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Fifth lighthouse

The official China Daily said on Monday that China will soon start operations of a fifth lighthouse in the South China Sea, on Mischief Reef.

Taiwan is also watching the case closely.

Its single holding of Itu Aba is the biggest feature in the Spratlys and the one some analysts believe has the strongest claim to island status and an exclusive economic zone.

"If the ruling touches on our sovereign rights we will respond strongly," said deputy foreign minister Leo C.J. Lee to lawmakers in a parliamentary committee session on Monday.

The coast guard, which directly oversees Itu Aba with the support of the military, will not "soften" its defense of the island, coast guard chief Lee Chung-wei added.

Patrols, military projections fan tension

The United States has conducted freedom of navigation patrols close to Chinese-held islands, to Beijing's anger, while China has been bolstering its military presence there.

Kong said that if there are tensions in the South China Sea it is because certain countries outside the region have been putting on shows of force and interfering.

"There is no reason to get the South China Sea issue into this ASEM meeting citing freedom of navigation and security interests as causes of concern. It's got no leg to stand on," he added.

No South China Sea talk at ASEM

The South China Sea is not on the agenda and should not be discussed at a major summit between Asian and European leaders in Mongolia at the end of the week, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Monday.

The Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, will be the first important multilateral diplomatic gathering after the July 12 ruling by an arbitration court hearing a dispute between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea.

Tensions and rhetoric have been rising ahead of the ruling in the Dutch city of The Hague, a case which China has refused to recognize or participate in. Beijing says the court has no jurisdiction and China cannot be forced to accept dispute resolution.

China has repeatedly blamed the United States for stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, where its territorial claims overlap in parts with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou signaled discussion of the South China Sea would not be welcomed at the event, which happens once every two years, as it's designed to discuss issues between Asia and Europe.

"The ASEM leaders summit is not a suitable place to discuss the South China Sea. There are no plans to discuss it there on the agenda for the meeting. And it should not be put on the agenda," Kong told a news briefing.

However, Beijing-based diplomats involved with preparations for ASEM say it is inevitable the South China Sea dispute will be raised at the summit, which is expected to be attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

By: InterAksyon.com | Reuters
July 11, 2016 6:06 PM


BEIJING - The Philippine government has given its nationals a checklist of sorts, apparently meant to prepare them for the possible backlash of a UN arbitral tribunal ruling on Manila's challenge to China's "excessive" maritime claims.

Ahead of a ruling expected to be issued July 12 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Philippine nationals in China this weekend received mobile phone text messages from their embassy, warning them not to discuss politics in public and to avoid engaging in discussions on social media.

They were advised to carry their passports and residency permits with them at all times and to contact the embassy or Chinese police if there are any untoward incidents.

China says much of the building and reclamation work it has been doing in the South China Sea is to benefit the international community, including for civilian maritime navigation.

Ni Jojo C. Ugdol (Banat) | Updated July 11, 2016 - 12:00am


CEBU, Philippines - Grabeng bun-og sa ulo ug ubang parte sa lawas ang nakaingon sa kamatayon sa usa ka 38-anyos nga lalaki human gisukmag sa ilang silingan natagak sa tulay diha sa Proper Bonbon, Brgy. Bonbon ning Dakbayan sa Sugbo.

Ang biktima giila nga si George Repiso, konduktor sa PUJ  samtang ang suspetsado mao si Harold Imesola, 22.

Sumala pa ni Senior Police Officer 2 Rommel Bancog, imbestigador sa Homicide Section sa Cebu City Police Office nga nahinabi sa Banat News igo ang miulang ang biktima sa nanag-away nga silingan.

Matud pa ni Bancog nga base sa nakuha nila nga kasayuran nakainom niadtong higayona  ang biktima.

Apan siya na hinuon ang gisukmag sa suspetsado hinungdan sa pagkabarag niini ug nahagbong sa tulay gibana-bana nga 20 ka tiil ang gilawmon paubos, giingong grabeng kadaot ang naangkon sa ulo niini.

Gidala kini sa iyang mga silingan sa Cebu City Medical Center apan paglabay sa pipila ka oras nabugtoan gayod kini sa kinabuhi.

Nadakpan ra usab dayon sa mga sakop sa Mabolo Police Station ang suspetsado nga nagtingkagol sulod sa prisohan. (BANAT NEWS)

Ulitawo intawon si Ondoy William, oi. Maayog si Bugsay...

Ni KRIS C. SIALANA


PADAYON pa nga nagpaalim sa Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) ang usa ka lalaki human gibangga niini ang ulo sa poste niadtong Sabado, alas 11:00 sa gabii diha sa Piaping, Puti, Macabalan, ning dakbayan sa Cagayan de Oro.

Nilanding sa nahisgutang balay tambalanan si Jerome Bria, 45, minyo ug lumulupyo usab sa nahisgutang dapit.

Sa nahipos nga report gikan sa NMMC, diin gidala ang biktima, gikabutyag nga lango kini sa ilimnong makahubog sa dihang pauli na sa ilang panimalay.

Gikabutyag nga gumikan sa kahubog niini, gibangga niini mismo ang ulo sa poste sa ilang gate.

Nakaangkon ang biktima og samad sa iyang ulo, ilabi na sa iyang agtang gumikan na usab sa pagsungag niini sa maong poste.

Sa pagsulat niini nga balita, pabilin pa nga nagpaalim sa nahisgutang balay tambalanan ang biktima.


Gipatik sa mantalaang Superbalita Cagayan de Oro Hulyo 11, 2016.

Zooming in on Asia, the Philippines dominated this year’s list, nabbing four out of the top five spots.

The country’s largest island, Luzon, scored 88.32 points and landed the fifth spot in the Best Islands in Asia list, followed by Bali, Indonesia.

Cebu came third, followed by Boracay, which one reader deemed a “natural treasure.”

One reader wrote: “Nothing beats the feeling of sinking your feet in the cool powdery white sands.” Shangri-La’s Boracay resort placed eighth in this year’s Top Resort Hotels in Southeast Asia.

Palawan landed the top spot and was described by T+L as an island “with untouched beaches and lush jungle.”

In 2015, the Philippines welcomed 5.4 million international visitors, up by 10.91 percent from the 4.8 million foreign visitors logged in 2014.

Foreign tourist spending in the Philippines showed a dramatic increase from P112.55 in 2010 to P227.62 billion in 2015, according to the Department of Tourism.

Last year, tourism accounted for an estimated $5 billion or P227.62 billion worth of international visitor receipts. This was 5.92 percent higher than the 2014 total earnings of P214.88 billion.


Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on July 11, 2016.

Published 12 times a year, T+L says it has five million readers. It is published and owned by Time Inc.

In the annual World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe and to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise lines, spas, airlines and more.

Readers rated islands on their natural attractions and beaches, activities and sights, food, friendliness, and overall value.

Garnering 88.65 points, Cebu was described as an island that offers excellent diving and “makes (for) a good launching pad for island-hopping.”

“There is never a dull moment in Cebu,” said one T+L reader, who said island is “perfect for travelers who don’t want to spend a lot of money on recreational activities.”

Hiking, swimming with whale sharks, and diving from the top of a waterfall are just a few of the activities visitors can try in Cebu, said T+ L.

