Other News

JK Simmons wins Oscar for best supporting actor

J.K. Simmons won the best supporting actor on 87th Academy Awards for playing a brutally demanding jazz teacher who pushes a drummer to the edge in “Whiplash.” It was the first Academy Award for the 60-year-old actor, who had never been nominated before for an Oscar. He had been a favorite to win for the film, after sweeping the supporting actor category in all the major awards shows today. Simmons thanked his wife and his […]

February is Youth Leadership Month

February is hailed as Youth Leadership Month, a month to celebrate young people who take on leadership roles within their communities. Those who have not yet dedicated their time to a leadership role are encouraged to find something, a cause they love and step up to help in this effort. There are many ways children of all ages can take a leadership role Here are several ways you can encourage your children to become leaders. […]

Early Oscars arrivals shine on the red carpet

The red carpet for the 87th Academy Awards is now happening under gray skies where the early arrivals were dominated by international filmmakers happy to talk about their Oscar experience. Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlkikowski, director of “Ida,” a nominee for best foreign-language film, said he hoped people would respond positively to his film. “If people enjoyed the film then that is a big thumb up,” said Pawlkikowski. “If you were not a fan of the […]

Cloudy skies all over the Philippines

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Luzon is still under the influence of the northeastern monsoon or “amihan”. Most of the country will be cloudy or partly cloudy.

Some 50 BIFF members killed in Cotabato

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Sunday that it had inflicted “heavy casualties” on the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters after continual artillery fire and a coordinated air and ground attack at BIFF positions in the Buliok Complex. “Persistent reports indicate the BIFF incurred a lot of casualties during the military operation. More or less 50 were killed from the enemy side,” said Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc,  chief of the Armed Forces Public Affairs Office. […]

More than 1,000 Muslims form human shield around Oslo synagogue

More than 1,000 Muslims formed a human shield around Oslo’s synagogue on Saturday (February 21), offering symbolic protection for the city’s Jewish community and condemning an attack on a synagogue in nearbyDenmark last weekend. The event was organised by Norwegian youth and 17-year-old organiser Hajrah Arshad said the impetus behind it was the prejudice faced by Jews andMuslims on a daily basis. “It was the terror attack in Denmark that triggered us young people, and […]

VW gets government approval for Thai plant

(Reuters) – Germany’s Volkswagen has won approval from Thai authorities to build a manufacturing plant for fuel efficient cars near Bangkok after months of delays. A VW spokesman said on Saturday that it had received the go-ahead but the carmaker would now assess the situation and that no decision has been made yet whether to build the factory, confirming a report in German weekly magazine WirtschaftsWoche. According to previous media reports, the 1 billion euro […]

Bangkok police detain at least three over street demonstration

Thai police plucked at least three people off the streets of the capital on Sunday (February 22) after they held a small gathering to “exchange views” with the country’s military junta. Thailand’s military has severely restricted public gatherings since seizing power in a coup last May. Taking a hard line on dissent, it has detained more than 300 people, including activists, journalists and politicians. The leader of a group of four people, Akkarakit Noonchan, was […]

Indonesian protesters collect coins to return Australian tsunami aid

Hundreds of people gathered in Jakarta on the streets of Jakarta on Sunday (February 22) to join a coin collection drive in protest to Prime MinisterTony Abbott’s comment linking clemency please for two Australians on death row to the country’s 2004 tsunami relief aid. Earlier in the week, Abbott said Australia would feel “grievously let down” if the executions proceeded despite the roughly A$1 billion (784 million USD) in assistance it gave after the disaster, […]