business strategy will exclude gaming and casino ventures. Felicidad “Mollie” Tan-Sy, the wife of the country’s richest man, Henry Sy, does not support having casino operations as part of the family’s diversified portfolio. A devout Catholic, she has been a strong supporter of Church-led activities and has even funded the construction of some Catholic churches. She was also said to be instrumental in banning adults-only films in cinemas in the family-owned SM malls. SM has the widest network of cinemas nationwide. Daughter Teresita Sy-Coson said it is Belle Corp, 60% owned by their holding firm SM Investments Corp, that is more involved in the gaming business. Belle, which owns the casino license, is looking to its partner MCE or Melco to manage and operate the multi-million-dollar Belle Grande Manila Bay project in the sprawling Pagcor Entertainment City.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Apple’s teaser “We’ve got a little more to show you” for an event on Tuesday, October 23, may well be about the launch of its next hot gadget, the iPad Mini. Apple has kept mum about rumors and blogs that say the new tablet, a smaller version of its market-leading iPad, could be priced from $US249-$399 (approximately P10,292-P16,491). The pricing scheme is expected to pressure rivals like the Amazon Kindle Fire. The mini device is expected to have a screen of 20 centimeters or less than 8 inches. The Kindle Fire was popular in 2011 and a new version was launched in September 2012. Also part of the competition are the small-format Google Nexus 7, the Samsung Galaxy, and the Microsoft Surface tablet, which will be launched on October 26. Analyst Jack Gold said Apple needs to get into the small tablet market to maintain its leadership.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Government remains undecided on whether it will make the airport in Clark the main gateway to the Philippines. Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya said in his first press conference that the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark is not yet a definite alternative to the highly congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. Abaya said he is still trying to build a consensus for a move, considering the prerequisites needed – among them, a speed rail and the winding down of the NorthRail. The International Air Transport Association, which groups international airlines, had objected to the transfer, citing the distance and inaccessibility of Clark from Metro Manila.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

He couldn’t help it. President Benigno Aquino III took a swipe at his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in a speech before the Filipino community in Auckland, New Zealand. Speaking at the Auckland City Convention Center on Monday, October 22, Aquino reiterated the need to hold Arroyo accountable for misdeeds during her term. He said in Filipino, “You know, let me just share this joke. I kept laughing when I got it. It said, ‘Our fellow Filipinos who are corrupt use luxurious cars, so expensive and fast. But when they want to escape, they use a wheelchair.’” Another target of Aquino’s anti-corruption campaign was former Chief Justice Renato Corona, who also used a wheelchair when he testified before his impeachment trial at the Senate last May. He is on a two-day visit to New Zealand to expand economic and political ties.

Read the full story on Rappler.