The Best Islands in the World are Bali, Indonesia, which ranked 10th and got a score of 88.24; (9th) Kauai, Hawaii, 88.33; (8th) Hilton Head, South Carolina, 88.35; (7th) Maui, Hawaii, 88.55; (6th) Cebu; (5th) Santorini, Greece, 89.07; (4th) Waiheke Island, New Zealand, 90; (3rd) Ischia, Italy, 90.22; (2nd) Boracay, Philippines, 90.47; and (1st) Palawan, Philippines, 93.71.

By KATLENE O. CACHO



NEVER A DULL MOMENT.  Readers of Travel + Leisure magazine gave Cebu 88.65 points, making it the sixth best island in the world. Readers rated islands on their natural attractions and beaches, activities and sights, food, friendliness, and overall value. (Sun.Star Foto/Alan Tangcawan)


A TRAVEL magazine based in New York City has named Cebu the sixth Best Island in the World.

Two other islands in the Philippinesâ€"Boracay, which ranked second, and Palawan, hailed the Best Island in the Worldâ€" dominated the 2016 World’s Best Island List of Travel + Leisure (T+L).

“The Philippines’ predominance shows that discerning travelers are willing to travel great distances for the rewards of clear waters and sugary white beaches,” said the travel magazine.

Bangladesh has always treasured its secular culture over a religious identity -- it never wanted to be East Pakistan. Sadly, it paid for choosing a secular identity over an Islamic one in 1971, during the Liberation War against Pakistan, when as many as 3 million Bangladeshis died, and by some estimates between 200,000 and 400,000 Bangladeshi women and girls were raped and tortured, even as a massive refugee crisis spilled into neighboring India.

Fast forward to today, and I cannot help but wonder what the men and women who died for a free Bangladesh, our freedom fighters, would have thought about the elements of our society that want to see Bangladesh abandon its secular identity for a religious one.

The reality is that we can no longer deny that something is rotten in Dhaka. For years, we have buried our heads in the sand, looking the other way as bloggers and others were slaughtered in our public spaces. Indeed, the same day as the attack in Gulshan, a Hindu priest was hacked to death as he was gathering flowers at his temple.

There is no more hiding from the fact that a cancer has infiltrated even the most affluent, young and educated minds of Bangladeshi society.

Here in the United States, in the days since the attack, I feel as though I have been watching a never-ending funeral. In many ways I have been -- and not just for those who were tragically killed last Friday. I, along with many others, are mourning the death of the Dhaka we grew up in. And I know I am mourning the death of the Gulshan I knew and loved -- the place I would have given anything to have lived in as a kid.

Ultimately, we all have blood on our hands. Bangladesh has turned a dark corner, and cannot be the same again. Our innocence has been brutally ripped away from us.

But I still believe in the spirit of the hashtag #DhakaStrong. I know Dhaka is strong. After all, look at everything we have survived, from famines to cyclones to floods to coups to wars. The question, though, is who Bangladesh wants to be now.

Forty-five years after its war for independence, it is time for Bangladesh to once again choose who it wants to be. In 1971, secularism won. Will it once again?

By Anushay Hossain
Updated 2257 GMT (0657 HKT) July 7, 2016


(CNN)When I was growing up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in the 1980s, I always wanted to live in a part of town called Gulshan. In my 7-year-old mind, it was the center of the universe. My family lived in an older (and not nearly as hip) part of Dhaka city, and they seemed to have no intention of ever moving from my paternal grandparent's home.

As the years went by, even as the rest of the city changed, Gulshan remained -- in my mind, at least -- the glamorous and unattainable part of town. Framed by its famous deep emerald Gulshan Lake, this was the part of Dhaka that always housed a big chunk of foreign embassies, the best restaurants and cafes, the most luxurious apartments and homes, and countless aid organization offices.

That is why it was so unreal -- and personally painful -- to see Gulshan thrust into the global spotlight in the worst possible way last Friday evening.

Twenty-one hostages, including 18 foreign nationals, were left dead in the upscale Holey Artisan Bakery after a deadly assault by gunmen was brought to an end as police stormed the building following an 11-hour siege. It was an attack unlike anything the country had ever seen.

Gulshan is not cordoned off like Iraq's Green Zone, where foreigners and diplomats live and work largely segregated from the local population. Because the aid community in the country is large, especially in the capital, Gulshan is essentially the center of the city for locals, foreigners and diplomats alike. This was almost certainly one of the reasons the attackers chose their target.

"Please pray for the departed and their families, and our staff who lived through the nightmare," Ali Arsalan, one of the co-owners of Holey, and a longtime family friend, wrote on his personal Facebook page. "What happened there is a terrible tragedy and we are shocked to the core. I never thought something created with so much love and a place where there was so much warmth and happiness, would be turned upside down like this. It is difficult to find today the strength to even think of carrying on."

Overnight, it seemed that Bangladesh had gone from being an example of development success and an admirable example of democracy in the Muslim world, to the world's next Pakistan. But the history of this tiny nation is critical to understanding the dangers to Bangladesh's secular future -- and why it is not yet destined to become another Karachi or Kabul.

Ikaw bay himulbolan, lalim ba...

Ni DOMILYN R. PICO


GIPUSIL patay ang usa ka kagawad alas 8:33 sa buntag kagahapon, sa Purok Sampaguita, Manga, Visayan Village, dakbayan sa Tagum.

Giila ang kagawad nga si Loreto Tan, 50, minyo ug residente sa Purok Durian, Barangay Apokon, ning dakbayan.

Si Tan gikatahong kagawad sa Barangay Anibongan, lungsod sa Maco, Compostela Valley Province.

Sa inisyal nga imbestigasyon, nasubay nga naglingkod lamang atubangan sa Nappi Bakeshoppe ang biktima dihang kalit miabot ang mga suspek nga nagsakay og pulang Rouser nga motorsiklo apan wala’y plaka.

Mihunong sa tungod ang mga nakamotor kon diin ang nag-angkas maoy nanaug ug miduol sa biktima, dayon mihulbot og armas ug mipusil siya makadaghang higayon.

Wa pa matagbaw, gipusil usab sa mga suspetsado ang puting Yamaha XTZ sa biktima, dayon mibalik og angkas sa iyang kauban sa motor ug mikagiw.

Patay gilayon ang biktima nga gikataho’ng gihaya sa Rubio Funeral Homes sa maong dapit.

Gihulagway nga ang nagpusil sa biktima nagsuot lang og blue nga T-shirt, nakamaong og pantalon, kasarangan ang panglawas ug 5'2 o 5'4 ang gitas-on.

Samtang gikalapa kining balita, blangko pa ang kapulisan sa motibo sa krimen.


Gipatik sa mantalaang Superbalita Davao Hulyo 09, 2016.

- Disease 'models' -

For medical research purposes, Sooam Biotech also produces genetically-engineered animals, or "disease models" that are predisposed to Alzheimer's, diabetes or certain cancers.

During a visit to the clinic by AFP, Hwang himself was leading a procedure to inject the embryo of a Beagle into a surrogate mother dog's womb.

"This dog, once born, has a possibility to become a disease model for human brain tumours," Hwang said.

Sooam is also involved in a joint venture with Chinese biotechnology firm Boyalife to set up what will be the world's largest animal cloning factory in the northeastern Chinese port city of Tianjin.

But head researcher Jeong Yeon-Woo said the dog cloning remained his favourite service because of the reaction of owners when they see the puppies.

"They look like they found a child that had been missing," Jeong said.

