UN: World population to reach 8.1 billion in 2025

 News
Jun 132013
 
UN: World population to reach 8.1 billion in 2025

Agence France-Presse 7:49 am | Friday, June 14th, 2013 In this Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 photo, commuters disembark from trains at a train station in Mumbai. A new UN report is forecasting that the world’s population will increase from 7.2 billion today to 8.1 billion in 2025 and 9.6 billion in 2050. The report said much of the overall increase between now and 2050 is expected to take place in Africa and countries with large populations such as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United States. AP PHOTO/RAFIQ MAQBOOL UNITED NATIONS —A new UN report is forecasting that the world’s population will increase from 7.2 billion today to 8.1 billion in 2025 and 9.6 billion in 2050. The report, released Thursday, said most of the population growth will occur in developing regions which are projected to increase from 5.9 billion in 2013 to 8.2 billion in 2050. During that same period, it said, the population of developed countries is expected to remain largely unchanged at around 1.3 billion people. The report said much of the overall increase between now and 2050 is expected to take place in Africa and countries with large populations such as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United States. UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations forecast Thursday that the world’s population will increase from 7.2 billion today to 8.1 billion in 2025, with most growth in developing countries and more than half in Africa. By 2050, it will reach 9.6 billion. India’s population Read More …

PAGASA: LPA, monsoon may bring floods, landslides in west Luzon, Visayas

 News
Jun 132013
 
PAGASA: LPA, monsoon may bring floods, landslides in west Luzon, Visayas

Flash floods and landslides threaten parts of Luzon and Visayas Friday due to the southwest monsoon enhanced by a low-pressure area outside the Philippine area of responsibility, state weather forecasters said. PAGASA forecaster Joey Figuracion said Metro Manila, where many were stranded by floods and heavy rain Thursday, may still expect rain showers and thunderstorms for Friday. “Walang weather disturbance na nakaapekto sa ating bansa o Philippine area of responsibility. Pero may low-pressure area sa bahagi ng West Philippine Sea at nag-enhance ng southwest monsoon. Naapektuhan ng southwest monsoon ang kanlurang bahagi ng Luzon at Visayas,” Figuracion said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said the LPA outside the PAR was unlikely to intensify into a cyclone, and may head for China. Friday outlook For Friday, PAGASA said the southwest monsoon is still affecting Luzon and Western Visayas. “The provinces of Palawan, Mindoro, Cavite, Batangas, Zambales and Bataan will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rain showers and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides,” it said in its 5 a.m. bulletin. It added Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be “cloudy with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms.” PAGASA also said moderate to strong winds from the southwest to southeast will prevail over Luzon and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Light to moderate winds coming from the southwest to southeast will prevail over Visayas and coming from the northeast to northwest over Mindanao with slight Read More …

Coast guards to be criminally charged, De Lima confirms

 News
Jun 132013
 
Coast guards to be criminally charged, De Lima confirms

By Christine O. Avendaño Philippine Daily Inquirer 2:52 am | Friday, June 14th, 2013 Justice Secretary Leila de Lima: Confirmation. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday confirmed an Inquirer report that the National Bureau of Investigation had recommended the filing of criminal charges against coast guards involved in the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in northern Philippine waters last month. De Lima also confirmed the Inquirer information that the NBI, which investigated the shooting death of fisherman Hung Shih-chen here and in Taiwan, submitted its report to her on Tuesday. In text messages and a phone patch interview, De Lima, who is in Madrid, Spain, for a conference on capital punishment, said she submitted the NBI report to President Aquino before she left Manila on Tuesday night. She said the NBI recommended criminal and administrative charges against coast guards involved in the shooting of the Taiwanese fishing boat Guan Ta Hsin 28 in the Balintang Channel on May 9. De Lima said she was not sure whether employees of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) were among those recommended for prosecution. The BFAR owns the coastal patrol vessel MCS-3001, but the vessel is manned by Philippine Coast Guard personnel. There were 17 coast guards and two BFAR employees on the MCS-3001 when the shooting happened. Fourteen high-powered rifles were submitted to the NBI for the investigation. De Lima declined to disclose how many personnel had been recommended for charges and on what Read More …

