Scarborough Shoal standoff becomes an online war between Chinese - Filipino Hackers

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The Scarborough Shoal standoff goes online. Responding to the defacement of the University of the Philippines (UP) website on Friday, a group of Philippine-based hackers has defaced a Chinese university website on Saturday as tension between China and the Philippines continue to escalate.

Anonymous #OccupyPhilippines replaced the main page of the Chinese University Media Union (http://star.chinaumu.org) with a defaced website that declared “Scarborough Shoal is ours!” as loud, screaming music play in the background.

Chinese University Media Union (star.chinaumu.org; IP: 58.68.134.164) website as of 10:00 A.M., April 22, 2012.

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“STFU. Chinese government is clearly retarded,” a note on the China UMU page said, just above the ASCII image rendition of the popular Guy Fawkes mask, which has been used as a symbol by international hacking group Anonymous.

The group has been involved in similar attacks before, including Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDOS) attacks leveled against the websites of the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation following protests against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill in the US in January.

DDoS is a form of cyber attack used by hacking groups to take down particular websites, which involves overwhelming the website’s server by executing external commands from a number of terminals, subsequently crippling the server indefinitely.

Other Chinese web properties that were broken into, the report said, include the websites of China Youth Online (http://v.cyol.com), P. Loft Youth Hostel (http://www.ploft.cn) and the Chinese government website http://gh.rc.gov.cn.

Chinese Government Website (gh.rc.gov.cn) website as of 10:00 A.M., April 22, 2012. 

On April 20, the UP website (http://www.upd.edu.ph) displayed a photo of China’s territorial claim over the Spratly Islands with a statement that reads: “We come from China! Huangyan Island is Ours!”

Officials from the two countries have yet to issue a statement about the defacements as the Philippines prepares to bring closure to the standoff by bringing it to international court.

via Interaksyon | Cool Buster

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US government approved Philippine request to acquire F16 fighter jets

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April 19, 2012

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Wednesday that the Philippines will seek a squadron of F-16 fighter jets and a third coast guard cutter, communications and electronics jamming equipment as well as modern weapons systems for its two new cutters that is scheduled for delivery.

"We are upgrading the capacity of our armed forces and we are glad that the US government approved our request to acquire those fighter jets", says del Rosario who decline to reveal further details.

The jet deal would be for second-hand F-16s block C/ D with the Philippines paying for reconditioning, maintenance and pilot training which will run for two years, del Rosario added. 

A recent naval stand-off between the Philippines and China has not gone unnoticed by the United States which agreed to immediately schedule high-level talks between Manila and Washington on April 30 to establish the country's “minimum defense posture” against aggressors.

Secretary del Rosario will be accompanied by Defense Chief Voltaire Gazmin who is scheduled to meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta in Washington next week to discuss the terms of the grant.  

The Foreign Secretary said that the potential jet deal was raised during a visit last month by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who pledged a wide-ranging commitment to its former colony, from military to economic cooperation. 

The Philippines is offering the United States greater access to its airfields in exchange for military hardware necessary for its defense.

The April 30 talks between and among foreign and Defense Officials will precede the meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Philippine President Benigno Aquino later this year who is expected to issue the formal announcement.

from: http://philippineairspace.blogspot.com/search/label/Philippine%20Air%20Force

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International Survey: Philippines is the most Godly country in the World – Chicago

As published in the Washington Post, it shows that the Philippines is the most Godly country in the world with never fading faith and continuously believing and making God as the center of each lives.

Belief in God is slowly declining in most countries around the world, according to a new poll, but the truest of the true believers can still be found in developing countries in the Christian worlds and Catholic societies in the Far East.

The "Beliefs about God Across Time and Countries" report, released Wednesday (April 18, 2012) by researchers at the University of Chicago, found the Philippines to be the country with the highest belief, where 94 percent of Filipinos said they were strong believers who had always believed.

The Philippines is the home of the continuously emerging new Christian religions, the home of the highest Catholics and the only strongest-faith-Christian country in Asia.

At the opposite end, according to the survey at just 13 percent, was the former East Germany where people are majority non believer.

"The Philippines is both developing and Catholic," said Tom W. Smith, who directs the General Social Survey of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. "Religion, which is mainly Catholic, is very emotionally strong there."

The report covered data from 30 countries that participated in at least two surveys in 1991, 1998 or 2008.

Filipino's faith in God has said to be keeps creating miracles, healing wounds & diseases, changing lives, creating ample of blessings and riches to the believers as acclaimed by Christian testimonies how they got healed, how they succeeded their career,  how they acquire riches and how they live happily and how God changed their lives .

In 29 of the 30 countries surveyed in 2008, belief increased with age: Belief in God was highest for those ages 68 or older (43 percent), compared to 23 percent of those younger than 28.

While overall belief in God has decreased in most parts of the world, three countries — Israel, Russia and Slovenia — saw increases. The report said religious belief had "slowly eroded" since the 1950s in most countries of the world.

