January 4, 2015 Edition

It’s been a tough week for Filipinos at sea. A family trip turned into a tragedy on January 1 when an overcrowded boat capsized in rough seas near North Gigante Island in Iloilo, leaving 3 children dead and 3 others missing. On January 2, one Filipino crew member died when a cargo vessel sank off the coast of Batangas. On the same day, two Filipino crew members of a Bahamas-flagged cargo ship died when it sank off Southern Vietnam. At least 16 other crew members remain missing. The day after, January 3, a Cypriot-registered cargo ship carrying cement capsized around 15 miles from Wick in northeast Scotland. The ship’s crew of 8 included a Filipino mariner, according to the company.

Read the full stories on the overcrowded boat in Iloilo and sunken cargo vessel in Batangas on Rappler
Read the full story on the rescue in Vietnam on Rappler
Read the full story on the capsized Cypriot-registered ship on Rappler

An initial report of Indonesia’s meteorological agency said weather was the “triggering factor” in the crash of AirAsia Flight 8501 into the Java Sea a week ago with 162 people on board. The Airbus A320-200 crashed during a storm en route from Indonesia’s second city Surabaya to Singapore, and relief workers are hunting for flight data recorders to determine the cause of the crash. Recovery teams have found two big parts of the plane in the Java Sea off the island of Borneo. An initial report on the website of BMKG, Indonesia’s meteorological agency, suggests the weather at the time the plane went down sparked the disaster.

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Read the full story on the discovery of the plane’s two big parts on Rappler

Taking his cue from Pope Francis, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas warned priests against clericalism and materialism as seen among others in signature shirts, luxury vehicles, and international trips. “It is a scandal for a priest to die a rich man,” Villegas said in a letter to the priests of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan on January 1. Villegas, who also heads the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, issued a 7-point warning to priests as the Catholic Church in the Philippines marks the Year of the Poor, and as the Catholic Church around the world observes the Year of Consecrated Life in 2015.

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The death toll from Tropical Storm Seniang (Jangmi) reached 55 as of January 3, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The agency also said a total of 41 individuals were injured while at least 8 people remained missing in areas affected by the typhoon. The holiday storm brought “unprecedented floods” in Bohol and other surrounding provinces and caused at least P4.9 million worth of damage to agriculture in Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental and Compostela Valley, and at least P69.8 million worth of damage to infrastructure in Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.

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Read the full story on Bohol’s unprecedented floods on Rappler

Dozens of homes were feared lost as an intense bushfire raged out of control in South Australia January 3, with firefighters struggling to contain the worst blaze in decades as strong winds fanned the flames. The blaze at Sampson Flat was spreading in all directions, sweeping rapidly from a 154 hectare area on Friday afternoon to one covering 4,741 hectares with a perimeter of 38 kilometers. “Your life is at risk,” South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill told residents of the Mount Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide, urging them to leave as the “incredibly dangerous fire” raged in rugged scrub.

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The Greek left-wing leader ahead in polls before upcoming elections said his party’s victory would start “necessary change” in Europe and stressed he would end austerity policies. Alexis Tsipras, head of the Syriza party, named Spain, where the leftist Podemos party has led in polls ahead of elections later this year, and Ireland as countries that could follow. Tsipras has previously pledged to reverse reforms imposed by Greece’s international creditors and renegotiate its bailout deal. Germany’s Der Spiegel news weekly reported that Chancellor Angela Merkel is prepared to let Greece leave the eurozone if the new government jettisons austerity.

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While working on “4 options,” Malacañang reiterated the need for emergency powers for President Benigno Aquino III to avert an imminent power shortage this summer, which has yet to be granted by the Senate. Palace Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr admitted that the pending Senate approval is affecting government preparations, especially since Aquino mentioned that it would be most expensive for everyone to have no power. The delay does not deter the government from paying attention to the 4 other options: the Interruptible Load Program to be implemented with the cooperation of the private sector, the energy saving measures to decrease the possible supply shortfall, expediting ongoing power projects, and trying to lessen forced outages.

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The vast 2015 International CES, one of the world’s biggest electronics fairs to be held in Las Vegas January 6-9, shows how technology is permeating virtually all sectors of life – from entertainment to automobiles to kitchen appliances, in sectors including health, fashion and sports. “The ‘Internet of Things’ is the hottest topic in tech right now,” said Karen Chupka of the Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes the annual event. It’s leading to a wider range of wearable tech, from sports shirts to smart watches to sleep monitors to connected refrigerators. Also on view will be the newest and biggest television displays featuring “ultra high definition” that is catching on with consumers.

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You might want to consider this list of resolutions as you prepare to return to work on Monday. Making New Year’s resolutions for your office life should be worth your time since you spend at least 8 hours of your day on it, 5 times a week. How about deciding to send shorter emails, for example? Or finally moving closer to your workplace? One recommendation is for you to also get to work earlier. Studies show that you’re at your best cognitive capacity within your first two waking hours. These are also the best hours to be “in the zone” while everyone else is still hitting the road.

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What lessons from Pope Francis can we bring into 2015? Described as the “world’s parish priest,” Pope Francis goes beyond abstract theology, and gives us advice we can use daily. Rappler compiles 10 of the Pope’s most memorable quotes in the form of New Year’s resolutions. He preaches against gossip, reminds us to finish our meals, and even tells us not to fear marriage. This is the Pope Francis list.

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