March 26, 2013 Edition

Electronic reading devices, such as Kindles, are normally restricted from being used on flights during takeoff and landing, though such restrictions may change soon, as legislation and research results loom on the horizon. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reportedly considering easing up its rules regarding e-reader use in airplanes. The New York Times says the FAA is “under tremendous pressure to let people use reading devices on planes, or to provide solid scientific evidence why they cannot.” Sen Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, said learned that the agency now allows iPads as flight manuals in the cockpit and has subsequently given out devices to some flight attendants with information on flight procedures. As technology moves closer towards the implementation of wearable tech, airplane regulations and planes themselves may need to adapt to the changing times.


Read more on Rappler and New York Times. 

The relatives of former Chief Justice Renato who was impeached under the Aquino administration in 2012, are vying for local positions in the May polls. Here’s the kicker: They are running under one banner — President Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP). The former magistrate’s first cousin, Alfredo “Fred” Corona, is running for re-election as board member in the 3rd district of Batangas. He tried to distance himself from the controversies surrounding the former chief justice during the impeachment trial. Alfredo’s daughter, Jhoanna Corona, is running for vice mayor of Tanauan.


Read more on Rappler’s PHVote page. 

The Arab League kicks off on March 26 a two-day summit in Doha where opponents of President Bashar al-Assad will represent Syria for the first time. The Qatari hosts, the most vocal supporters of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, have won the promotion of Syria’s opposition National Coalition to fill the country’s spot. The seat has been empty since the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in November 2011 after Damascus rejected an Arab proposal to end the violence that has since morphed into a civil war in which more than 70,000 people have been killed, according to UN figures. The decision to hand the seat to the opposition has not been without its detractors, with reservations expressed by Iraq, Algeria and Lebanon. “The League has handed Syria’s stolen seat to bandits and thugs,” Syrian official daily Al-Thawra said.


Read more on Rappler. 

In a shock statement, the central bank of Cyprus said it will keep banks shut until March 28 after world markets took fright at the implications of the 10-billion-euro bailout deal the government has struck with International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Union (EU). Previously, the the Central Bank said all Cyprus banks except for its two biggest lenders, those worst-hit by the financial crisis, would reopen March 26 after a 10-day lockdown for fear of a run on deposits. The agreement with IMF and EU averts a chaotic eurozone exit for the island, and spares all depositors with less than 100,000 euros ($130,000) in the banks. Cyprus could now be in for a “deep recession caused by the shrinkage of the banking sector,” an economist said.


Read more on Rappler. 

In the scramble for a share of the large number of long-haul aircraft orders by local legacy carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), Boeing wins the latest round. PAL announced that it plans to acquire up to 20 additional Boeing 777X aircraft as part of its major refleeting program that involves acquiring about 100 new planes. In August 2012, Airbus bagged the previous US$7 billion order for 54 aircraft. Both aircraft makers are locked in a global contest for market share, with top-level officials and diplomats giving support during trips to the Philippines.


Read more on Rappler. 

Boris Berezovsky, 67, a renegade Russian oligarch exiled to Britain, likely committed suicide on March 23 in a bathroom of his country estate south of London, British investigators announced on March 26. He was financially ruined, depressed—and desperate to return to Russia. He reportedly handwrote a personal letter to Vladimir Putin, whom he helped 14 year ago to become Russia’s president and who kicked him out of Russia immediately afterwards. He is believed to have been in serious financial difficulties after running up huge legal fees in recent years, including what was reportedly Britain’s biggest-ever divorce settlement and a losing lawsuit against a former friend and ally, Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich. He had long-term assets but in an “immediate liquidity squeeze,” BBC reported.


Read more on BBC, and the Economist. 

Overwhelmed, happy and thankful. That was how Australian Warren Rodwell felt after being freed as a hostage of Islamic militants in the southern Philippines for 15 months. Weary and gaunt, Rodwell, 54, conveyed his thanks to the Philippine and Australian governments for helping secure his freedom, which reports said came at a ransom price of nearly $100,000. He is recuperating in Manila and needs assistance to walk as he recalled his ordeal that started in December 2011, when he was abducted from his home in a coastal town in Mindanao. Six more foreigners are left behind as hostages of the Abu Sayyaf group.


Read more and view photos on Rappler. 

Citing unrealistic promises of the Magna Carta for the Poor, President Benigno Aquino III refused to sign into law the bill which aims to protect the rights of the poor by giving them equal access to basic rights and government services. He cited the case of rights to shelter, which would cost the government at least P2.32 trillion, more than the Congress-approved budget of P2.006 trillion, as well as the right to sue the housing agency if it fails to provide housing units. He said he doesn’t care about brownie points since he knows the commitments could not be met. Lawmakers slam him for the veto, saying he is elitist.


Read more on Rappler. 

The recent hostilities between armed followers of the Sultanate of Sulu and Malaysian authorities in Sabah hostilities have taken its toll on the ongoing peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The 37th round of peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was postponed to the 2nd week of April. Moving this round of talks from the original March 25 schedule means the final peace deal that both the government and the MILF wanted to be signed by April after years of negotiations will also be unlikely. The MILF has not taken a stand on the ongoing Sabah conflict. Many of the armed followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III are former members of a rival organization, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which signed a peace deal with the Ramos government brokered by Indonesia.


Read more on Rappler. 

Sen Francis “Chiz” Escudero who has topped the surveys in the run up to the senatorial race in May suffered the biggest loss in the latest survey conducted even before the controversy involving girlfriend Heart Evangelista and  her parents. A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed he dropped 14 points, sliding down from rank 2 to 3rd-4th. He is now tied with San Juan Rep Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito who gained 5 survey polls to score 48%. There was no immediate explanation since the survey was conducted from March 15-17, days before Evangelista’s parents held a March 19 press conference denouncing him.


Read more on Rappler.