"The moment of pure joy like that ... makes me realise again why I'm doing this." AFP

- 9/11 canine hero -

One well publicised cloning was of Trakr, a former police dog hailed as a hero after discovering the last survivor of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Sooam produced five clones after Trakr's owner won a contest for the world's most "clone-worthy" dog.

High profile clients have included Princess Shaikha Latifah of Dubai who cloned her pet dog in 2015 and helped launch a joint research study into cloning camel breeds known for high milk production.

For the most part, the foundation's clients and financial supporters of Hwang Woo-Suk's research prefer to remain anonymous.

"Few of our backers -- even the most loyal ones -- want to voice their support publicly," said Sooam Biotech's general manager Kim Hoon, who acknowledged that the scandal involving the facility's founder had tainted its image.

"I think the only way to win the public's trust back is making more genuine scientific breakthroughs," he said.

The centre does not conduct any human stem cell research after being repeatedly denied a state approval to do so.

But it is pushing a number of ambitious projects, most notably an effort to clone an extinct mammoth.

Since 2012, Hwang's team has attempted to cultivate living cells from the frozen remains of mammoths in Siberia.

- Fraudulent hero -

He was lauded as a national hero in South Korea before it emerged that his research was fraudulent and riddled with ethical lapses.

Hwang was given a two-year suspended prison sentence in 2009, after being convicted of embezzlement and bioethical violations.

Sooam Biotech clones many animals, including cattle and pigs for medical research and breed preservation, but is best known for its commercial dog service.

The process involves harvesting a mature cell from the dog to be copied and transferring its DNA to a donor egg cell that has had its own genetic material removed.

The cell and the egg are "fused" with an electrical jolt, and the resulting embryo is implanted in a surrogate mother dog, which will give birth about two months later.

Despite the $100,000 price tag, requests for the service have poured in from around the world, Wang said -- around half from North America.

Some have sought clones of other pets like cats, snakes and even chinchillas, but Wang said the demand for such animals was too small to justify the cost.

Walls around the five-storey Sooam Biotech centre are adorned with dozens of photos of cloned dogs and their smiling owners -- tagged with their national flags including the US, Mexico, Dubai, Russia, Japan, China and Germany.

"(The clients) understand that a clone is not an identical twin of the original pet, but has a lot of genetic predispositions and the potential to develop as the original pet," Wang said.

Since 2006, the facility has cloned nearly 800 dogs, commissioned by owners or state agencies seeking to replicate their best sniffer and rescue dogs.

"These people have very a strong bond with their pets ... and cloning provides a psychological alternative to the traditional method of just letting the pet go and keeping their memory," said Wang Jae-Woong, a researcher and spokesman for Sooam.

"With cloning, you have a chance to bring back the pets," he said in the facility's "care room" where each cloned puppy is kept in a glass-fronted, temperature-controlled pen and monitored by researchers around the clock.

Ever since the milestone birth of Dolly the sheep in 1996, the rights and wrongs of cloning have been a topic of heated debate and Sooam Biotech has been regarded with particular suspicion because of its founder, Hwang Woo-Suk.

In two articles published in the journal Science in 2004 and 2005, Hwang claimed to have derived stem-cell lines from cloned human embryos, a world first.

Fido forever? South Korea's dog cloning clinic
By Jung Ha-Won
July 06, 2016 - 12:12:00 am



This picture taken on June 29, 2016 shows South Korean researchers playing with cloned dogs in the fenced lawn at the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, a world leader in pet cloning, in Seoul. Sooam Biotech clones many animals, including cattle and pigs for medical research and breed preservation, but is best known for its commercial dog service. Since 2006, the facility has cloned nearly 800 dogs, commissioned by owners or state agencies seeking to replicate their best sniffer and rescue dogs. AFP / JUNG YEON-JE


Seoul: At $100,000 a head, the puppies frolicking around the fenced lawn in western Seoul don't come cheap -- but at least their owners know exactly what they are getting.

The lawn belongs to the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, a world leader in pet cloning that has run a thriving commercial business over the past decade catering to dog owners who want to live with their pets forever ... literally.

With a client list including princes, celebrities and billionaires, the foundation offers owners protection against loss and grief with a cloning service that promises the perfect replacement for a beloved pet.

Saba diha, Aylandil. Ikaw bay ma-in-love ni Stephen King, lalim ba... 

"It was a secret that I've kept for quite some time. I'm glad it's now out, so I don't have to explain myself anymore." They have been met with so much acceptance and support from friends and loved ones that on Sunday morning, Ian's car group hosted an informal welcome for Angie Mead King at Locavore at the Fort. Outside the Burgos Circle strip were more than a billion pesos worth of sports cars parked on both sides. Ian is an elite member of this predominantly alpha male group of luxury sports car owners, being the founder of Car Porn Racing and a car aficionado himself.

"What's a dream, I couldn't sleep from being so happy! Thank you to everyone for the love and support. You can't imagine what kind of weight has been lifted off my heart. I am excited to see you all soon" She wrote on her Facebook account, now as a trans-woman named Angie Mead, a tribute to his wife Joey who adores actress Angelina Jolie.

"She's my rock. We've been through so much and I'm happy that we have decided to stick it out, no matter what happens," says Angie about her wife Joey in an exclusive interview for the Star.

"I fought hardâ€"tooth and nail, blood sweat and tears for this relationship. Somehow it all breaks away. For what's life without w little bit of bizarreness?" Joey talks about what she went through to protect her wife Angie.

By Tim Yap (philstar.com) | Updated July 3, 2016 - 7:31pm



For Joey Mead King and husbandâ€"now wifeâ€"Ian King, who just came out as a transwoman now known as Angie Mead King, love wins indeed.


MANILA, Philippines â€" The online and offline worlds were all abuzz when Ian King, scion of Victoria Court group of companies and a prominent figure in the motoring world came out on social media as Angelina Mead King, a purple haired woman wearing a dress. "Sometimes the king is a woman," said the husband of popular TV host and supermodel Joey Mead on a post released yesterday on an Instagram account named @hailtothe_queen_.

Ian King's account is @hailtothe_king so when screencaps of @hailtothe_queen_'s identity on IG broke out on social media, a lot of questions were raised. People were intrigued who Angelina Mead King was. "Since people were already asking, we just decided to come out with it." And so the Instagram account @hailtothe_queen_  which was established from way back 2012 for close family and friends was all of a sudden set to public.

Ian Angelo King and Angelina Mead King are one and the same personâ€"the man, now transitioning to be a woman who's married to Joey Mead. A lot of people were shocked about the news but based on posts from social media, the couple was met with so much love and support. "Overwhelmed by all the love," posted Joey Mead on her Facebook Sunday morning.

He he, si Leni jud?

Ni JEEPY P. COMPIO


NAGMINGHOY nga midangop sa pulis ang usa ka lalaki human gihimulbolan sa babaye nga iyang gikauban sa usa ka lodging house sa Barangay Matina Aplaya, dakbayan sa Davao, alas dos kagahapon sa kaadlawon, Sabado.

Midangop sa Talomo Police Station si William (bansagon gitago sa Superbalita), 26, ulitawo, taga Barangay 5-A, Bankerohan ning dakbayan human gidala sa babaye ang iyang pitaka nga dunay sud nga P5 mil.

Una niini, usa ka alyas Maricar ang nakaila ni William ug nagsabot sila nga maglipay sa kama maong misulod sa inn.

