September 17, 2012 Edition

The Ateneo Blue Eagles are assured of a spot in the UAAP Season 75 Final 4 after a 68-66 triumph over the University of Santo Tomas on Saturday, September 15. The defending champions sealed the win after Ryan Buenafe converted a 3-point play with 5.1 seconds left in the game. The win gives them a twice-to-beat advantage and a week to rest before their first semifinals game. In other games this weekend, Adamson University crushed University of the East 89-69 during their Saturday match. On Sunday, September 16, La Salle beat Far Eastern University 63-56, while National University edged out the University of the Philippines 65-60. Overall, Ateneo leads the standings with 12 wins and 2 losses, followed by FEU and UST tied at 9-4. Both teams are qualified for a fourth-seed playoff. NU and DLSU are meanwhile tied with an 8-5 win-loss card.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Details on the DLSU-FEU game are also available on Rappler.

Burmese opposition leader and pro-democracy crusader, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, has left for a historic 18-day trip to the US, following trips to Europe earlier this year. During her trip, Suu Kyi is expected to meet with US President Barack Obama, and will be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest civilian honor in the United States. Since her election to parliament earlier this year, 67-year-old Suu Kyi has enforced several laws. These include legalizing protests and relaxing media laws. She has also fought for the release of several political prisoners. Suu Kyi’s trip to the US comes a few days before the visit of Burmese President Thein Sein. Some fear her visit could overshadow his and could pose diplomatic challenges.

Read the full story in The Guardian.

More details are available from BBCNews.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are scheduled to file criminal charges on Monday, September 17, against the photographer who took the topless photographs of the duchess that were published on the French magazine Closer. A spokesperson for St. James’ Palace confirmed the matter saying, “a criminal complaint is to be made to the French Prosecution Department.” William and Kate are currently in the Solomon Islands as part of their tour of Asia and the Pacific. A spokesperson for the couple said the 2 were “hugely saddened” by this invasion of their privacy, calling it “totally unjustifiable.” The photos were taken while Kate was sunbathing during a vacation in France last week. The photos were also published on the Irish Daily Star on Saturday, September 15, while an Italian magazine also has plans to print the photographs. The couple’s legal team aims to prevent further publication of the said photos.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Other details are available on BBCNews.

A week after the Taliban revealed plans to kill Prince Harry, Afghan insurgents dressed up in US army uniforms carried out an attack on the NATO base Camp Bastion in Afghanistan where Britain’s 3rd in line is stationed. Two US marines were killed and 9 others wounded during the attack which took place Friday, September 14. Six fighter jets were also destroyed. 15 insurgents, split into groups of 3, were able to penetrate the perimeter fence of the base. Fourteen of these rebels were killed while another was wounded and captured. A Taliban spokesperson pointed out their royal target, saying, “There are many other foreign bases…but we stormed this one because Harry was there.” A spokesperson for the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Prince Harry, “was in no way in any danger” during the attack.

Read the full story on CNN.

More details are available in the LA Times.

Expect to see 3 new faces on the judging panel of the next season of American Idol. After reports surfaced saying otherwise, Fox announced that original judge Randy Jackson will be coming back, ensuring at least one familiar face on the panel. Other judges include pop icon Mariah Carey, eccentric R&B artist Nicky Minaj, and Australian country star Keith Urban. American Idol has seen several judging changes over the last few years. Paula Abdul was the first to leave the show in 2009 after 8 seasons. She was replaced by Ellen Degeneres who stayed only for Season 9. Kara DioGuardi did 2 seasons from 2009 to 2010. But the biggest shakeup happened after original judge, Simon Cowell, left in 2010 to start X-Factor. Two new judges, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, joined the show after Cowell’s departure, but both quit in 2012. Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly said, moving forward, frequent changes to the judging panel are likely. American Idol Season 12 starts early 2013.

Read the full story on Rappler.

More details are available on CNN.

