June 26, 2013 Edition

Russian President Vladimir Putin reveals that US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden was still in a Moscow airport transit zone, rejecting calls for his extradition to the United States. Putin described the ex-intelligence contractor as a “free man” whose arrival in Russia was “completely unexpected” for the Russian authorities. His announcement ended two days of guessing over the whereabouts of the fugitive Snowden, who leaked revelations of US massive surveillance programs to the media and is now wanted by the US authorities. Snowden had been expected to board a flight for Cuba on Monday, June 24, reportedly on his way to seek asylum in Ecuador. But he never did and Putin appeared to confirm that the fugitive was still uncertain over his onward travel plans.

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Consumer confidence in the United States surged to a new 5-year high in June, according to the Conference Board, besting analyst expectations by a wide margin. Consumer confidence stood at 81.4 in June, up from the revised 74.3 in May and well above the 75 forecast by analysts. The June figure represents the third straight monthly increase and takes the index to the highest level since January 2008, the Conference Board said. Most of the report’s vectors pointed in a positive direction. Consumers who see jobs as “plentiful” increased to 11.7 percent from 9.9 percent, though those claiming jobs are “hard to get” also rose to 36.9 percent from 36.4 percent.

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Nelson Mandela’s close family gathered to hear a sombre prayer wishing the anti-apartheid icon a “peaceful, perfect, end” as he lay in hospital in a critical condition with life seemingly slipping away. Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Makgoba visited Pretoria’s Mediclinic Heart Hospital to pray with wife Graca Machel “at this hard time of watching and waiting.” Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, who spent 27 years behind bars for his struggle under white minority rule and went on to become South Africa’s first black president, was admitted on June 8 with a recurrent lung infection. The archbishop’s prayer seemed to echo a growing feeling of inevitability about Mandela’s condition that is increasingly voiced by South Africans, to whom he remains a moral giant, even though he stepped back from public life a decade ago.

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US President Barack Obama laid out a broad new plan to fight climate change, using executive powers to get around “flat earth” science deniers who have blocked action in Congress. Obama called for new restrictions on existing and new power plants to curb carbon emissions, pledged to push new generation clean energy sources and to lead a fresh global effort to stem global warming. Officials said the plan would allow the United States to meet a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, a pledge Obama made at the inconclusive Copenhagen summit in 2009. Obama argued that Americans across the country were already paying the “price of inaction” against climate change, describing 2012 as the warmest year in human history.

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The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) will reshuffle all airport managers nationwide by July 1 to ensure their operational efficiency. On Tuesday, June 25, DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the rigodon of airport managers is part of the agency’s aim to make sure airports are up to standard and properly handled. “It’s just a healthy policy of rotating people. Just like in the military, police. Some people have been there for decades so it’s not really healthy for an official to be there in his youthful years until he retires,” Abaya added. The reshuffling move comes a week after a Cebu Pacific aircraft skidded off the runway of Davao international airport, the country’s 3rd busiest.

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Homophobia in sub-Saharan Africa has reached “dangerous levels” with more countries passing laws criminalizing same-sex relations according to a report released by Amnesty International. The rights group said homophobic attitudes and attacks on gays were in some cases “fueled by key politicians and religious leaders who should be using their position to fight discrimination and promote equality.” The report says Africa’s strict penal codes were initially imposed by colonial rulers, based on Christian moral values. Homosexuality is illegal in 38 countries in the region, with South Africa the only country that recognizes gay rights and allows same-sex marriage. However, even protection by the country’s liberal laws has not stopped harassment.

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A 50-year old mother from Australia is not letting a disability hinder her from spending time with her sons. Pascale Honore was disabled after a car accident but she has found a unique way to bond with her surfer sons at the beach – by strapping herself on to another surfer. “Both my sons surf, so I always have gone along to watch and I’ve always loved the water,” she said in a video posted to Vimeo. “I was always talking about how good it would be to go surfing and one day, a friend of my son said ‘You know what? I think we could tape you onto my back and take you out there.’”

Read the full story on Mashable.

National University will be the team to beat when the 76th season of the country’s most popular collegiate league fires off on Saturday, June 29, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. “The number one contender is NU,” said Adamson coach Leo Austria. “They are not just a team destined to win the championship, but they are designed to win it all.” Ateneo’s Bo Perasol seconded Austria, adding that upstart University of the East will also give the Bulldogs a run for their money in the 8-team tournament that is seen as the most balanced in recent years. “If there’s a year we can do it, I think this is the year,” said NU coach Eric Altamirano added. “We are embracing the (team-to-beat) tag. It will be an interesting season.” The former RP Youth mentor, however, said that the top contender would be Season 75 runner-up University of Santo Tomas — a team that fell just two games short of stopping the Blue Eagles’ reign last year.

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Heavy rain is in the forecast for parts of Mindanao and Eastern Visayas on Wednesday, June 26, state weather bureau PAGASA said. An inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is affecting weather across Mindanao, the bureau said in its 24-hour public forecast on Tuesday, June 25. Cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rain can be expected in Leyte, Caraga, and Northern Mindanao, which could possibly trigger flash floods and landslides. The rest of Mindanao, Central Visayas, and the Samar provinces will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies accompanied by isolated rain mostly in the afternoon or evening.

What’s the weather like in your area? Tweet us the situation: Use #weatheralert and tag @rapplerdotcom

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Researchers from the University of Oxford contributed data to the growing body of evidence that the color, size, weight and shape of eating utensils, cups and plates have a big influence on what people taste. Their findings on cutlery tally with previous research for crockery colors, including the discovery that red tends to limit food intake, they said. In a series of experiments, the team used utensils of different colors, shapes and weight to gauge the impact on the perceived taste of the same food among dozens of volunteers with normal vision. Among other things, they found food eaten from a knife tasted saltier than eaten with a spoon, fork or toothpick, and “more expensive” when eaten with lightweight plastic spoon.

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