April 25, 2014 Edition

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said there is “no conflict so far” between the affidavit of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles and whistleblowers’ testimonies. De Lima said there were details about the scam that only Napoles knew like the names of lawmakers who transacted with her directly. Amid skepticism about the supposed “tell all,” De Lima said Napoles kept documents to back up her claims.

Read the fully story on Rappler.

Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Francis Escudero called on Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and former senator Panfilo Lacson to name the lawmakers alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles implicated. Cayetano and Escudero said they are ready to defend themselves if they were included in the list. Senate President Franklin Drilon took a more cautious tone, saying the list should only be released if there is “credible documentary evidence.” The list reportedly names 12 senators and over 100 congressmen.

Read the full stories on Rappler here and here.

US President Barack Obama offered a security blanket to Japan. On the first stop of his Asian trip, Obama said in Tokyo that a defense treaty obliged America to protect Japan in its confrontation with China over islands in the East China Sea. It was the first time he explicitly put the islands under US protection. Ahead of Obama’s Philippine visit next week, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said the US leader should give Manila the same assurance in its South China Sea row with Beijing.

Read the full stories on the New York Times and Rappler.

US President Barack Obama will address Filipino and American troops on the second day of his trip to the Philippines next week. The US Embassy in Manila said Obama will visit the military headquarters in Taguig and “deliver remarks recognizing the longstanding partnership” between the two militaries. The two countries are negotiating a deal that will increase the presence of US troops in the Philippines and allow them to build facilities in military bases. Philippine lawmakers remain divided over the agreement.

Read the full stories on Rappler here and here.

The former security aide of President Benigno Aquino III is the new chief of the Philippine Air Force. An experienced pilot, Major General Jeffrey Delgado was also a member of the Presidential Security Group during the presidency of Aquino’s mother, Corazon. Delgado’s appointment is part of key movements in the military leadership this year because of the retirement of generals.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said Malacañang negotiated to resolve tensions with Hong Kong over the 2010 Manila hostage crisis. Almendras said Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada helped but offered to “lie low” in the negotiations. Almendras quoted Hong Kong media as saying, “there was not enough seniority [among officials] because [Estrada] was only a mayor.” Yet Estrada’s ally Valenzuela Rep Sherwin Gatchalian said the mayor made the mission successful because his stature as a former president gave weight to the city of Manila’s apology.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said his government will release its preliminary report on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Najib told CNN the report will be released next week, over 40 days since the plane went missing on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN body for global aviation, said Malaysia recommended in the report that the world look at real-time tracking of commercial aircraft. This is the same recommendation made after the Air France Flight 447 disaster in 2009.

Read the full story on CNN.

The Russian military conducted fighter-jet drills close to Ukrainian territory. The Kremlin ordered the military exercises on Ukraine’s border after Ukrainian troops killed 5 separatists in operations to take back the pro-Russian stronghold of Slovyansk. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of consequences if the Ukrainian army was used against pro-Russian activists. Yet US President Barack Obama accused Russia of failing to abide by a deal to ease tensions in Ukraine. He warned of new sanctions against Russia.

Read the full story on Al Jazeera.

The Philippines now ranks 78th in terms of “networked readiness,” according to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2014 Global Information Technology Report. The Philippines’ ranking increased 8 notches from 86th place in 2013. It is also ranked 6th in the ASEAN, following Singapore (2nd), Malaysia (30th), Brunei Darussalam (45th), Indonesia (64th), and Thailand (67th). The 2014 Global Information Technology Report sees an economy’s preparedness when it comes to using information and communications technology (ICT) to improve growth and well-being.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Peter Jackson changed the title of the final film in his Hobbit trilogy. From There and Back Again, the movie will now be called The Battle of the Five Armies. The New Zealand filmmaker and Oscar-winning director said the old title was conceived only for a two-part adaptation of the fantasy fable. “But with 3 movies, it suddenly felt misplaced. After all, Bilbo has already arrived ‘there’ in the Desolation of Smaug,” he said. The new title is a reference to the climactic battle at the end of The Hobbit in which dwarves, elves, men, goblins and giant eagles fight it out beneath the Lonely Mountain. The film will be out in December.

Read the full story on The Guardian.