Segun ni William nga gusto sa babaye nga mag-inom og ilimnong makahubog una sila mag-sex, apan dihang nahubog na, nakatagpilaw ang ulitawo ug nagpasumangil ang babaye nga mopalit una og sigarilyo.

Giingong gilamok na lang og pinaabot si William sa pultahan kay nakamata kini nga wala na ang babaye sa iyang tupad.

Dihang paghiling niya sa iyang bag, wala na ang iyang pitaka nga dunay sud nga P5 mil ug ang iyang mga personal nga gamit sud sa bag.

Igo na lang sa pagpa-blotter ang biktima kinsa nagminghoy kay gitangag na ang iyang kuwarta ug wa pa gayud siya makaremedyo sa babaye.

Ang kaso anaa na sa Theft and Robbery Section sa Talomo PNP.


Gipatik sa mantalaang Superbalita Davao Hulyo 02, 2016.

Hmm, si Bay Bugsay ni?   

Bangladesh mourns victims of Dhaka cafe attack
1 hour ago


Bangladesh has declared two days of national mourning for those killed when Islamic militants stormed a cafe in the capital, Dhaka.

Twenty hostages, most of them foreign, were killed in the attack. Two police officers also died and 30 were injured.

Bangladeshi commandos rescued 13 people after a 12-hour siege, killing six gunmen and arresting another.

Nine Italians, seven Japanese, one US citizen and an Indian were among the dead. One Italian is unaccounted for.

Kini maoy lisod. Agoi, unsaon na lang. Itom pa ra ba jud si Ondoy...

Ni Bay Bugsay pa: "Aw, magtupong ra man na ba..."

Citizen Noy sued over SAF 44 deaths
By: Jovic Yee, Marc Jayson Cayabyab
@inquirerdotnet
INQUIRER.net and Philippine Daily Inquirer
01:24 AM July 2nd, 2016
 


An anticrime watchdog filed a criminal complaint on Friday against former President Benigno Aquino III over the botched Mamasapano incident that led to the deaths of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) officers, a day after he shed his presidential immunity from criminal prosecution.

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) asked the Office of the Ombudsman to indict Aquino for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide for his alleged role in the failed “Oplan Exodus” operation. The same complaint was also filed against dismissed Philippine National Police Chief Alan Purisima and sacked SAF Director Getulio Napeñas, who planned and directed the operation.

VACC chair Dante Jimenez accompanied Erlinda Allaga and Warlito Mejia in filing the complaint. Their sons, PO3 Robert Allaga and PO2 Ephraim Mejia, were among the 44 elite officers who were killed when they came under heavy fire from Moro rebels on Jan. 25 last year.

The subject of the operation was Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” a known bombmaker responsible for attacks in Southeast Asia. Marwan, who had a $5-million bounty on his head offered by the US government, was also slain in the operation.

But Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters in the town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao province, who claimed to be unaware of the police operation, engaged the officers in an intense firefight, leading to the mass casualties. At least 20 MILF fighters were also killed in the clashes.

The crisis was the worst to hit the Aquino administration last year, and led to Congress stalling the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law that would have granted the MILF an expanded autonomy in the South.

Agoi, daghang maghigwaos ani kon maohon...

Didto to siya, kadiyot ra hinuon. Mao bitaw nga duda ko nga nakatilaw to og Ininsik...

by Teresa Jusino | 3:52 pm, July 1st, 2016


In How the Hell is This Even a Thing news today, an American woman living in Norway was arrested on Wednesday for harassing and plotting to kill famed scientific genius, Stephen Hawking.

The 37-year-old woman was arrested on Arona, the most populous of the Canary Islands, where she was staying in a hotel near where the Starmus International Festival was being held. Hawking was there to give a lecture on Wednesday, and Hawking’s children had alerted Spanish police of the potential threat after stumbling across over a hundred death threats from this woman in their father’s email. Charming, cryptic things like “I am going to kill him,” and “I am right next to you and I can kill you.”

She also posted similar thoughts on Twitter. Because nothing says “secret murder plot” like announcing your plans on social media.

When Hawking arrived for his lecture, he was flanked by police officers, and security was heightened at the festival. Meanwhile, police tracked the woman down at the hotel where she was staying in Tenerife, near the The Pirámide de Arona, where the festival was being held. According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, “Police investigators who searched her hotel room found a collection of esoteric items linked to religious extremism and contrary to Hawking’s theories denying the existence of God. They also found notes and documents detailing the scientist’s residence and workplace, and notebooks outlining precise plans on how to approach her target.”

Apparently, when she was questioned by police, she said that “that she loves Hawking and would never harm him.” OK…so she wouldn’t harm him, just stalk him and make him and his family feel unsafe. Awesome.

El Pais also reports that the woman “has been following Hawking across the globe and may suffer from psychiatric problems.” May? The alleged stalker could face a six-month prison sentence in Spain, followed by immediate deportation if found guilty. -- http://www.themarysue.com/

Illustration showing the location of the pancreas. Photo: Malgorzata Tatarynowicz

The system works by attaching a smartphone-sized device to the belly of a patient to monitor blood sugar levels. Readings are transmitted to a control gadget attached to clothing, which is linked to an insulin pump to administer the correct dose through the skin.

Insulin requirements vary dramatically between and even within individuals. On one day a person could use a third of their normal requirements and on another, three times what they would normally use.

Developers say the artificial pancreas could also be used by people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

"Closed-loop technologies are ... destined to provide a viable alternative for existing insulin pump therapy and multiple daily insulin injections," Dr Hovorka and Dr Thabit concluded.

The US Food and Drug Administration is reviewing one of the proposed artificial pancreas models, with approval possible as early as 2017. The UK equivalent authority, the National Institute of Health Research, has said the device could appear on the market by 2018.

However, some challenges still need to be resolved in the artificial pancreas, including addressing the time it takes for the insulin to take effect. Some fast-acting insulin took up to two hours after injection to reach peak levels in the bloodstream, which is not ideal for people participating in vigorous exercise.

The number of adults with diabetes has quadrupled worldwide in under four decades to 422 million, according to the World Health Organisation.

More than 100,000 Australians have developed diabetes in the past year, according to Diabetes Australia, which estimates 1.7 million Australians are living with diabetes. -- http://www.smh.com.au/

July 2, 2016 - 4:34PM
Bridie Smith
Science Editor, The Age


People living with type 1 diabetes could soon be free of regular insulin injections, after researchers said an artificial pancreas could become available within a year.

Those diagnosed with the autoimmune condition need regular insulin injections, sometimes up to six times a day, to compensate for a pancreas that produces little or no insulin. The body needs insulin in order to convert glucose into energy.

The artificial pancreas is able to monitor the wearer's blood glucose levels and automatically adjust the level of insulin entering the body. Current devices allow insulin pumps to deliver insulin after a reading from a glucose meter.

Cambridge University researchers behind the artificial pancreas say the device would "close the loop" and combine both tasks.

Roman Hovorka and Hood Thabit reported a positive response from patients who participated in trials, particularly because the device gave them "time off" or a "holiday" from their diabetes management.

"The system is managing their blood sugar effectively without the need for constant monitoring by the user," they wrote in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

Di ba kaha dali rang magay-ot ning pangandoya... 

Gihulagway ni Romero nga napakyas ang PSC sa pag-atendir ug pagpakita sa saktong liderato aron mahatagan og igong prayordad ug direksiyon ang mga natio­nal amateur sports.

