Janet Lim Napoles, an alleged pork barrel operator, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Makati Court on Tuesday, April 14, after being found guilty of detaining her former employee Benhur Luy. Napoles was also ordered to pay Luy P50,000 in civil indemnity and P50,000 as moral damages. Napoles, together with her brother Reynald “Jojo” Lim were accused of detaining Luy from December 2012 to March 2013 after the two discovered Luy was trying to compete against Napoles to secure lawmakers’ pork barrel funds. Luy was rescued from an apartment in the posh Pacific Plaza Towers in Taguig owned by Napoles. The court has ordered Napoles’ transfer to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.

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President Benigno Aquino III says the world should be very concerned with China’s claim over most of the South China Sea and their development of permanent airfields in at least two islands in the area. In an exclusive interview with Agence France-Presse, Aquino admitted that China’s actions “should engender fear for the rest of the world.” Aquino, however, stated his belief that China does not intend to engage in a military conflict. Satellite photos show China’s massive reclamation and development of at least two islands, located 100 kilometers from Palawan. The President added that some 40% of the world’s trade passes through the channel. The Philippine government has filed protests against China’s claims and actions in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) before the United Nations.

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Vice President Jejomar Binay offered a preview of his foreign policy towards China if he were to be president one day, saying that the Philippines can tap Chinese money for capital. In a radio interview with DZYM in Catarman, Northern Samar, Binay also called for a “joint venture” between the Philippines and China in developing the natural resources in the South China Sea. The Vice President reasoned that a dialogue was needed between the two countries. “The problem with China, sadly, will not be resolved immediately. Perhaps we would have died by many years, and we wouldn’t have resolved the problem,” said Binay. The Vice President is planning to run for President in 2016.

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Manny Pacquiao, already a national and international boxing hero and Philippine congressman, has higher ambitions. He is planning to run for president of the Philippines one day, according to promoter Bob Arum. In an interview with TMZ Sports, Arum said Pacquiao first plans to run for senate in the 2016 national elections, “and then in 2022, or maybe later, he’ll run for president of the Philippines.” The Pacman is currently in the middle of his training for his upcoming mega-fight against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr, which will be held on May 2 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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An internet security firm claims a cyber espionage group possibly sponsored by China has been spying on governments and business in Southeast Asia and India for the last 10 years. FireEye, in a report released on Monday, April 13, said the hackers, dubbed APT30, have been systematically stealing “sensitive information” since 2005 targeting governments, corporations and journalists with interests in China. The company added that the length and scope of the sustained effort indicates the hacking activities are state-sponsored.

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Gener Jarito is a taxi driver with big dreams. Growing up poor in Samar and with no formal education would be huge obstacles for many Filipinos, but for Jarito, it drove him to always improve his lot in life. “Gusto ko pa magbago buy ko. Ayaw kong tumanda bilang taxi driver,” said Jarito. (I still want to change the course of my life. I don’t want to grow old as a taxi driver.) Jarito, who knew of the importance of education at a young age, is finally getting a chance to make his dreams a reality. He is enrolled at the Alternative Learning System (ALS) program of De La Salle Greenhills. After 10 months, Jarito hopes his new skills and knowledge will allow him to land a better job and one that will really take him paces.

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Nigeria on Tuesday, April 14, marks the first anniversary of Boko Haram’s abduction of 219 schoolgirls from the northeastern town of Chibok, as part of a series of events planned around the world. The focus of the one-year commemoration was on Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, where a vigil has been held demanding the girls’ immediate release almost every day since they were kidnapped. Human rights group Amnesty International said the Islamists had kidnapped at least 2,000 women and girls since bet beginning of last year. Boko Haram fighters stormed the Government Secondary School in the remote town in Borno state on the evening of April 14 last year, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams.

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A math problem that first appeared in a test for Singapore’s elite high school students has baffled Internet users around the world after it went viral, prompting a rush of attempts to solve it. The question, involving a girl asking two boys to guess her birthday after giving them scant clues, first appeared in an April 8 test organized by the Singapore and Asian School Math Olympiads (SOSMA). It was meant for 15- and 16-year-old elite secondary school students, but swiftly went global after a local television news presenter posted it on his Facebook page Saturday, April 11. Singapore is renowned worldwide for its national maths system, which has been emulated by schools in other developed countries and cities, including New York.

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The birth of Prince William and his wife Kate’s second baby will cap a momentous 4 years for Britain’s golden couple, completing their journey from student sweethearts to regal domesticity. The couple have cultivated an image as down-to-earth parents ever since William drove his new family home from hospital after the birth of Prince George in 2013, his hands-on approach being in stark contrast to previous generations of royal fathers. The second-in-line to the British throne has spoken of how being a father has changed him, exposing a softer side of the monarchy rarely seen by the public. Yet, the illusion of normalcy is sometimes shattered, like when it was revealed that British taxpayers paid for the renovation of the family’s Kensington Palace. Still, the allure of the next generation royal family continues to enchant many, which will only grow stronger with the birth of their second baby.

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An online video of teenage girls at a dance school suggestively shaking their behinds is causing an uproar in Russia, with authorities vowing on Tuesday, April 14 to conduct an investigation. The YouTube video, called “Winnie-the-pooh and the bees,” shows a group of girls in striped orange leotards and short black skirts performing on stage to a hip-hop song at a dance school in the central Russian city of Orenburg. For most of the video, the girls are seen performing a hip-thrusting move known as the Twerk. Russia’s powerful Investigative Committee in the city pledged to conduct a probe into the school for indecency. The Kremlin children’s ombudsman, Pavel Astakhov, who is involved in the investigation, called the dance move “vulgar and insulting.”

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