September 5, 2012 Edition

The situation in Syria is deteriorating and “the suffering of the people is immense,” Lakhdar Brahimi, UN-Arab League envoy to Syria warned in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 4. Brahimi, appointed only in August, after his predecessor Kofi Annan resigned, said that the number of dead is “staggering” and the destruction “catastrophic.” The UN High Commission for Refugees has reported that refugees from Syria now number over 235,000, with close to half of them seeking asylum in August alone. The 78-year-old envoy, described by BBCNews as an experienced operator in both the Arab and Islamic worlds, will be travelling to Syria soon and said he needed UN support. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Brahimi’s mission was “daunting but not insurmountable” even as the conflict had taken a “particularly brutal turn” and increasing militarization was “deeply tragic and highly dangerous.”

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Additional details are available on BBCNews 

Ever since its initial public offering in May, Facebook has lost more than $US50 billion in market value. Facebook shares closed on the Nasdaq at $17.73, recovering to $18.05 in after-market trades. This is less than half the $38-per-share price in May. Facebook chief financial officer David Ebersman was blamed for the plummeting stock prices but Businessinsider.com pointed out it was wrong to heap the blame on him. Facebook is now trying to play smart by effectively buying back 101 million shares of the 234 million employee-owned shares supposed to be out in the market on October 29. This means that the company’s fully diluted shares will be lower than previously expected. Facebook’s stock structure was intentionally set up to keep control in the hands of CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has said they will not be selling any more stocks for at least a year. In its pre-IPO paperwork, Facebook disclosed that Zuckerberg’s priority was make the Internet more social rather than making investors wealthy.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Read a related story on how Facebook is effectively buying back shares and retiring them on the Business Insider. 

Players who were addicted to the world’s most-downloaded mobile app “Angry Birds,” will soon have the chance to play as the persecuted pigs in a new game called “Bad Piggies.” To be launched on September 27 by Rovio, the Finnish creators of the innovative game, “Bad Piggies” will allow players to take on the role of “the second-most-loved characters in the Angry Birds universe, and explore this rich world through their green eyes,” the company said. The new game will first be launched on iOS, Androids and Macs. Versions for Windows Phone, Windows 8 and PCs will follow at a later date.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

The iPhone5 is expected to be unveiled on September 12 if Apple’s press invites are any indication. With the prominent number “5” image accompanying the number “12” on the press invitation, the event is undoubtedly when the new Apple phone will make its debut. San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s usual choice for product announcements, will be the same venue for the unveiling. The new iPhone is expected to have a larger screen, be thinner, and have Apple’s new mobile software, iOS 6. The Apple invitations bore the cryptic message, “It’s almost here.”

Read the full story on Mashable and Rappler.

After hitting 4% in January, inflation stood at 3.8% in August, the second highest recorded for 2012. This was attributed by the National Statistics Office to typhoons and monsoon rain that pushed the prices of food and services to higher-than-expected levels. Food items that posted the highest price increases were fish, fruits and vegetables which were badly affected by typhoon Gener (international codename Saola) in July and the southwest monsoon in early August. The National Capital Region posted the highest inflation rate at 4.5%. This was attributed to the 5% increase in food prices recorded for the month of August.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Seeking to downplay friction with China over regional disputes, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed for a code of conduct over the South China Sea on Wednesday, September 5. She told President Hu Jintao bilateral relations stand on a “strong and solid base” and said in a press conference it was in “everyone’s interest” for China and members of ASEAN to agree on the code of conduct. She said during a meeting with Hu, “We are able to explore areas of agreement and disagreement in a very open manner, which I think demonstrates the maturity of the relationship and the chance to take it further in the future.” Clinton denied the US was trying to contain China and voiced hope it would agree to work out an agreement with other claimant-nations in the region. China has been accused by the Philippines and Vietnam of intimidation in the South China Sea and the US has responded by strengthening military ties with Southeast Asia.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

Read a related story on the meeting between Clinton and Hu on Rappler. 

The Japanese government is paying US$26 million to buy disputed islands in the East China Sea from their private owner. Kyodo news agency, citing government sources, reported that the deal to buy 3 of the 5 main islands was sealed on Monday, September 3. A purchase contract will likely be exchanged by end-September after the Cabinet approves the deal, according to the Asahi and Yomiuri newspapers. Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara also wants to buy the islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, and had suggested building a dock on the islands. The Japanese government’s purchase is expected to raise tensions with China, which lays claims on the islands, as does Taiwan. The Japanese government said it has no plans of building on the islands.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

More details are available on BBCNews. 

A hacker group that breached an FBI agent’s laptop accessed the personal data of 12 million Apple iPhone and iPad users. AntiSec, a group linked to the hacking collective Anonymous, supposedly gained access to the unique identifying codes for Apple devices and posted one million of them in a file on the Internet. The news suggests the FBI is tracking Apple users. Graham Cluley of the British security firm Sophos said, “My suspicion is that the hackers were more interested in embarrassing the FBI’s team than endangering innocent users. All the same, hacking into computers is a criminal act – and I would anticipate that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies will be keen to hunt down those responsible.” According to a BBC News report, the FBI said in a statement “there is no evidence indicating that an FBI laptopwas compromised or that the FBI either sought or obtained this data.”

Read the full story on Rappler. 

More details are available on BBCNews. 

Social network sites Facebook and Twitter are energizing activists and keeping users abreast of developments in US politics. A survey done by Pew Internet & American Life Project discovered that 36% of social networking site users find Facebook and Twitter “very important” or “somewhat important” in keeping them informed about political news. It also found that Democrats – more than Republicans or independents – find the social networking sites important. One-fourth of users said they became more active in a political issue after reading or discussing posts on it, while 16% said their views were influenced by what they read on the social networking sites. The vast majority of users, 84%, however, said they have posted little or nothing related to politics in recent status updates, comments and links. The poll was conducted Jan 20-Feb 19, 2012.

Read the full story on Rappler. 

The Democratic Party opened its national convention Tuesday, September 4, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and called for another term for President Barack Obama. First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday night highlighted the president’s character and attributes as a father and husband. In her speech, she drew stark differences between her husband and his wealthy Republican rival. “Barack knows what it means when a family struggles. So in the end, for Barack, these issues aren’t political – they’re personal. He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids. She also said, “For Barack, success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” With 9 weeks to go before Election Day, Obama enjoys a thin lead over Romney. The convention ends Thursday with speeches from Obama and Vice-President Joseph Biden.

Read the full story on Rappler.