BI: Chinese poachers won’t be deported yet

 News
Jun 132013
 
BI: Chinese poachers won’t be deported yet

By Jocelyn R. UyPhilippine Daily Inquirer 2:22 am | Friday, June 14th, 2013 This undated handout photo received on April 10, 2013, and released by the Philippine coast Guard (PCG) shows coast guard personnel inspecting the Chinese fishing vessel which ran aground off Tubbataha reef in Palawan island, western Philippines. The 12 Chinese nationals arrested for the alleged poaching in April will not be deported until after their case has been terminated or they have served their sentence, the Bureau of Immigration said Wednesday, June 12, 2013. AFP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The 12 Chinese nationals arrested for alleged poaching at Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in April will not be deported until after their case has been terminated or they have served their sentence, according to the Bureau of Immigration. Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, spokesperson for the immigration bureau, said on Wednesday that a deportation order had been issued for the 12 Chinese, who were “undocumented,” but they must “remain detained” until the order could be implemented. Mangrobang said the suspected poachers would be turned over to the immigration bureau only if they would be released on bail. Marine park rangers arrested the 12 Chinese when their vessel ran aground on an atoll at Tubbataha in early April. A search of the vessel yielded a large cargo of frozen pangolin meat, believed bound for China’s exotic-food market. The pangolin, or anteater, is an endangered species. It is protected by Philippine and international laws. The authorities seized the pangolin meat, and the Tubbataha Read More …

China's 'behavior' needs even larger PHL defense spending – NSC

 News
Jun 132013
 
China's 'behavior' needs even larger PHL defense spending - NSC

A ranking official of the National Security Council on Thursday detailed China’s “aggressive behavior” in the West Philippine Sea, as he called for additional defense spending to uphold the Philippines’ interests in the region. Retired Navy Rear Admiral Vicente Agdamag, now Deputy Director General of the NSC Secretariat, said China’s actions confirmed its “clear intention to consolidate its control” over the disputed areas in line with the Chinese government’s nine-dash line claim. “It started, actually, in March 2011 when a Chinese patrol ship challenged MV Veritas Voyager conducting a survey for Forum Energy, 85 nautical miles off Palawan,” he said, referring to an incident at the Reed Bank in the Spratly Islands. Defense and military officials said two Chinese ships harassed the Department of Energy-commissioned survey ship. The Chinese ships told the crew of the Filipino ship to cease their activities because that was part of Chinese territory. The Chinese vessels left when the AFP Western Command, based in Puerto Princesa City, promptly dispatched a Navy BN-2 Islander maritime patrol aircraft and an Air Force OV-10 light attack/reconnaissance aircraft. No armed confrontation was reported. Agdamag also cited how Chinese ships prevented a Philippine Navy vessel, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, from arresting Chinese fishermen caught illegally fishing at the Scarborough Shoal, locally known as the Bajo de Masiloc, in April last year. The incident triggered a standoff between the China and Philippines, though China now is in virtual control of the shoal. The Philippine government withdrew its two ships from Read More …

Tales from the deep: Fil-Am steers US submarine home

 News
Jun 132013
 
Tales from the deep: Fil-Am steers US submarine home

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:27 am | Friday, June 14th, 2013 Cmdr. Douglas Bradley shows some of the torpedoes of the US Navy’s attack submarine USS Asheville, which is docked at the Subic Bay Freeport. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Coming home to the land of his mother was a longtime dream of Lt. Vincent Mejia. When he finally did so, it was doubly joyful for the Filipino-American sailor who was tasked to steer to port one of the US Navy’s most advanced attack submarines after it had surfaced. “The most exciting was being able to drive the sub back to my homeland. It’s been a dream my entire life to come home,” said Mejia, 24, born and raised in the United States but whose mother hails from Pangasinan. “I would have never thought I would come back here and drive the ship to port,” said Mejia, who spends most of his days doing paperwork but also gets to serve as the sub’s helmsman, steering the vessel from time to time. Mejia is among a handful of Filipino-American sailors on their first Navy deployment aboard the USS Asheville, a submarine that docked here last weekend on a routine port call as part of its six-month Western Pacific deployment. Nicknamed “The Ghost of the Coast,” the 110-meter fast-attack submarine has been in service since 1991 and is the fourth Navy ship to be named after the North Carolina city, known to have a long maritime history. ‘Ghost of the Coast’ The Read More …

The ‘air war’ for votes in May 2013: Without SC TRO, 9 Senate bets, Buhay liable for breaching TV ads airtime cap

 News
Jun 132013
 
The ‘air war’ for votes in May 2013: Without SC TRO, 9 Senate bets, Buhay liable for breaching TV ads airtime cap

NINE SENATORIAL candidates and one party-list group in the recently concluded elections would have breached the airtime limit for political ads on TV had it not been for a crucial order from the Supreme Court regarding a new rule being imposed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). One of those nine candidates would have also surpassed the campaign-spending limit. Seven of the nine actually won in the May 13, 2013 midterm elections. Meanwhile, Buhay, the party-list group that eventually garnered the most number of votes among party-list groups, is poised to occupy three seats in the House of Representatives.  But that is now murky water under the bridge. Last April 16, less than a month before the elections, the Supreme Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the “aggregate time limit” rule imposed by Comelec. The TRO effectively reverted the counting of advertising minutes to the “per station” basis, just as it was in the May 2010 presidential polls.  More than the issue of counting airtime limits, however, the Supreme Court TRO made for a seemingly contradictory situation with the law on campaign expenditure limits. As well, the TRO has made the Comelec’s task of enforcing campaigning and campaign finance rules — and consequently holding violators to account – less straightforward and all the more difficult to manage. As a result, campaign spending in the 2013 polls may turn out not to be any different from the campaign-ad spending spree of 2010.  In the 2010 polls, the total indicative Read More …

