July 25, 2013 Edition

Valerie Castro

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

  1. Senate to cut funding for oversight panels

    'PRUDENT SPENDING.' Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto says the Drilon leadership is discussing funding only 20 to 24 out of the 35 oversight committees to ensure savings. Photo by Senate PRIB/Joseph Vidal

    The Senate will cut down funding for bloated oversight committees as a short-term solution while they file bills to remove redundant panels created by law. Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said the Senate is discussing funding only 20 or 24 out of 35 oversight committees, which have been criticized for duplicating the work of the regular or permanent committees and for being outdated. Oversight committees are ad hoc panels created by law or Senate resolution to monitor the implementation of specific laws. While they are supposed to be temporary, the Senate extended the lives of many panels and raised their number and budget over the years.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  2. At least 78 dead in Spanish train crash

    DERAILED. Emergency members attend to the injured of the train accident close to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain on 24 July 2013. Photo by EPA/Lavandeira Jr

    A train hurtled off the tracks in northwestern Spain on Wednesday, July 24, killing at least 78 passengers and injuring more than 100 as carriages crumpled into each other in a smoking wreckage of tangled steel. Disaster struck at 8:42 pm (1842 GMT) as the train carrying 218 passengers and 4 staff was about to enter Santiago de Compostela station in the northwestern region of Galicia. The accident happened on a stretch of high-speed track about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the main train station in Santiago de Compostela, the destination of the famous El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage which has been followed by Christians since the Middle Ages. The train was the Alvia model which is able to adapt between high-speed and normal tracks.


    Read the full story on Rappler.

  3. China’s Bo Xilai indicted for corruption, abuse of power – Xinhua

    DISGRACED. This photo taken on March 14, 2012, shows Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai during the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. AFP Photo/Mark Ralston

    China’s once-powerful politician Bo Xilai has been indicted for bribery, corruption and abuse of power, the state news agency Xinhua said Thursday, July 25. The former party chief of the southwestern city of Chongqing has not been seen in public for more than a year since the controversy surrounding him was exposed, triggering one of China’s biggest political scandals in decades. Bo was accused of accepting “massive” bribes and bending the law, following his wife Gu Kailai’s conviction for murder of a British business associate. The scandal emerged last year when Bo’s police chief and right-hand man Wang Lijun fled to a US consulate, reportedly seeking asylum. It came ahead of a once-a-decade leadership transition last November, in which Bo had been considered a candidate for the Politburo Standing Committee, which currently has seven members and is China’s most powerful body.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  4. US House rejects effort to curtail surveillance

    Woman on the phone image by Shutterstock

    The US House of Representatives on Wednesday, July 24, narrowly beat back an effort to cut funding to National Security Agency programs that scoop up telephone data on millions of Americans. The legislation, introduced by Michigan Republican Justin Amash, was opposed by the White House and several key senior members of Congress, including the heads of the Senate and House intelligence committees. But it forced lawmakers to go on record on perhaps the most sensitive national security issue of the year: whether the NSA program that collects telephone “metadata” on innocent Americans breaches constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  5. Indian school head arrested over mass poisoning: police

    FOOD POISONING. Indian schoolchildren recovering from food poisoning receive medical treatment at the Patna Medical College and Hospital in Patna on July 20. Photo by AFP

    Police on Wednesday, July 24, arrested the head of a school in eastern India where 23 children died after eating a free meal laced with a lethal pesticide, an officer said. The children, aged 4 to 12, fell ill within minutes of eating the lunch of lentils, potatoes, and rice cooked at their primary school in a poverty-stricken village in Bihar state on July 16. Police have been searching for the teacher, Meena Devi, who apparently fled shortly after the tragedy in Gandaman village, which also left some 30 children ill in hospital and sparked angry street protests. Saran district administrator Abhijit Sinha told AFP that the teacher was key to resolving the issue of just how the deadly chemicals ended up in the food. Oil used to cook the food contained an agricultural insecticide that was 5 times the strength sold in the marketplace, a forensic report after the tragedy found.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  6. Pope decries money, power ‘idols’ in 1st Brazil Mass

    MOST REVERED SHRINE. Pope Francis salutes the faithful on his way to Nuestra Senora de Aparecida National Shrine, in Aparecida, Brazil, July 24. Photo by EPA/David Fernandez

    Pope Francis warned Catholics on Wednesday, July 24, against “ephemeral idols” like money at his first public mass in his native Latin America as huge crowds lined the streets to cheer him. More than 200,000 pilgrims braved cold rain to welcome the pontiff as he entered the grandiose basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Sao Paulo state. In his homily, Pope Francis urged pastors, parents and educators to “pass on to our young people the values that can help them build a nation and a world which are more just, united and fraternal.” “Always know in your heart that God is by your side; he never abandons you. Let us never lose hope,” he went on as the mass was beamed on giant screens to crowds outside.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  7. Can we regulate the e-cigarette industry?

    Can PH regulate its e-cigarette industry?

    Does the Philippines have the resources and capacity to regulate the electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) industry? Food and Drug Administration director Dr Kenneth Hartigan-Go identified several challenges the regulatory body will face — should government opt for regulation instead of an outright ban. For instance, the agency will have to check on the provision of areas for vapers, or those who use e-cigarettes. Other challenges include product classification, online sales, the lack of a scientific consensus about safety, and the probably preponderance of do-it-yourself (DIY) e-cigarettes. These DIY e-cigarettes would be nearly impossible to regulate, Hartigan-Go said.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

    A related story is also on Rappler.

  8. Prince of Cambridge named George

    FUTURE KING. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announce the name of their son a day after he was born, sooner than the press expected. Photo by EPA/John Stillwell

    Prince William and his wife Kate have decided to name their baby George Alexander Louis. “The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge,” Kensington Palace said in a statement. The name pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II’s father King George VI, the baby’s great-great-grandfather, who died in 1952. Earlier, the 87-year-old Queen visited Kensington Palace to visit her new great-grandson who spent his first night at home with his parents. Prince George of Cambridge, is third in line to the British throne. At a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night, July 23, the Queen said she was “thrilled” about the arrival of her third great-granchild. He will be George VII whenever he becomes king.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

    The story about the Queen’s visit is on The Guardian.

  9. Filipino healthcare pioneer among RM awardees

    Graphic by Rappler.com

    Medical researcher Ernesto Domingo, 76, is among this year’s Ramon Magsaysay awardees. He is being recognized for advancing universal healthcare in the country. The Manila-based Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, named after the former president who was killed in a plance crash, was set up in 1957 to honor people or groups able to make communities in Asia better. Besides Domingo, the other Magsaysay awardees include Habiba Sarabi, Afghanistan’s first and only female provincial governor; aid worker Lahpai Seng Raw who founded Myanmar’s largest civil society group; Shakti Samuha, a Nepalese anti-human trafficking group; and Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption Eradication Commission), an Indonesia group. Awards will be handed out on August 31.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  10. Google announces Android 4.3

    Google Android 4.3

    Google announced its latest version of its Android mobile operating system, its third version to carry the “Jelly Bean” label. Android 4.3 was unveiled at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, July 24. It features a multi-user support and restricted profiles, which allows parental control. It also supports OpenGL 3.0, which allows better graphics experiences in Android games. In addition, Android 4.3 includes support for Bluetooth Smart devices and background Wi-Fi location.

    Read the full story on Mashable.

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!