Atheism and unbelief was most prominent in northwest Europe and some former Soviet states, with the exception of majority-Catholic Poland (just 3.3 percent).

Top 5 countries of Strong Faith and God believers

1. Philippines – 94%
2. Chile – 79.4%
3. Israel – 65.5%
4. Poland – 62%
5. United States – 60.6%

The United States (60.6 percent) was ranked in the top five countries for people who said they knew God existed and had no doubts. Besides the Philippines, the other countries were Chile (79.4 percent), Israel (65.5 percent) and Poland (62 percent).

Some factors are seen that affect the faith in God for Filipinos are the calamity such as earthquakes, typhoons and natural disasters which Faith in God is their only way to remain firm and strong, and the said to be keep existing of mystical powers which is practiced by the natives and tribal groups in most remote areas.

Filipinos is also known to be the most sociable people in the world ranking number one for social network users. The sociable attitudes are also the effect of the religious activities in each sector which people will go out every weekend to go to church and meet people to do worships in God. If in the other country people will meet each other in the bar or in the dance hall, Filipinos will usually go out for prayer meetings, worships, & other church and religious activities as their rendezvous. 

Many Filipinos believes that the last judgment , the last paradise and the land of the Promise could be found in the Philippines when God return as promised in the Holy Bible.

Philippines $75.174 Billion now Rank 26th World’s highest Gross International Reserves

THE PHILIPPINES' foreign currency reserves continued to grow in October 2011, giving the Philippines more than enough of a defense against a deteriorating global economic situation as it ranks now up to the 26th highest World Gross International Reserves..

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday that the country's gross international reserves (GIR) came up to $75.8 billion last month, $600 million more than in September.

The latest figure, which was above the central bank's $75 billion full-year forecast, was mainly due to the central bank's foreign exchange operations, income from its overseas investments and higher valuation of its gold holdings.

It was nearly a third higher than the $57.153 billion recorded in October last year and could nearly pay for a year's worth of imports.

"The appreciable build-up in the reserves level at end-October 2011 resulted mainly from the foreign exchange operations and income from investments abroad of the BSP as well as revaluation gains on the BSP's gold holdings," the central bank said.

Reserves from overseas investments increased slightly by 0.32% to $65.92 billion while the value of gold holdings climbed by 6.09% to $7.91 billion.

"These inflows were partially offset, however, by payments by the national government for its maturing foreign exchange obligations," the BSP added.

The GIR, which cushions the country against external shocks, show a country's capability to pay for imports and service foreign debts. It is also the main indicator of the country's liquidity.

The BSP noted that the latest level could cover 11.2 months worth of imports. It was also equivalent to 10.6 times external debt with maturity of up to 12 months, and 6.4 times such liabilities plus principal payments on longer-term loans falling due within 12 months.

Net international reserves -- which include the revaluation of reserve assets -- rose by $600 million to $75.8 billion in end-October from $75.2 billion in the previous month. These reserves are GIR minus total short-term liabilities.

As the Philippines economy continue to bubble, the countries GIR will also grow upward. The country's GIR now higher than the reserves of Canada, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Australia, and most countries in Europe.

Japan remains the 2nd highest followed by Russia & Saudi Arabia. France ranks 13th lower than South Korea's 8th notch. United Kingdom is on the 20th of $114,180 Billion GIR.

San Miguel Corporation - Engineering & Construction bid for 3 airport projects in the Philippines

Philippines—Diversifying conglomerate San Miguel Corp. is investing about $300 million to modernize and set up new tourism amenities at the Boracay Airport; the main gateway to the world-famous Boracay Island.

The conglomerate also plans to participate in the public bidding for the public-private partnership airport contracts for Palawan, Bohol and Caraga (Agusan).

The three airport projects were cited by President Aquino on Saturday during the inauguration of the SMC-backed Caticlan airport rehabilitation.

“When we join the bidding, the price becomes reasonable, so we’ll participate in all of them,” SMC president Ramon S. Ang told reporters at the sidelines of the inauguration of the airport project. It was earlier reported that SMC was likewise interested in the NAIA 3 airport terminal privatization.

By the time the Caticlan modernization project is completed by December 2013, it will accommodate three million tourists a year from only 500,000 at present. “We invested here because we saw the potential that we can contribute to [boost] tourist arrivals,” Ang said.

Over the last seven months, SMC has spruced up the Caticlan airport but it would take at least two more years to complete the major upgrading, Ang said.

The $300-million investment will include not only the upgrading of the airport itself but the construction of new amenities like a 5,000-room budget hotel, a world-class convention center and a retail complex that will showcase local souvenirs and a row of seafood restaurants. The tourism amenities, Ang said, would be managed by local operators.

“The airport will make Boracay a more affordable holiday destination for many Filipinos,” Ang said. With the upcoming improvements, he said there would be more regional and domestic flights to Boracay, in turn pulling down airfare costs per passenger from as much as P16,000 during the peak season to as low as P1,500 to P2,000.

