January 30, 2014 Edition

The Philippines grew better than expected in 2013 despite the disasters that struck the country, according to National Economic and Development Authority Director-General Arsenio Balisacan. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 6.5% in the fourth quarter of last year, bringing full-year growth to 7.2%. The full-year figure surpassed the government’s official target of 6% to 7%.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Two years after he was removed as chief justice of the Philippines, Renato Corwraona is going to the anti-graft court. The Office of the Ombudsman on January 29 approved the filing of criminal and civil charges against him and his wife before the Sandiganbayan over findings they amassed ill-gotten wealth totaling P130 million. A panel of investigators formed right after he was convicted also concluded that he made false declarations in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. This is the second court case against Corona. In May 2013, he was slapped with tax evasion charges.

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Philippine officials and diplomats will now have to apply for visas to visit Hong Kong, in the latter’s “first phase” of sanctions against Manila over a hostage crisis in 2010. The rule, which cancels the 14-day visa-free status for official and diplomatic Filipino passport holders, takes effect February 5. Philippine and Hong Kong officials discussed once again the demand for a Philippine apology over the crisis, but the Philippine response “is unacceptable,” a Hong Kong official said.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Despite an assertion that Atty Richard Cambe was not Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr’s chief political officer, at least one document purportedly sourced from his Senate office shows Revilla may not have been entirely truthful. The document, obtained by Rappler, shows that Revilla had named Cambe as his OIC (officer-in-charge) chief of staff in connection with the release of a P25-million pork barrel tranche. A letter dated April 10, 2007 to Ricardo Regis, the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) OIC regional executive director in Butuan City, shows indication of Revilla assigning Cambe as his OIC chief of staff, “to represent and act on my behalf” in relation to the implementation of livelihood programs in Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur. The letter to the DA contained a bar code as an added security measure that indicates it was really sourced from Revilla’s office. It also helps establish authenticity. The letter likewise bore the signature of Revilla.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Egyptian prosecutors on Wednesday referred to trial 20 journalists working with Al-Jazeera television network, including four foreigners accused of “airing false news.” The 16 Egyptians have been charged with belonging to a “terrorist organization… and harming national unity and social peace,” the prosecution said in a statement. The 4 foreigners – two Britons, an Australian and a Dutch national – have been accused of “collaborating with the Egyptians by providing them with money, equipment, information… and airing false news aimed at informing the outside world that the country was witnessing a civil war.” Of the 20, only 8 are in detention, while others are being sought by authorities.

Read the full story on Rappler.
A related story is on the BBC.

The Ombudsman filed a total of 969 criminal charges against erring public officials before the Sandiganbayan in 2013. This is a 145.32% increase compared to 2012’s figures when 395 cases were filed. 2013’s figures are also the highest number of cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in the last 18 years. The most number of cases against government officials was concentrated in Metro Manila, with 481 government officials charged. 257 of these cases were graft charges, while 168 were for estafa.

Read the full story on Rappler.

National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden was nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize by two Norwegian politicians, who said his exposés have contributed to a more peaceful world. The two Socialist lawmakers Baard Vegard Solhjell, formerly an environment minister, and Snorre Valen submitted their nomination on Wednesday, January 29. The 5-member Nobel committee won’t say who has been nominated but nominations will be accepted until Saturday, February 1. The winner will be announced in October. In 2013, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
 
Read the full story in The Huffington Post.

What has been described as a “game-changer” in the quest to grow transplant tissue in the lab has been reported in Japan. The latest breakthrough was pioneered by Haruko Obokata at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe whose innovation involves stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency or STAP cells. These cells have shown a limited ability to self-renew and have yet to prove they can be acquired from humans. University College London professor Chris Mason said, “If it works in man, this could be the game-changer that ultimately makes a wide range of cell therapies available using the patient’s own cells as starting material.” Transplanted cells can replenish organs destroyed by disease or accidents.
 
Read the full story on Rappler.
A related story is on the BBC.

Facebook said Wednesday, January 29 that profit soared in 2013 on the back of sizzling mobile ad revenue as the social network’s membership continued to swell. Facebook said the number of monthly active users rose 16 percent from a year ago to 1.23 billion, with 945 million using mobile devices. The company also said profit in the fourth quarter jumped eightfold from a year earlier to $523 million, bringing the full-year profit to $1.5 billion.

Read the full story on Rappler.

What do Pope Francis, Paul McCartney, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears and Katy Perry have in common? They’ve landed on the cover of pop culture magazine Rolling Stone. Explaining its choice of Pope Francis as its cover for February 2014, the magazine said, he is “making a noticeable break from Vatican tradition, facing political issues head on and presenting a more all-inclusive attitude toward human rights – and that Catholics are appreciative.” While he was named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year,” Rolling Stone calls him the “people’s pope.”
 
Read the full story on Rappler.
Read the main story in Rolling Stone.