November 24, 2014 Edition

On the 5th anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima defend the extent of government action on the case. Various groups criticized the government for not securing a conviction 5 years since the brutal killing of 58 individuals, including 32 journalists, in the worst election-related violence in Philippine history. Sereno said that while the court has made steps to speed up the case, it also had to tread a “balancing act” to respect the rights of the accused. De Lima also said that observers must take note of the sheer number of people involved in the case. She also cited the court’s denial of the petition for bail of one of the accused, saying that this was a “significant victory” in the five-year trial of the case.

Read the full story here and here.

Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao was the picture of victory on Sunday, after a twelve-round beating of his opponent Chris Algieri in Macau. The fight had been one-sided as most skeptics presumed it would be, with Pacquiao scoring half a dozen knockdowns to win. It was the Filipino boxer’s most dominant performance in years, and he took the opportunity to stoke the fires for a clash with the unbeaten rival he has circled for years: Floyd Mayweather Jr. “The people deserve that fight. The fans deserve that fight. I think it’s time to make that fight happen,” Pacquiao said. While talks between the two sides had stalled, it didn’t stop Pacquiao from poking fun at Mayweather in a new commercial for American shoe store Foot Locker.

Read the full story here and here.

Foreign journalists in the Philippines say the blacklisting of Hong Kong journalists over an incident at a Bali summit sends a “chilling effect” to journalists worldwide. Journalists and technicians from Now TV, RTHK and Commercial Radio are banned from entering the Philippines by the Bureau of Immigration (BI). The journalists had subjected Philippine President Benigno Aquino III to aggressive questioning during the APEC Summit in Bali, Indonesia in 2013. According to the BI, they acted on the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency’s (NICA) assessment that the journalists pose a “public safety threat.”  Foreign Correspondents’ Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) says, “If the government’s intelligence agency does not the like the way you ask questions, you may be labeled a public safety threat and blacklisted from the Philippines.”

Read the full story on Rappler.

Indonesia’s new President Joko Widodo caused a stir this weekend by opting to fly economy class to watch his son’s high school graduation in Singapore. Along with his wife, Widodo skipped the usual heavy protocol and queued for check-in at Jakarta airport like ordinary passengers. While some praised his choice to fly economy, others criticized it as a publicity stunt, noting that Widodo stayed at a five-star hotel in Singapore. The Indonesian president, known for his common touch, said he did not use the presidential private jet or the VIP terminal because he was travelling for personal reasons.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The Libyan branch of ISIS now has a tight grip on the Libyan city of Derna, controlling the courts, all aspects of administration, education, and the local radio. Derna is not far from the Egyptian border and just about 200 miles from the southern shores of the European Union. Former Libyan jihadist Noman Benotman told CNN, “Derna today looks identical to Raqqa, the ISIS headquarters town in Syria.” Benotman adds, “Most of the local population in Derna are opposed to the takeover… but they are not in a position to do much for now.”  Derna has a long history of Islamist radicalism.

Read the full story on CNN.

Pushing for a “poor Church for the poor,” Pope Francis criticized churches run like businesses, as he stressed that “redemption is free.” In a homily in Vatican City, the Pope said, “How often when we enter a church do we see… a price list hanging there ‘for baptism, blessings, Mass intentions.’ And people are scandalized.” To stress his point, Francis recalled knowing a couple who was asked to pay two slots to have a wedding ceremony with the Mass. “So in order to have a wedding ceremony with the Mass they had to pay two slots. This is the sin of scandal,” Francis said. “It is scandalous when the Temple, the House of God, becomes a place of business, as in the case of that wedding: the church was being rented out.”

Read the full story on Rappler.

A 12-year-old boy was shot dead by police in the US city of Cleveland, after brandishing what turned out to be a fake gun in a playground. CNN reports an officer fired two shots at the boy after he failed to obey an order to raise his hands. A caller reported the boy to police for scaring people with a gun but said that he did not know if it was real. The two officers at the scene were not told about the caller’s comments. One of the officers was in his first year on the local force, the other had more than 10 years of experience.

Read the full story on BBC.

Image from Shutterstock

She’s short, brunette, and has an average body shape: the ‘anti-Barbie’ doll is ready to go on sale in the US, with the sales pitch that “average is beautiful.” The creation of the Lammily doll, created by 26-year-old graphic designer Nickolay Lamm, was based on statistics provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unlike the thinner, taller Barbie, the “average” Lammily doll was 5’4″ tall, weighed 150 pounds and measured 33.5 inches around the chest. Lamm said he came up with the idea to suggest “that it’s okay to not look like a supermodel, it’s okay to look like a normal person.” The doll will come with stickers depicting acne or cellulite.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Cybersecurity firm Symantec says newly discovered malware Regin, appears to have been designed by a government, and is “groundbreaking and almost peerless.” CNN reports the malware has been lurking in computers for as long as six years. It was discovered in at least 10 countries, but are concentrated in Russia and Saudi Arabia. The targets are individuals, small businesses, hospitality and energy industries, including telecommunication, apparently to spy on calls. Symantec said the malware conceals itself well and has several levels of protection, uses multiple types of encryption, and can communicate with the hacker that deployed it.

Read the full story on CNN.

Image from Shutterstock.

“Mockingjay, Part 1” didn’t match the previous “The Hunger Games” at the box office but it still had the biggest opening of the year at $123 million. The Huffington Post reports the movie opened well below the $158 million debut of last year’s “Catching Fire” and the $153 million opening of the 2012 original. Seen by some as disappointment, Lions Gate Entertainment’s stock to dip by 5 percent. “Mockingjay,” however, did well overseas at $152 million over the weekend, for a $275 million global opening.

Read the full story on HuffPost.