The Caticlan airport is envisioned to be at par with the best airports in the region, with its runway planned to be extended from 950 meters to 2,500 meters. The width of the runway will also be doubled to 60 meters, allowing Boracay to handle regional and night landing. Flight volumes are targeted to increase by at least 30 percent.

Airport systems will likewise be streamlined for bigger volume of passengers while departure lounges will be improved. Based on the blueprint, it will also have a jetty port that can handle two international cruise liners at a time, allowing a more efficient transfer to Boracay Island.

To support Boracay’s green initiatives, Ang said the conglomerate would invest in a major water-treatment plant.

Asked whether SMC would start collecting higher terminal fees to recover its investment, Ang said there was no plan to do so as investment could be recovered from other businesses like hotel and retail operations. “We’ll keep the terminal fee affordable,” he said.

He said many international carriers were very much eager to fly to Caticlan once the rehabilitation has been finished.

Filipino 38th happiest people in the world

Danes world’s happiest; Filipinos 38th

Philippine Daily Inquirer


Filed Under: Ratings, Research
WASHINGTON?Denmark, with its democracy, social equality and peaceful atmosphere, is the happiest country in the world, researchers said on Monday.

Zimbabwe, torn by political and social strife, is the least happy, while the world?s richest nation, the United States, ranks 16th.

The Philippines ranks 38th, just behind France (37) and also trailing other Southeast Asian nations Thailand (27), Singapore (31), Malaysia (34) and Vietnam (36). Japan places 43rd and China, 54th.

Overall, the world is getting happier, according to the US government-funded World Values Survey, which is done regularly by a global network of social scientists.

The survey found increased happiness from 1981 to 2007 in 45 of 52 countries analyzed.

?I strongly suspect that there is a strong correlation between peace and happiness,? said Ronald Inglehart, a political scientist at the University of Michigan?s Institute for Social Research, who directed the study.

And, there is a strong correlation between happiness and democracy, according to Ingelhart.

?Denmark is the happiest country in the world in our ratings,? Inglehart said in an audio statement released by the National Science Foundation, which paid for the analysis.

?Denmark is prosperous?not the richest country in the world but it is prosperous,? he added.

Puerto Rico and Colombia also rank highly, along with Northern Ireland, Iceland, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and Sweden.

?Though by no means the happiest country in the world, from a global perspective, the United States looks pretty good,? Inglehart said.

?The country is not only prosperous; it ranks relatively high in gender equality, tolerance of ethnic and social diversity and has high levels of political freedom.?

The survey, first done in 1981, has kept to two simple questions:

?Taking all things together, would you say you are very happy, rather happy, not very happy, not at all happy??

And, ?All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days??

Writing in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, Ingelhart?s team said they had surveyed 350,000 people.

Reuters

BRP Gregorio Del Pilar, nasa Poro Point, La Union para magkarga ng langis at pagkain

Crazy Chinese ordered Philippine Navy to step out of their waters

China on Wednesday accused a Philippine warship of illegally entering Chinese waters and ordered it to immediately leave the area, escalating a territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila released a statement reasserting the country's sovereign rights to the entire sea, including the disputed area that is much closer to Philippine land mass.

The statement "urged the Philippine side to stop immediately their illegal activities and leave this area."

Earlier on Wednesday, the Philippine government had said two Chinese surveillance vessels were blocking efforts by its biggest warship, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, to arrest Chinese fishermen on eight boats caught fishing illegally in its waters.

The government said the standoff was occurring at Scarborough Shoal, an estimated 200 kilometers west of Subic Bay in Zambales, on the western coast of Luzon.

The Philippines calls the sandbar with rocks the Panatag Shoal. Scarborough Shoal is its international name, after a tea ship that was wrecked on the rocks in the 18th century.

China calls the shoal Huangyan Island, and the Chinese embassy statement insisted the area belonged solely to China.

China insists it has sovereign rights to all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the coast of other countries and hundreds of kilometers from its own land mass.

The Philippines says it has sovereign rights over areas of the sea within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, and that its position is supported by international law.


"The Chinese Embassy hereby reiterates that Huangyan Island is an integral part of the Chinese territory and the waters around it is the traditional fishing area for the Chinese fishermen," the statement said.

"Ever since the ancient times, numerous documents on the Chinese history have put down definitely in writing that Huangyan Island belongs to Chinese territory." –Agence France-Presse, GMA News/HS

Tsunami Warning Issued After Major Earthquake Hits Indonesia

An earthquake of magnitude 8.7 has been detected off the west coast of northern Sumatra, the U.S. Geological Survey says.

The epicenter of the quake was some 430 kilometers (267 miles) from Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia’s Aceh province, at a depth of 33 kilometers (20.5 miles).

According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, a tsunami watch was issued for Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, Maldives, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Madagascar, Iran, Uae, Yemen, Comores, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands, South Africa and Singapore.

In 2004, Indonesia and many neighboring countries, including Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, have been devastated by a tsunami following a 9.1 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

The news has spread fast on social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook — check out below for some of the latest comments. If you’ve been affected by the earthquake, let us know in the comments.