August 15, 2013 Edition

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday, August 15, urged the Napoles siblings to surrender, even as the manhunt for them continues. A Makati court had issued an arrest warrant for Janet Lim-Napoles and her brother Reynaldo “Jojo” Lim on Wednesday, but agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) failed to locate them. De Lima said the siblings may have been tipped off, considering they were well connected. NBI spokesperson Cecilio Zamora warned those coddling the Napoleses they could be charged with obstruction of justice. He also said that all NBI regional units are on alert. Napoles lawyer Lorna Kapunan questioned De Lima’s motive for what she described as a “hasty” issuance.

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Janet Lim-Napoles, the woman linked by whistleblower Benhur Luy to the pork barrel scam, has been ordered arrested by a Makati court for serious illegal detention. It is a non-bailable crime. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on Wednesday agents of the National Bureau of Investigation were on their way to serve the warrant, presumably at her Pacific Plaza Towers residence in Taguig. Luy’s parents, Arturo and Gertrudes, as well as his siblings Arthur and Annabelle accused Napoles of detaining Benhur from December 2012 to March 22, 2013. He was rescued by NBI agents at Napoles’ Taguig condominium. The Luy family provided 6 addresses — owned or occupied by the Napoleses — where Benhur could have possibly be detained. Charges related to the pork barrel scam have yet to be filed.

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The story on Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s call for the Napoles siblings to surrender is on Rappler.

A related story on where whistleblower Benhur Luy was kept is also on Rappler.

She seems to be well connected, given the people she has partied with. Among legislators Janet Lim-Napoles has links to, at least based on documents, is Sen Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr’s son and Sen Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr’s nephew. Documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) link Revilla’s eldest son Leonard Bryan Bautista with Napoles’ son, James Christopher, and her nephew Ronald Lim Jr. James Christopher, according to SEC records, is also a business partner of Fernando Martin “Borgy” Marcos Manotic, son of Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos. They are joined by TV host Raymond Gutierrez. Whistleblower Benhur Luy, who kept records of Napoles’ alleged transactions with lawmakers, said that over a billion pesos of Sen Revilla’s pork barrel from 2006-2011 went to NGOs formed and controlled by Napoles.

Read the full story on Rappler.

A related story on who Janet Napoles partied with is also on Rappler.

Member countries of ASEAN agreed on Wednesday, August 15, to press China to accept a binding code of conduct involving disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Foreign ministers from the 10-member ASEAN told AFP they will “speak in one voice,” while seeking an “early conclusion of a code of conduct.” Meeting in Thailand, the ministers will meet Chinese officials in Beijing by the end of August. Competing territorial claims in the South China Sea have created tension as China has aggressively asserted its claim over nearly all of the sea. It has also resisted a legally binding code of conduct, preferring instead to negotiate individually with each country.

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Egyptian security forces stormed protest camps of supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, leaving over 500 dead across the country. Seeking to contain the violence, the interim government imposed a month-long nationwide state of emergence and curfews in Cairo and 13 other provinces, AFP reported. Civilians and policemen were killed in the clashes as Christian activists accused Morsi loyalists of waging a “war of retaliation against Copts in Egypt.” The violence prompted Vice President and Nobel Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei to resign, saying the loss of lives could have been avoided. The 11-hour, daily curfew takes effect starting at 7:00 pm.

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More details are on Rappler.

A related story on the declaration of national emergency is on BBC.

The eurozone climbed out of recession at last with better-than-expected growth of 0.3% in the second quarter led by Germany and France, the European Union said on Wednesday, August 14. Data agency Eurostat said the 18-month downturn, which has cost millions of jobs and crushed debt-laden governments, ended thanks largely to surprise gains of 0.7% in Germany and 0.5% in France. Analysts had tipped a 0.2% increase for the 17-nation bloc, home to some 340 million people who have struggled through 6 consecutive quarters of falling output.

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A tweaked version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system which restores the “Start” button missed by users and updates other features will be available on October 18, the company said Wednesday. Windows 8.1 will be offered as a free download to those already using Windows 8, and comes in response to a lukewarm reception to the operating system introduced last year aimed at serving both mobile devices and PCs. A full retail version of Windows 8.1 will also be available on the same date.

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People who use Facebook may feel more connected, but less happy. A study of young adults released Wednesday, August 14, concluded that the more people used Facebook, the worse they subsequently felt. “On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection,” said University of Michigan social psychologist Ethan Kross, lead author of the study. “But rather than enhance well-being, we found that Facebook use predicts the opposite result — it undermines it.” The researchers recruited 82 young adults who had smartphones and Facebook accounts and assessed their subjective wellbeing by texting them at random times 5 times a day for two weeks. The researchers said the study, published in the scientific journal PLOS, was believed to be the first measuring Facebook’s impact on happiness and life satisfaction.

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This year’s Toronto International Film Festival will be another high-art affair. But the September event will also be much anticipated for the late “Glee” star Cory Monteith’s last two films, reports BBC. In one of them, the US crime drama “McCanick,” Monteith is a down and dirty, drug-addled ex-con. “All the Wrong Reasons” also presents the “Glee” star in the starkly toned-down role of a store manager coping with his wife’s post-traumatic stress disorder. But it’s his role in “McCanick” wherein he appears as a “long-haired, hoodie-wearing lout,” or so “The Independent” describes Monteith’s character, that is sure to draw curiosity and interest among fans.

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Chicago’s bustling O’Hare airport has hired a new crew to keep the grass cut: a herd of goats, sheep, donkeys and llamas. Yes, llamas. The llamas help protect the sheep and miniature goats from coyotes that roam the wooded areas near one of the world’s busiest airports. The donkeys are also big and aggressive enough to keep predators away. And the entire chew crew works to keep the grounds clear of critters that can interfere — or even endanger — airport operations. Chicago used to rely on herbicides and motorized lawnmowers to maintain the nearly 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares) of land surrounding O’Hare. Aside from giving the landscaping crew a break, relying on ruminants also potentially reduces the airport’s carbon footprint by eliminating the use of gasoline-powered equipment.

Read the full story on Rappler.