Iyang giingon nga wa kini maa­yong pagtagad sa grassroots level.

Ang Department of Sports ma­kahatag og saktong benepisyo dili lang ngadto sa mga atleta ug mga coaches kon dili lakip nausab sa ilang mga pamilya.

“Since Mansueto Velasco won a silver medal in boxing during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the Philippines has not won a single medal in the succeeding editions,” saysay ni Romero kinsa midugang sa pag-ingon nga human ang nasod nahimong overall championship sa 2005 SEAG, wa na gyud kini makapakita og ayo ug miunlod pa hinuon og maayo ang performance niini. JBM/Spin.ph


Gipatik sa mantalaang Superbalita Cebu Hulyo 02, 2016.

SI Mikee Romero sa 1 Pacman partylist moumol og balaodnon nga magtukod og Department of Sports, ang ahensiya nga maoy modumala sa pag-implementar sa mga polisiya aron pagpromote ug pagpalambo sa sports ug ingon man sa mga health fitness programs sa nasod.

Ang 17th Congress opisyal nga mosugod karong Lunes apan si Romero ug ang laing 81 ka mga magbabalaod ang nagpakita na sa ilang ka andam aron pagsuporta sa maong balaodnon aron kini mapasar.

Ang House Bill No. 287, matod ni Romero, gitumong aron pagsulbar sa mga issues nga nasinati sa Philippine sports.

Sa higayon nga ang sports department matukod na, ang mangulo niini maglingkod isip secretary ug kinahanglan kining motambong sa mga Cabinet meetings.

Ang Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) wala hatagi og katungod niini.

Hmm, mao ba kaha pud ni ang ikasulti ni Bay Bugsay....

Determined not to let his experience be in vain, Ceesay has turned into a campaigner against the myth of China as a promised land for Africans seeking work. “I told my uncle, I’m going back to Gambia, and I’m going to tell this story and explain what’s happening.”

Ceesay went on local radio shows answering questions from callers about life and work in China. He started a Facebook page, “Gambians Nightmare in China” detailing the frustrating and dangerous situations that he and other Gambians in China found themselves in. Now, his story along with those of other returned Gambian migrants, is the basis of a new website called Uturn Asia, done in collaboration with migration researchers, Heidi Østbø Haugen and Manon Diederich, from the University of Oslo and the University of Cologne.

“The project came about because they had a strong wish to warn others against coming,” says Østbø Haugen. “They thought they could do so more effectively as a group than as individuals, as individual accounts of failure are often written off as attempts to justify ineptness.”

On the website, Ceesay and others detail the full circle, or U-turn, they completed: the decision to leave homeâ€"a calculus that often involved taking on heavy loans and families spending years of saving or selling off their few assetsâ€"optimism replaced by desperation as they ran out of money in China, and humiliation as they tried to scrabble enough money together to go home.


More at: http://qz.com/720816/gambian-migrants-are-returning-from-china-and-telling-their-compatriots-not-to-go/?utm_source=YPL&yptr=yahoo

WRITTEN BY Lily Kuo
OBSESSION
China in Africa
7 hours ago
Quartz Africa


When Lamin Ceesay, an energetic 25-year-old from Gambia, arrived in Guangzhou last year, he thought his life had made a turn for the better. As the oldest of four siblings, he was responsible for caring for his family, especially after his father passed away. But jobs were few in his hometown of Tallinding Kunjang, outside of the Gambian capital of Banjul. After hearing about China’s rise, his uncle sold off his taxi business and the two of them bought a ticket and a paid local visa dealer to get them to China.

“It was very developedâ€"the tall buildings, everything was colorful. I thought, okay my life is going to change. It’s going to be better. Life is good here,” Ceesay tells Quartz, describing his first impressions of Guangzhou, a hub for African migrants in China.

Gambia, a small country of a just under 2 million people in West Africa, has been losing entire villages to migration mostly to Europe, but also to China. Chinese border restrictions have been easier than in Europe or North America and the southern city of Guangzhou has become a hub for African migrants, traders, and businesses. In Gambia, youth unemployment is high, almost 40%, encouraging people like Ceesay to look east.

“All I knew is that China was a world-class country and the economy is good,” he said.

But Ceesay’s new life didn’t turn out quite how he imagined. The job that visa dealers promised would help him pay off his debts in three months didn’t seem to exist. Ceesay struggled to even feed himself. When he tried to move to Hong Kong where he heard work was better, he was escorted back to Guangzhou by police. He ended up in Thailand for three months, unsuccessfully looking for work, before eventually coming home.

“All I knew is that China was a world-class country and the economy is good.”

USA pa lang gani ka adlaw gikan sa iyang pagkanaog pagka presidente sa nasod, gisugat gilayon og kaso si kanhi Presidente Benigno Aquino III sa buhatan sa Ombudsman.

Kini kalabot sa nahitabong masaker sa 44 ka mga sakop sa Special Action Force niadtong Enero 25, 2015 didto sa Mamasapano, Maguindanao aron unta pagdakop sa mga international terrorist nga sila si Marwanug Basit Usman.

Gawas kang Aquino, gilakip usab sila si kanhi Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Alan Purisima ug kanhi SAF Director Getulio Napenas.

Ang mga mipasaka og kaso batok ni Aquino mao ang mga ginikanan sa nalakip sa mga gipangmasaker nga sila si Erlina Aliaga, inahanan ni PO3 Robert Dommolog Aliaga, Warlito Mejia, amahan ni PO2 Ephraim Mejia, ug sila si Dante Jimenez ug Arsenio Evangelista nga pulos representative sa Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.

Si Aquino, bisan tuod og wala moapil sa operation, apan base sa imbestigasyon sa senado, siya miangkon nga adunay pagtugot kaniya ang operation sa SAF isip presidente.

Laing tulobagon ni Aquino mao nga kon nganong iyang gitugotan si Purisima nga mag-apil-apil sa ope­ration nga unta suspendido man kini niadtong panahona ug wa usab pahibaw-a sa maong operation ang officer-in-charge sa PNP nga si Leonardo Espina.

Karon nga wala na sa gahum si Aquino dili halayo ang posibilidad nga madutlan siya niining kasuha. Ug kon kini mahitabo, siya na unya ang ikatulong presidente sa Pilipinas nga mapriso, sunod nila ni Joseph Estrada ug Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Only in the Philippines.


Gipatik sa mantalaang Superbalita Cebu Hulyo 02, 2016.

Creating a Well-Draining Soil

Compacted, clay and sandy soils all benefit from being amended with rich organic materials. It is not enough to just add sand to clay soil to improve drainage because that can just make the soil more like concrete. For areas with poor drainage to either extreme, too wet or too dry, thoroughly mix in organic materials such as:

     Peat moss

     Compost

     Shredded bark

     Manure

Nutrient rich, properly drained soil is very important for healthy plants. -- http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/

Compacted and clay soil can drain poorly and cause plants roots to sit too long in wet conditions. If you have heavy clay or compacted soil, either amend the soil to make it more porous or choose plants that can tolerate wet areas. Sandy soil can drain water away from plant roots too quickly. For sandy soil, amend the soil or choose plants that can tolerate dry and drought-like conditions.

To test the drainage of a planting site, dig a hole that is about a foot wide and a foot deep. Fill the hole with water and allow it to all drain out. Before the hole has time to dry, refill it with water again. This time, using a ruler, measure the drop in water every 15 minutes for an hour.