Walang Pasok: UST cancels Friday classes

 News
Jun 132013
 
Walang Pasok: UST cancels Friday classes

DepEd suspends classes in some NCR schools due to floods. Students of Araullo High School wade in knee-deep flood along Taft Avenue in Manila after an hour of heavy downpour on Thursday, June 13. Some classes in elementary and high school levels have been suspended by the DepEd due to flooded Metro Manila streets. Danny Pata Classes Friday at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila are suspended, the university’s Office of the Secretary General said in an advisory, which the school’s official student publication tweeted late Thursday. Earlier, monsoon rain-induced flooding in and around UST’s campus prompted school authoririties to suspend classes Thursday afternoon. The monsoon flooding stranded some students and staff in the campus. The Varsitarian reported that school authorities provided “free food to stranded Thomasians.” The suspension directive covers office work and classes from high school to post-graduate levels, the Varsitarian reported the Office of the Secretary General as having advised the campus community. Fr. Winston F. Cabading, O.P. is the UST Secretary-General.  Meanwhie, classes about two street blocks away at the Far Eastern University in Morayta, Manila will resume Friday, according to an advisory sent out 10:56 p.m. via the university’s official Twitter and Facebook accounts.   — ELR, GMA News

DOTC: Bad weather over NCR forces flight cancellations, diversions

 News
Jun 132013
 
DOTC: Bad weather over NCR forces flight cancellations, diversions

Heavy rain that fell over Metro Manila Thursday afternoon forced the cancellation of at least two flights and the diversion of five Manila-bound flights, including one from the United States. The Department of Transportation and Communications said the affected flights belonged to flag carrier Philippine Airlines, PAL Express and Cebu Pacific. One international flight from the US was diverted to Clark in Pampanga due to heavy rain, the DOTC said on its Twitter account. It identified the affected international flight as PAL Flight PR-113 from Los Angeles to Manila. The DOTC, in a separate Twitter post, said the canceled flights included: – 5J-911: Manila to Caticlan– 5J-912: Caticlan to Manila Cebu Pacific flight 5J-995, from Manila to General Santos, was diverted to Davao due to bad weather, it added. The DOTC also said three flights were diverted to Clark “due to weather condition.” These included: – 2P-056: Caticlan to Manila (PAL Express)– 2P-966: Cagayan de Oro to Manila (PAL Express)– 5J-966: Davao to Manila (Cebu Pacific) NAIA said Cebu Pacific 5J-906 (Caticlan to Manila) was also diverted to Clark. Heavy rain from a thunderstorm had fallen over Metro Manila, rendering many roads impassable and forcing some schools to suspend classes for the afternoon and evening. Many roads were flooded, stranding employees, students and commuters. Traffic was also snarled in many parts of Metro Manila, radio dzBB reported. Meanwhile, the Philippine National Railways said its commuter services were not operational “due to floods in some areas.” — BM, GMA News

BI wants to take custody of Chinese pangolin poachers if they post bail

 News
Jun 132013
 
BI wants to take custody of Chinese pangolin poachers if they post bail

The 12 suspected Chinese poachers whose vessel ran aground on Tubbataha Reef in April should be placed in the custody of the Bureau of Immigration if the Palawan court handling the case allows them to post bail, a bureau official said Thursday.   According to BI spokesperson Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, the bureau has already informed the Palawan court in a letter dated June 6 that if the 12 individuals are released, they should be turned over to Immigration authorities.   “In the event the court release the 12 poachers on bail, the BI has grounds to keep them in detention because they are undocumented aliens and they did not pass through the Immigration inspection when they entered,” she said. Mangrobang added that the BI, which has already issued a deportation order against the 12, would hold them while the case is being resolved. “It is one thing that they have a deportation order and another if the deportation order would be implemented,” she said. The 12 have been charged with poaching, illegal possession of endangered wildlife and attempted bribery of park officials. The Philippine Coast Guard discovered hundreds of frozen pangolins, individually wrapped in plastic and hidden in sacks, in the cargo hold of the suspected poachers’ vessel as it sat grounded on the reef. Pangolins, or scaly anteaters, are a threatened species and are covered by the Wildlife Protection and Conservation Act of the Philippines. In China, the pangolin’s meat and scales are are believed to have medicinal properties: the scales Read More …

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