Other News

600 Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong Hold “Dance Rally” against violence

Six hundred Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong participated in a dance rally as part of a global campaign called “1 Billion Rising For Justice.”   The campaign aims to end violence against women.  This was in response to a United Nations statistics that stated that 1 out of 3 women in the world, or equivalent to 1 billion people faced violence. According to a 2013 global review of available data cited by […]

Eleven dead in Japan after worst snowfall in decades hits capital

(Reuters) – Eleven people died, more than a thousand were injured and tens of thousands lost power when the worst snowstorm in decades hit Tokyo and areas around the Japanese capital before heading north to blanket the tsunami-hit Pacific coast. Flights were still backed up at Tokyo’s Haneda international airport on Monday and the lobby was packed with anxious travelers, with some flights overbooked. As much as 27 cm (10.6 inches) of snow fell on […]

Flappy Bird creator says popular game will fly no more

(Reuters) – The developer of Flappy Bird, currently the most popular free mobile game on Apple App Store and Google’s Android Play store, has announced that he is taking the game down at midnight (1700 GMT) on Sunday. Nguyen Ha Dong, a Hanoi-based game developer, announced the grounding of the addictive game in a Tweet at 1900 GMT on Saturday in which he also apologised to Flappy Bird players. “22 hours from now, I will […]

Japan ruling party candidate elected Tokyo governor, aiding PM Abe

(Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s favored candidate won Sunday’s election for governor of Tokyo, quashing efforts to make the vote a referendum on Abe’s pro-nuclear energy policy nearly three years after the Fukushima disaster The widely-expected victory by former health minister Yoichi Masuzoe comes as a relief for Abe, who had suffered a rare setback in another local election last month. The 65-year-old Masuzoe, backed by Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, was the winner […]

Former SC Justice Cuevas dies at 85

  MANILA, Philippines – Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas died Sunday night (Feb. 9) at 9:57PM (Philippine Time).  He was 85. The Supreme Court announced his death Monday in a tweet, and said that the Philippine flag at the Supreme Court quadrangle in Padre Faura, Manila was placed at half mast. Cuevas was the Court’s 106th Associate Justice from June 1, 1984 to April 16, 1986.  He was appointed by then former President […]

Nestle looking at options to reduce L’Oreal stake: Bloomberg

ZURICH Sat Feb 8, 2014 12:10pm EST (Reuters) – Nestle, the world’s biggest food company, is looking at ways to reduce its $30 billion stake in cosmetics firm L’Oreal , Bloomberg reported on Saturday, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. Nestle has told L’Oreal of its intentions, and the two companies have discussed the issue with banks, though no decision over the possible timing of any sale, which could take years, has been made, […]

Will U.S. stock buyers beat back the bear?

By Angela Moon NEW YORK Fri Feb 7, 2014 7:58pm EST (Reuters) – After the S&P 500’s first weekly gain in a month, investors will see next week whether the U.S. stock market’s rally of the last two days is the shape of better things to come – or if this year’s weakness will turn into a full-fledged correction. The S&P 500 rose 0.8 percent for the week, scoring a weekly gain for the first […]

Jason Wu, a Michelle Obama fave, shows luxurious coat designs

By Jane H. Furse NEW YORK Fri Feb 7, 2014 7:26pm EST (Reuters) – Designer Jason Wu, a favorite of first lady Michelle Obama, on Friday showed luxurious outerwear in his fashion show that played up elements of style he called “unflustered beauty.” Wu’s fall 2014 collection used soft amethysts, powder grays and embroidered blacks. His fabrics and materials were, as always, luxurious. “The inspiration was really something quite darkly romantic,” he said after his […]

Teens’ poor breakfast choices predict later health problems

By Ronnie Cohen NEW YORK Fri Feb 7, 2014 12:53pm EST   (Reuters Health) – Teenagers who didn’t eat a good breakfast were more likely to be obese and have elevated blood sugar in middle age, a new study shows. Researchers at Umea University in Sweden found that teens who reported eating no breakfast or only sweets were two-thirds more likely to develop a cluster of risk factors linked to heart disease and diabetes when […]

Team spirit may help men lose weight

By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK Fri Feb 7, 2014 12:18pm EST (Reuters Health) – Men who took part in a weight loss program designed specifically for male soccer fans lost an average of 12 pounds (5 kg) and had a good time doing it, according to a new study from Scotland. The 12-week Football Fans in Training (FFIT) program, run by coaching staffs from 13 Scottish Professional Football League teams, combined advice on healthy diet […]

China decries U.S. comments on South China Sea as ‘not constructive’

BEIJING Sat Feb 8, 2014 10:05pm EST (Reuters) – China has accused the United States of undermining peace and development in the Asia-Pacific after a senior U.S. official said concern was mounting over China’s claims in the South China Sea. “These actions are not constructive”, Hong Lei, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement issued late on Saturday. “We urge the U.S. to hold a rational and fair attitude, so as to have […]

Egypt army hits Sinai militants; new group claims Cairo bomb

By Tom Perry CAIRO Sat Feb 8, 2014 1:57pm EST (Reuters) – The Egyptian army said on Saturday it had killed 16 Islamists in Sinai, and a new group said it carried out a bomb attack on police in Cairo, underscoring the widening scope of militant violence since the army removed Mohamed Mursi from power. The army said its aircraft hit radical Islamists near Sinai’s border with the Gaza Strip on Friday evening. A statement […]