     After an hour, if the soil has drained only an inch or less, this is an area with poor drainage.

     If the soil has drained about one to six inches in the hour, the site is well draining.

     If more than six inches of water was drained in the hour, your soil is draining too quickly.

Image by Gardening Know How, via Nikki Phipps


By Darcy Larum, Landscape Designer


When shopping for plants, you have probably read plant tags that suggest things like “needs full sun, needs part shade or needs well-draining soil.” But what is well-draining soil? This is a question I’ve been asked by many of my customers. Read more to learn the importance of well-drained soil and how to get a well-drained garden soil for planting.

What Does Well-Drained Soil Mean?

Simply put, well-drained soil is soil that allows water to drain at a moderate rate and without water pooling and puddling. These soils do not drain too quickly or too slowly. When soil drains too quickly, the plants do not have enough time to absorb the water and can die. Likewise, when soil does not drain quickly enough and plants are left in pooling water, their oxygen intake from the soil is reduced and the plants can die. Also, plants that are weak and suffering from insufficient watering are more susceptible to disease and insect damage.

RELEASE OF COMMUNIST GUERRILLAS:

Duterte said he plans to release detained communist guerrillas, including Communist Party of the Philippines leaders Benito Tiamzon and his wife, Wilma, to foster peace talks to settle the decades-long Marxist insurgency. The Tiamzons, who were captured by government forces in March 2014, face several charges, including murder. Their release may anger some in the military and police who have battled with communist guerrillas and lost colleagues in the fighting.

___

AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION:

Duterte said he will work to amend the constitution within the first two years to shift to a federal system that would give more autonomy to regions. Proposals in the past for other amendments to the constitution had been thwarted. Supporters of federalism say it will give areas outside "imperial Manila" more say in governance and will distribute wealth across the country. Critics of the system say it may further entrench political dynasties and create confusion over the government's responsibilities. The Duterte administration also plans to amend some of the economic provisions of the constitution.

DICTATOR'S BURIAL

Duterte has said he will allow the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos â€" whose body is displayed in a glass coffin his northern home province â€" to be buried at a national heroes' cemetery. This may spark a political storm.

The previous president and left-wing activists have opposed such a burial, citing the plunder and massive human-rights violations that happened under the dictator, who was ousted in a 1986 revolt. Duterte argued that those buried at the cemetery were not all heroes, and said he would leave it up to the military whether to bestow full funeral honors. Such a burial, he said, "can be arranged immediately."

___

REIMPOSING THE DEATH PENALTY:

Duterte plans to re-impose the death penalty. Hanging is his preferred mode of execution. He said capital punishment will not only deter crimes but is also retribution for crimes committed. It's a plan opposed by the Catholic church and human rights advocates and may derail assistance by allies like the European Union.

___

ARROYO'S RELEASE

Duterte said he supports the release of ex-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from detention on corruption charges â€" a move also likely to be met with protests. He said Arroyo refused his offer of pardon because she said that would require that she admit wrongdoing and she wasn't guilty of any crime. Duterte said he told her that he would support her if she applied for bail, and that her long detention, partly caused by trial delays, was grounds for dismissal of her case. The 69-year-old Arroyo, who is suffering from a neck ailment, finished her tumultuous term in 2010. Since then, she has been charged with vote fraud and corruption and was detained at a government-run hospital.

___

CONFRONTING CHINA

Duterte has adopted a gamut of options in dealing with China over contested territories in the South China Sea. He said he will prod China to abide by the upcoming decision of an arbitration court that's handling a Philippine lawsuit against Beijing. If China doesn't budge, he says he'll be open to one-on-one talks with Beijing.

Another time, he said he leaned toward multilateral negotiations that would involve the United States and Japan and rival claimant governments to resolve the escalating conflicts.

At a televised debate, he revealed his most outlandish idea: Traveling to the disputed waters by Jet Ski and planting a Philippine flag on one of the new Chinese man-made islands, saying it's up to the Chinese to shoot him and turn him into a national hero.

___

Associated Press 11 minutes ago


MANILA, Philippines (AP) â€" Rodrigo Duterte, who was sworn in as the Philippines' 16th president on Thursday, has given himself a colossal campaign promise to fulfill: eradicating crime â€" especially drug trafficking, smuggling, rapes and murder â€" in three to six months. That won him a lot of votes, but it also spurred alarm and doubts, including from police officials, who said it was an impossible feat.

Famous for his blunt speech, Duterte also made a number of potentially divisive declarations or decisions that will likely complicate his first few months in office. Here are some of them:

___

ZERO CRIME

Duterte has repeatedly vowed to wipe out crime and corruption in three to six months, warning lawbreakers they would be shot to death if they try to resist. Police officials doubt this can be achieved, and human rights advocates fear that people's rights and the rule of law will be ignored.

___

Bitaw. Puday envy galing...

Ni JEEPY P. COMPIO


NAHUGNO ang kalibutan sa usa ka mister human iyang nakita ang iyang asawa nga gitariki o gi-jerjer sa ilang silingan ala 1:10 kagahapon sa kaadlawon, Dominggo, didto sa kawayanan sa Barangay Catalunan Pequeño, Talomo District, dakbayan sa Davao.

Si Ronald (bansagon gitago sa SuperBalita), 33, nagpuyo sa Kilometro 12, Barangay Catalunan Pequeño ang daling mitawag og pulis dihang iyang nakita nga nagtagay sa dili ikapangagda nga kalipay ang iyang asawa nga si alyas Maricel, 29, sa ilang silingan nga si alyas Roger, 30-anyos.

Nasayran nga dihang miuli si Ronald, nakurat siya kay dunay nagkanaas sa kawayanan likod sa ilang balay nga duol lang sa buhatan sa gobyerno sa dapit.

Gisaysay ni Ronald sa duty desk officer sa Talomo Police Station nga mipungko siya aron panid-an ang nagkanaas uban sa kahadlok kay nagtuong basin multo, apan nag-uyog-uyog nga sampot sa hubo nga babaye ang iyang nakita kinsa nakigkombate sa wa say sapot nga lalaki.

Sa tanto niyang hupo-hupo aron sutaon kung kinsa ang duruha nga nagpalami, nahayagan sa silaw sa bulan ang dagway sa babaye, ug diha-diha nahugno ang iyang kalibutan kay kini way lain kon dili ang iya man diay nga asawa.

Wa siya magsaba, dali siyang mitawag og pulis aron ipadakop ang duruha nga wala pa mag-ukang kinsa gipangbalhog kini karon sa selda sa Talomo Police Station.

Giandam na sa kapulisan sa Talomo ang kasong adultery batok sa duruha didto sa korte.


Gipatik sa mantalaang Superbalita Davao Hunyo 27, 2016.

PATAY ang usa ka lalaki human gidunggab sa iyang kauban nga drayber sa traysikad kay iyang giingnan nga wa kini kaligo.

Ang insidente nahitabo alas 10:30 sa gabii, Dominggo, didto sa del Rosarion Street, Barangay Rafael Castillo, Agdao District, dakbayan sa Davao.

Dead on arrival na nga nahidangat sa Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) ang biktima nga si Jerry Hernandez, 43, nagpuyo sab sa dapit samtang ang suspek nailhang si Herman Bilbao, 47.

