November 3, 2014 Edition

In a landmark review, United Nations experts said emissions of 3 key greenhouse gases were at their highest in more than 800,000 years. This means earth is now on a trajectory for at least 4ºC warming by 2100 – a recipe for worsening drought, flood, rising seas and species extinctions. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) chief Rajendra Pachauri said, “We have little time before the window of opportunity to stay within 2ºC of warming closes… Our emissions should drop by 40 to 70% globally between 2010 and 2050, falling to zero or below by 2100.” The report comes ahead of talks in Lima next month to pave the way to a 2015 global pact in Paris. France and the United States headed a chorus of alarm on Sunday. France said the report required “immediate, all-round mobilization.” In Washington, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the report was a fresh warning – “another canary in the coal mine.”

Read the full story on Rappler.

More on reactions from the US, France.

More on Kerry on climate change.

Former President and incumbent Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will ask the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan to allow her to attend the wake of her grandson. The youngest son of Arroyo’s daughter Luli Arroyo-Bernas and husband, Luigi, died Sunday morning at the Philippine Heart Center due to a heart ailment. Arroyo is detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center due to plunder charges over the alleged misuse of P366-million worth of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office funds.

Read the full story on Rappler.

On All Saints’ Day, Yolanda survivors in Palo Leyte visited a mass grave that holds their dearest memories. The parish priest in San Joaquin said this ‘holy ground’ used to be a playground. Some relatives come to ask for forgiveness, others to ask for help. Most pray for closure.

Watch the report on Rappler.

Read more about the survivors of Haiyan on Rappler.

Under intense grilling by senators, Antonio Tiu, the billionaire businessman at the center of one of the country’s most sensational corruption scandals refused to point fingers. He maintained he is not a dummy for Vice President Jejomar Binay. Rappler takes a closer look at the man and the connections he made. Tiu said he works 7 days a week and explains he’s a “young man in a hurry.” He also talked about the powerful people he met and how he has merged his friendships with his business.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Watch the interview with Tiu on Rappler.

An expert at an international organization specializing in space safety said she warned Virgin Galactic over safety concerns in 2009. Carolynne Campbell of the Netherlands-based International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) said her warnings about the rocket motor were ignored by the company. On October 31, the Virgin Galactic Spaceship Two crashed during a test flight, killing the co-pilot and seriously injuring the pilot. The National Transportation and Safety Board is investigating the incident. Early theories about the causes of the crash focused on the fuel being used in the spacecraft. The tragedy comes 7 years after three people were killed after a rocket designed for use in SpaceShipTwo exploded.

Read the full story on Rappler.

A miner’s son and a fan of Communist icon Vladimir Lenin are set to be confirmed as leaders in controversial elections in eastern Ukraine on Sunday. Alexander Zakharchenko, who commands rebels fighting Ukrainian government forces in Donetsk, faces no real opposition; so does Lugansk’s Igor Plotnitsky, a former Soviet army officer who rose to the top of the separatist ranks. Donetsk declared its independence in April, as did nearby Lugansk, which declared itself the Lugansk People’s Republic.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The company that gave the world the first colored TV, Walkman and CD player is in trouble. Major rating agencies Fitch and Moody’s downgraded the company to “junk” status while Standard & Poor’s said it could follow suit. On Friday, Sony reported a second quarter net loss of $1.2 billion, and the company confirmed it’s on track to lose a staggering $2.1 billion this fiscal year. Despite drastic moves by CEO Kazuo Hirai who spun off the company’s television business, sold its Vaio PC operation and slashed thousands of jobs, the company hasn’t found the revolutionary offering that will put it in the running in the technology business.

Read the full story on CNN.

Can pollution inspire high fashion? Models at the China Fashion Week last Tuesday sashayed down the runway wearing smog masks. Some of the sportswear from the QIAODAN Yin Peng collection even had built-in masks – making fashion-forward Beijing able to cope with the increasing levels of pollution in the People’s Republic.

Read the full story on CNN.

Despite the Philippine passport’s relative “weakness” on the visa-free rankings, adventurer Kach Medina shares some of the advantages of carrying it. From ease of entering ASEAN member countries to being able to haggle for items while traveling around Asia, a Philippine passport isn’t so bad after all.

Read the full story on Rappler.

BBC compiles 10 common faux pas in Asia and how to navigate the cultural gap between East and West. Top on the list: Don’t let things get critical. While being blunt may work in a New York setting, openly criticizing your counterpart in Beijing may spell the end of a deal. The best advice, “If you have something negative to say, always couch it in the positive.” Other points that are definitely worth taking to heart: Be politically correct, like not bringing up Tibet, Taiwan and Tiananmen in Beijing, caning in Singapore and being irreverent of the king in Thailand.

Read the full story on BBC.

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