Dialogues between Christians and Muslims in Zamboanga City have resulted in an agreement to lift a ban on the Muslim veil in Pilar College. In a joint statement, the Catholic school and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) said the decision was based on “common values” that include sensitivity to the signs of the times and openness to dialogue. When exactly the ban would be lifted was not specified, but Sr Maria Fe Gerodias, representative of the Religious of the Virgin Mary congregation’s southern Mindanao province, said some preparation is needed to prevent discrimination. She explained that the school had banned wearing the hijab – to Muslim women, a sign of modesty and obedience – for a long time now because some students had been discriminated against precisely because of it. The NCMF, according to Jesuit priest Albert Alejo, wanted the ban lifted “to avoid discrimination by allowing difference in the campus.” He pointed out, “One tries to avoid discrimination by hiding the difference. The other one tries to avoid discrimination by accepting the difference.” On that note, “there is room for dialogue,” he added.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Human rights lawyer Romeo Capulong died on Sunday, September 16, due to cardiac arrest. He was 77. His death came a few days before the 40th anniversary of Martial Law. Internationally known and a member of the United Nations International Criminal Court, Capulong handled high-profile cases that included those filed against the dictator Ferdinand Marcos who declared Martial Law in September 1972. Elected to the Constitutional Convention that drafted the charter in 1970, he was among those who led the opposition to Marcos. He fled to the US when Martial Law was declared and returned in 1986 after the People Power Revolution. Capulong founded the Public Interest Law Center in 1989.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Tycoon Warren Buffett, among the world’s richest with an estimated net worth of US$44 billion, completed radiation treatment for prostate cancer. “It’s a great day for me. Today I had my 44th and last day of radiation,” Buffett said on Friday, September 14. He was speaking with executives of newspapers he recently acquired. Buffett, 82, announced in April 2012 that he had an early stage of the cancer and would undergo treatment. “I’ll be feeling the side effects for a few weeks yet, but I am so glad to say that’s over,” The Omaha World-Herald quoted him as saying. The newspaper is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, the investment firm of which Buffett is chief executive. In the US, prostate cancer is the most frequent cause of death from cancer in men over 75 years old.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Foreign housemaids prayed with Pope Benedict XVI when he celebrated Mass in Beirut on Sunday, September 16. Lebanon has gained notoriety for mistreating domestic helpers that the Philippines, along with Madagascar and Ethiopia, have stopped sending their citizens to work there. There have been countless stories of Lebanese employers confiscating the passports of their maids who are beaten, humiliated, unpaid, and not given days off from work. But on Sunday, these horror stories were set aside as Asians and Africans alike joined Pope Benedict in his celebration of the Mass. Raymond Aoun, a Lebanese shopkeeper standing nearby, said, “Today, with the pope, we are all the same community.” Mary, a Filipina married to a Lebanese, also said she came to see the pope to get his blessing. “Here I feel in communion with the whole world,” she said.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Pulse Asia’s latest survey shows Sen Loren Legarda leading everyone else with a rating of 67.3%. In second place is Sen Chiz Escudero with 61.2%. Sharing the 3rd to 5th slots are Sen Alan Peter Cayetano with 49.9%, San Juan Rep JV Ejercito Estrada also with 49.9%, and Cagayan Province Rep Juan Ponce Enrile Jr, with 47.4%. The 6th to 10th slots were taken by 3 other incumbent senators – Antonio Trillanes IV (41.2%), Gregorio Honasan (40.6%), and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (39.2%). Former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri (37.4%) and Aurora Rep Edgardo Angara (35.9%) shared the 6th to 11th places. Former Las Piñas Rep Cynthia Villar (32.7%) ranks 9th to 11th. The 12th slot is being contested by 4 who have taken the 15th to 17th slots. These include Ma Lourdes Nancy Binay (27.4%), former senators Richard Gordon (26.2%), Ramon Magsaysay Jr (25.2%), and Ana “Jamby” Madrigal (23.2%). Pulse Asia said the 15 have a “statistical chance of winning” in the May 2013 elections. The Pulse Asia survey was conducted from August 31 to Sept 7, 2012.
 
Read the full story on Rappler.