"Nag-inom sila ni Johnny Doromal, niagi ko, giingnan man kaha ko'g baho ko ug walay kaligo," saysay sa suspek nga nahinabi sa SuperBalita kagahapon.

Nasayran nga sa kalagot sa suspek, miuli kini sa ilaha mikuha'g kutsilyo dayon mibalik ug gidunggab ang suspek sa dughan sa makadaghang higayon.

Hinuon gilayong nasikop ang suspek pag-abot sa miresponde nga kapulisan sa Sta. Ana Police Station.

Sa kasamtangan, ang suspek gibalhog na sa selda sa Sta. Ana PNP samtang giandam na ang kaso nga ipasaka kaniya didto sa korte. (JPC)


Gipatik sa mantalaang Superbalita Davao Hunyo 28, 2016.

Lupig pas gibangkoliya nis Emperor Xi... 

Hmm, you mean dili tinuod nga gidaugdaog si agaw Patrick?

Hmm, malagmit bayotipol ning maestroha...

Ni KRIS C. SIALANA


GAWAS sa panget, giingnan pa og bulok sa maestro ang iyang estudyante atubangan sa mga klasmeyt sulod sa classroom niadtong milabay nga adlaw sa usa ka unibersidad nga nahimutang sa Velez Streets, dakbayan sa Cagayan de Oro.

Nagpatala sa kapolisan si Marynolle (bansagon gitago), 23, dalaga ug residente sa Iponan ning dakbayan, samtang ang instructor naila nga si Melanio (gitago ang apilyedo), minyo, nga taga Gusa ning dakbayan.

Sa nahipos nga report gikan sa kapolisan sa Police Station 1 (PS1) sa Divisoria, gibutyag sa biktima nga naulaw kaayo siya sa gipang-estorya sa maestro sulod mismo sa classroom atubangan sa mga klasmeyt niini.

Giingong kalit lamang kini nga giingnan sa maestro og: “That is bolsyet, hija, ang panget mo hambog ka, ayaw ko sayo.”

Gidugang pa nga nangutana pa kini kung asa kini nagtungha sa high school ug sa dihang gitubag niini nga sa Lapasan National High School, miingon pa kini nga “ah squatter, bulok kasing bulok mo,” hinungdan nga nasakitan kini sa mga gipangbuhian niini nga estorya.

Sa pagsulat niini nga balita, ang insidente ang nakatala na sa buhatan sa kapolisan ug giduso na sa tunghaan ilabi na sa presidente sa unibersidad.


Gipatik sa mantalaang Superbalita Cagayan de Oro Hunyo 28, 2016.

Tinola!

Tinalo...

Tinali...

The Dalai Lama greets Lady Gaga, right, before a question and answer session at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis, Sunday, June 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) (The Associated Press)

Published June 27, 2016  Associated Press


BEIJING â€"  China has warned people to be aware of what it says are nefarious motives of the Dalai Lama after he met with Lady Gaga and spoke about love and compassion.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Monday that the purpose of the Dalai Lama's travels is to "promote his proposal for Tibetan independence."

Beijing regularly vilifies the Tibetans' spiritual leader as a political figure who advocates Tibetan independence from China. The Dalai Lama says he simply wants a higher degree of autonomy under Chinese rule.

On Sunday, the Dalai Lama gave the keynote address at a conference in Indianapolis of American mayors. Before that, he met Lady Gaga.

Asked about the meeting, Hong said that China would like people to be aware of "his true colors and nature."

Hmm, bisan pa tingalig mosaka imbis mounlod ang Beijing, bentahuso jud mong mga singkita mo, Aylandila ka...

Aylandil smoking, long ago...

Living a nightmare in China's city of sinkholes

In Beijing, groundwater is the main water source -- two thirds -- for everything from industrial and agricultural use to household consumption. China media outlet Sina estimates that the capital requires 3.5 billion liters of water per year.

As the water, which has accumulated over thousands of years, is extracted in increasingly greater volumes, the now-dried up soil compacts. The rapid sinking could affect buildings and public works projects, including the city's rail network.

China has long had problems managing its voracious consumption of water. Five years ago, historic droughts in southern China caused billions of dollars in losses to agriculture and left millions of people and animals short of drinking water.

Massive infrastructure projects to divert water, particularly in the north of China, have been undertaken to relieve shortages in some of the country's most stricken regions.

The study was published this month and supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

That sinking feeling: Beijing dropping by up to 4 inches a year, study shows
By Euan McKirdy, CNN
Updated 0631 GMT (1431 HKT) June 26, 2016


Hong Kong (CNN)Beijing residents have put up with choking smog, trash-filled rivers and toxic running tracks. Now they have another concern -- sinking.

An international study led by Beijing-based researchers has discovered that the city is dropping by as much as 11 centimeters (4 inches) in some districts per year.

The thirsty city has depleted its groundwater, which the study identified as the cause of the sinking.

Using satellite imagery and GPS data, the team analyzed topographical trends from 2003 to 2010 and found that the city, which has a population of over 20 million, was sinking at an alarming rate.

Its central districts are among the worst affected, the study says. The main subsidence bowls are distributed over the Chaoyang, Changping, Shunyi and Tongzhou districts. Chaoyang, in the eastern suburbs, is the worst affected, with subsidence of 11 cm per year.

Beijing is ranked as the fifth most water-stressed city in the world, the study notes, and as China continues to urbanize, the stress on subterranean aquifers is only set to worsen.

Indonesia will likely surpass both Russia and Brazil, and will likely be at least approaching Germany around 2030. Indonesia, similar to India, has a host of factors on its side including a young population (average age of about twenty-eight) and a favorable geographic location between China, Australia and India, which allows it to benefit from the growth of all three, or pivot toward one. Even with China slowing, Indonesia is not expected to slow its pace of growth significantly, according to the IMF.

Mexico is currently the eleventh-largest economy in the world, and it may surprise. Partially a derivative of its proximity to the U.S. market, and partly due to preferential trade treatment with its northern neighbor, Mexico is the economy to watch. Granted, it is currently well behind Russia and Brazil. But it is more advantaged through NAFTA and, potentially, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Russia is currently isolated, Brazil is mired in a political and economic mess, and both are reliant on commodities for their growth.

So, this leaves us primarily with the status quo. The United States, China and India will not be dethroned. And, despite the catch-up by fast-growing economies like Indonesia and Mexico, Japan is likely to remain a top-five economyâ€"but Germany will not. Indonesia, and possibly Mexico, will surpass Germany by 2030. The major economies will see little churn, but immediately below there will be plenty of upheaval. The current commodity price sag will cause many previously fast-growing economies to play catch-up over the next decade while rivals benefit. This would mean that four of the top five economies would be located in Asiaâ€"food for thought.

Japan suffers from nearly every economic ill possible. Its population is aging, its government is heavily indebted and monetary policy has been constantly easing for the better part of two decades. But even with no end in sight to the stagnation, Japan will not be replaced as a top-five economy.

For Germany, a deciding factor on who rounds out the top five will be the extent of the deepening of economic integration within the European Union (and whether or not it is considered an economy on its own) or whether it weakens or dissolves. While unlikely to resemble the United States, the EU will probably still be around in one form or another, and the German economy will remain a dominant force. However, the EU is unlikely to have integrated enough, even by 2030, to be considered an economic entity in itself. Instead, it will continue as an amalgamation of countries in a similar economic arrangement as NAFTA, with more mutual oversight.

