SUMMARY
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- ‘Biggest attack ever’ slows the Net
A squabble between Cyberbunker, a Dutch company that hosts websites that supposedly sends spam, and Spamhaus, an anti-spam group, sparked retaliatory attacks that slowed down the Internet. What is termed as distributed denial of service or DDoS attacks by Cyberbunker generated data streams that were larger than the Internet connections of entire countries. “It is the largest publicly announced DDoS attack in the history of the Internet,” said Patrick Gilmore of digital content provider Akamai Networks. A spokesman for Spamhaus said the attacks began on March 19, but that these did not deter the Europe-based company from distributing its blacklist of spammers. However, an Internet activist who claimed to speak for the attackers was quoted by the New York Times as saying that the attack against Spamhaus was in retaliation for “abusing their influence.”
Read more on Rappler, BBC and New York Times. - US High Court weighs same-sex marriage
The US Supreme Court continued hearings on same-sex marriage, this time considering arguments for and against a 1996 law that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The 1996 law prevents legally married couples from enjoying the same federal rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples. This was challenged by 83-year-old Edie Windsor who was ordered to pay federal inheritance taxes of US$363,000, after the death of her partner of more than 40 years, Thea Spyer. The surviving half of a heterosexual couple would not have faced the same tax demand. Windsor is challenging the law, saying it is discriminatory because it defines marriage as being only between a man and a woman.
Read the full story on Rappler.
More details are on the Washington Post. - Facebook turns red
In support of same-sex marriage, Facebook is turning red. Numerous Facebook users changed their profile pictures to a red logo of the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. “Make sure you wear red to show your support for marriage equality. And make your Facebook profile red too!” the HRC told its over a million Facebook followers. The US Supreme Court is supposed to decide the fate of Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriages in California. In May 2012, Barack Obama became the first serving US president to publicly support gay marriage.
Read the full story on the Huffington Post.
A related story is on Rappler. - Parts of Berlin Wall moved
A week of protests did not stop a property developing firm in Germany from pushing through with plans to remove segments of the historic Berlin Wall. With police present, they moved four segments of the East Side Gallery on Wednesday, March 27, to open access to an area where flats will be built. Citizens have protested the re-development project, saying the site is a symbol of freedom. The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining stretch of the historic wall, stretching for 1.3 kilometers. Although the Gallery was listed in 1991 as a heritage site, the protection applies only to the wall itself, and not the land it stands on.
Read the full story on the BBC. - Brain fatigue? Go walk in the park
Green spaces lessen brain fatigue. Researchers from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland found that going for a walk in a green area of simply viewing green spaces from the office window can have a restorative effect and “help with attention fatigue and stress recovery. Professor Jenny Roe of Heriot-Watt University said that although natural environments still engage the brain, the attention it demands is “effortless.” Researchers used a portable version of the electroencephalogram, a type of technology that studies brain wave patterns, for their study. These were attached to the scalps of 12 healthy young adults who participated in the research.
Read the full story in the New York Times. - On Holy Thursday, pope to wash feet of young prisoners
Pope Francis will stamp his personal touch on Easter celebrations starting by washing the feet of young prisoners on Thursday as he stresses the importance of reaching out to those in need. The Holy Thursday mass will kick off an intense four days of symbolic ceremonies which commemorate Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Francis’ decision to celebrate Christ’s Last Supper in the Casal del Marmo prison in northwest Rome, rather than in St. John Lateran’s Basilica as per tradition, may be a hint of a shake-up in keenly observed Easter rituals.
Read the full story on Rappler. - Obama expects immigration bill next month
US President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he expected the Senate would start debating comprehensive immigration reform next month, putting an optimistic spin on the legislation’s prospects. In an interview with the Univision Spanish-language television station, Obama praised a bipartisan group of Democratic and Republican senators working to come up with a joint bill on the issue. The senators say their plan would offer a pathway to eventual citizenship, taking up to 13 years or more. The plan would also include steps to better secure US borders and the introduction of an employee verification program. But even if a plan passes the Senate, it must make its way through the House of Representatives, where majority Republicans oppose any solution that could be branded “amnesty” for illegal immigrations.
Read the full story on Rappler. - PH real estate industry welcomes investment grade
Real estate players are rejoicing at the news that the Philippines has achieved its first investment grade rating from Fitch. Announced on Wednesday, March 27, the new BB+ investment grade is expected to boost an already robust local real estate industry, particularly in regards to foreing investment which has already been increasing along with the country’s strong GDP growth of 6.6% in 2012. As more international businesses open new offices in the Philippines, it will bring in more foreign workers who in turn will be looking for mid to high end accomodation.
Read the full story on Rappler. - Remember the Colorado shooting? Gunman may plead guilty
James Holmes, the suspected gunman in the horrific Aurora theatre massacre, could plead guilty in exchange for escaping the death penalty, lawyers said ahead of a crucial hearing next week. The 25-year-old is due in court Monday for a hearing at which prosecutors are expected to say whether they will seek the death penalty for the mass shooting, which left 12 people dead in July. “Mr Holmes is currently willing to resolve the case to bring the proceedings to a speedy and definite conclusion for all involved,” the lawyers wrote in a court filing Wednesday, cited by The Denver Post. “It appears the only impediment to a resolution of this case would be if the prosecution chooses to seek the death penalty.” The defense attorneys are seeking a sentence of life in prison without parole, and say the case could be concluded next week if the plea deal is accepted.
Read the full story on Rappler. - World Bank links obesity to high food prices
Food prices have dropped since peaking six months ago but remain near record levels, pushing the world’s poorest people toward “undernutrition” and obesity, the World Bank said Thursday. “Unhealthy food tends to be cheaper than healthy ones, like junk food in developed countries,” said Otaviano Canuto, World Bank Group’s vice president for poverty reduction and economic management. “When poor people with some disposable income in developing countries try to cope with high and increasingly volatile food prices, they also tend to choose cheap food that is high in calories but without much nutritious value.” “Half of the world’s overweight people live in just nine countries — China, United States, Germany, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey — evidence that obesity is not an epidemic restricted only to rich countries,” added Canuto.
Read the full story on Rappler.
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