And this leaves Germany at risk of being overtaken. With growth of only slightly better than 2 percent per year, it will be difficult for Germany to fend off the economies that are rapidly catching up to it. One problem for Germany will be maintaining its current account surplus with the rest of Europe over time. Without the current account surplus, Germany would be forced to wade through a painful rebalancing of its economy.

Using the International Monetary Fund’s PPP GDP figures, the United States and China have economies that are more than double that of third-place India.  Nonetheless, it will take a serious twist of fate for India to be replaced in the top five. India’s tailwinds are numerous, its headwinds are manageable and, unlike most the rest of the world, India is a relatively young country. It also has the tailwind of needing to build the necessary infrastructure to be a twenty-first-century economy. And, at less than 70 percent according to the IMF, India does not have the government-debt-to-GDP burden that hinders the growth of many countries (meaning that there is some room for fiscal policies to encourage growth).

Not everything is falling precisely into place for India at the moment, though. The World Bank Group ranks it 130th in its “Doing Business” rankings. But this is also low-hanging fruit for India, and addressing it would accelerate growth. India is a large economy needing only simple fixes to continue its growth.

Japan and Germany, meanwhile, are in far more tenuous positions, with Russia, Brazil and Indonesia on their heels and the dark horse, Mexico, not too far behind either.

For its part, China will certainly remain a top-five economy, but it will not overtake the United States in terms of GDP per capitaâ€"a measure of wealth versus size. The two primary headwinds for China maintaining are the need to reform its banking system, and the pivot to a more consumer-driven society. Neither is simple to address on its own, never mind in tandem.

China’s banking system is laden with nonperforming loans. The extent of the issue is unknowable, due to the opacity of the institutions, but the suspicion is that the need to recapitalize and expunge the balance sheets is imminent and stark. Tackling, and ultimately solving, the issue will consume resources that would be better used to transition the economy from infrastructure building and investment to services.

By 2030, China may find itself in a similar position to where Japan is todayâ€"a significant global economic player going nowhere quickly while aging rapidly. Unlike Japan, China will be a particularly poor position to pause its growth, given that it will be at best a middle-income nation.

This so-called “middle-income trap” is unforgiving, but the middle-income trap is not a middle-income decline. It is rare for nations to fall back significantly, which is what it would take for China, or the United States, to fall out of the top five. Therefore, the battle for spots in the top five will be fought from third to fifth place, positions currently held by India, Japan and Germany. The captivating question is who will fall out, and who will rise to replace them.

Samuel Rines
June 25, 2016


Will today’s five largest economiesâ€"China, the United States, India, Japan and Germanyâ€"maintain their places between now and 2030? Or will see a reshuffling?

China has already passed the United States in terms of Purchasing Power Parity Gross Domestic Product (PPP GDP)â€"a method of measuring the relative purchasing power of a nation used throughout this piece. Granted, this is only one measure of wealth, and much of China remains poor, but it illustrates that measurement matters. By other measures, such as current dollar GDP, the United States is still the largest economy, and it is likely that U.S. economic dominance will continue.

The United States has a few advantages in remaining a top economic power. Unlike China, the United States has already pivoted from manufacturing toward services, thereby reducing its reliance on exports for growth. And the ability to hydraulically fracture lessens the United States’ reliance on global energy markets and Middle Eastern stability, something that was not true a decade ago.

Mao ni ang giant coconut crab, above, sa buhi pa. As with other crab species, it turns red when cooked.


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Daghan ni diri sa Saipan and neighboring islands.

Akong gasa ni Bishop Ryan on his appointment...

Ministers from the European Union’s six founding nations stroll while meeting about Brexit at Villa Borsig, the German foreign ministry, in Berlin, June 25, 2016. From left, they include: Belgium’s Didier Reynders, Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy’s Paolo Gentiloni, Luxembourg’s Jean Asselborn, France’s Jean-Marc Ayrault and the Netherlands’ Bert Koenders.

As for Britain, it has given itself an almighty shock. Scotland may well be impelled to even faster independence, whatever that may mean in the context of whatever is negotiated with the EU. A bigger casualty has been London, which voted overwhelmingly for remain. It is revealed as a city statelet out of touch with its hinterland. Its morale and even its wealth have taken a severe knock, which to many outsiders will be no bad thing.

A half-century of metropolitan arrogance and centralism, to which all governments and all cultural institutions have subscribed, has gone suddenly rotten. Future British governments can no longer pretend at devolution. The capital has grown too big, too fat and too rich. Brexit will take it down a peg â€" or three.

How this is to happen is this morning impossible to envisage. Cameron and his amanuensis, George Osborne, clearly did not expect their gamble to fail. Cameron should have copied Harold Wilson in 1975 and stayed above the fray, guiding his country through a decision he asked it to decide for him. He is now the agent of a popular decision which he is charged with honouring. But the onus is on his leave colleagues now to prove their case, that leave would not harm Britain but benefit it. They may be cock-a-hoop, but it is they who are now on trial. If Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are really to be in some reconstructed government, they deserve to feel the heat.

As some advocates of leave claimed, leave can mean many things. No one has an interest in exaggerating the harm. Britain will have to reach a deal, on trade and other things, that will be novel and peculiar whatever the cost. It is Cameron’s parting duty to negotiate it. No one can have the slightest interest in his past threats of closed borders, collapsing trade and punishment budgets. The slate is wiped clean.

The biggest threat from this referendum is, in truth, not to Britain but to the rest of Europe, which is why the EU should think carefully about how to respond. It has been judged by this referendum and found wanting. Britain will not be the last to tell it so. Polls have shown between a quarter and third of people across Europe are now deeply hostile to the European project. The economies of southern Europe are in a Germany-induced lock-down. Brussels, and its German paymasters, are in trouble.

Britain should have been party to helping Europe out of this trouble. It should now take the initiative and be party to helping from the outside. The visionary outcome of a leave vote ought to be a grand debate across the continent, a search for a new confederacy of nation states. What is needed is a new Europe for the 21st century, to replace the ramshackle corporatism erected in response to the 1945 settlement, a confederacy in which Britain should be proud to participate. That vision may yet be far off, but so once was the EU.

https://www.theguardian.com/
Although Britain has given itself an almighty shock, the visionary outcome of this leave vote ought to start a grand debate across the continent
Simon Jenkins
Friday 24 June 2016 08.12 BST Last modified on Friday 24 June 2016 08.48 BST


A silly question was asked and a silly answer was given. That is democracy. But so is leadership. As the good ship Tory government smashes on to rocks of its own devising, David Cameron has, perhaps inevitably, decided to desert the bridge for any refloat. He made a massive misjudgment, but it was one in which almost the entire British establishment has colluded.

They must all now perform a U-turn. They must behave as if Project Fear was overstated. Every muscle must be strained for a new relationship with Europe. Other leaders of the EU, fearing similar disintegrating pressures, must know they all have a vested interest in minimising the damage. The idea of “punishing” Britain will merely compound the stupidity and risk to European stability.

The immediate job is not to reflect on causes but to get down to work. The referendum is consultative. Procedures must be followed. For the time being, Britain remains a member of the European Union, but parliament must honour the government’s commitment to the British people to adhere to their decision. Officially that takes two years, though in Europe anything can happen. The French government in 2005 contrived to disregard a popular rejection of the Lisbon treaty.