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By REYMA BUAN-DEVEZA
11-year-old Lica de Guzman has the voice of an angel.
Because of her talent in singing, she is now the newest child sensation of the Philippine community in Geneva.
De Guzman was born in Geneva on March 8, 1997. Her parents were Filipino migrant workers, Nicanor "Bono" de Guzman and Waonhor "Joy" Pangulima.
She started singing at the age of 4. At that age, she loved to sing hits from Walt Disney's animated movies like "Little Mermaid", "Pocahontas", "Aladin" and "Mulan".
She soon joined the Adelea 2 Music Kids Academy of Geneva. At school, she was always requested to render a song whenever there was a special event.
In 2004, De Guzman performed at the well-known annual Carabina Festival in Crans-Celigny as one of the members of "Caribanakids."
She amazed the crowd with her angelic voice.
The young singer has taken time to visit the Philippines. In 2004 she visited the country specifically Davao City where she captivated Davaoe�±os with her performance for a benefit concert for the street children of ABS-CBN's Bantay Bata 163.

She had a busy schedule during her visit in Davao which included touring popular radio stations in the city.
Also in 2004, De Guzman was selected to join Sonia Grimm, a famous singer not only in Geneva, but also in Europe, to do back up vocals for her Christmas CD.
December of 2005 was the biggest break for de Guzman, as she was invited to Televison Suisse Romande show as one of the guest child singers for the show's Christmas special presentation of "Les coups de coeur d'Alain Morisod."
De Guzman was dubbed "Petite Perle Philippine" as she guested in "Rêves": A new musical Show for Christmas!
The special television program was a co-production of French-speaking Switzerland Television and Foundation Little Dreams .
It was in this show where Orianne Collins, founder of LDF announced that de Guzman was selected as one of the 10 children from all over the world to become a Little Dream Foundation member.
Last year, she was again invited at the "Les coups de Coeur d'Alain Morisod where she performed "Prendre un enfant par la main" before Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey.
She was also invited to sing at the United Nations Womens Guild bazaar and other Filipino events.
This year, De Guzman plans to have a concert and release her first album.

Ibplab

Reuters

NEW YORK - A US judge on Monday dismissed a case brought by families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks who said the city denied proper burials by sending debris containing possible human remains to a garbage dump.

The lawsuit, filed in 2005 by a group called WTC Families for a Proper Burial, sought to have the estimated 1.2 million to 1.8 million tons of rubble originally from the World Trade Center site transferred out of the Fresh Kills landfill located on New York's borough of Staten Island.

The families said the city should move the residue that had been finely sifted multiple times to a more suitable location and have a cemetery created.

US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, saying the city's decisions about where to off-load the debris "were difficult and complicated," found the city had "acted responsibly" in bringing about a "swift and efficient recovery from the terrorists' attack."

"Plaintiffs have no property right in an undifferentiated, unidentifiable mass of dirt that may or may not contain the remains of plaintiffs' loved ones," he said.

There are no New York laws that require burying the debris in a different location, he said, "however worthy the citizen and however honorable the deceased."

About 1,100 out of the 2,749 people killed at the World Trade Center site perished without leaving a trace. Full bodies were recovered for only 292 victims and partial remains for 1,357, sometimes only a fragment of a bone, the ruling noted.

Almost immediately after the attacks, all visible human remains were removed from the debris, bagged and taken to collecting points.

Victims' families argued that debris surrounding some remains would have contained other bone fragments and remains.

The president of the WTC Families, Diane Horning, lost her son, Matthew Horning, in the attacks. His wallet and a piece of his occipital bone were recovered from debris at Fresh Kills.

Hellerstein concluding his ruling by suggesting a "beautiful nature preserve" and memorial at the garbage site and said the families of victims "have suffered a wrong for which there can be no remedy."

"No matter the authority and power of this court, it cannot bring back the loved ones lost, and it cannot bring peace to the plaintiffs or surcease to society's collective grief around the events of September 11, 2001."

Xjohlu

By DES FERRIOLS
The Philippine Star The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas expects the countrys trade deficit to hit $11.5 billion this year because of surging oil prices and the projected increase in food imports, particularly grains.
In 2007, the country incurred a deficit of $8.2 billion.
"Its both because of volume and value of imports which we expect to increase this year," said Illuminada Sicat, director of the BSPs Department of Economic Statistics .
According to Sicat, the BSP expects exports growth to slow down to five percent this year but imports are projected to surge by 10 percent, creating a larger gap than last year.
Sicat said the BSP had originally projected the trade deficit to reach only $8.7 bilion this year, inching up only marginally from last years deficit level.
But she said the increase in petroleum prices would push this gap wider.
Already, the trade deficit was recorded at $531 million in April, with imports increasing by 11.8 percent to hit $4.855 billion, while exports grew by only 4.9 percent to $4.325 billion.
For the first four months of the year, the National Statistics Office said the trade deficit stood at $2.6 billion compared to a deficit of $179 million in the same period last year.
Sicat said the slowdown in exports would be due to the 3.2 percent decline expected in the electronics sector which accounted for over two-thirds of the countrys total exports.
The NSO also reported that electronics imports, which accounted for a third of the import bill in April, fell 10.7 percent to $1.594 billion.
The decline in electronics imports�”an import-dependent industry�”was also indicative of future output and exports that Sicat said had been dampened by softer demand in developed market.
Sicat said the increase in imports in general would be due to higher oil and petrol imports as well as food, with the government stockpiling grains to avert the expected supply shortage during the lean season.
The NSO said that in April alone, food imports jumped sharply, with cereals and cereal preparations registering a 222.9 percent increase to $239.95 million or 4.9 percent of the bill.
Because of the slowdown in exports and increase in imports, together with the slowdown in investments, the BSP had earlier trimmed its projected balance of payments for the year from a $4.6 billion surplus to a more modest $2.5-billion surplus.
The balance of payments reflects the countrys transactions with the rest of the world paid out of the gross international reserves or GIR which was projected to reach record levels of $35 billion to $37 billion this year.
The size of the countrys BOP surplus is also an indication of the BSPs comfort level in shielding the peso from excess volatility in the market.
Although still a surplus, however, the emerging 2008 BOP projection would be 26.4 percent lower than originally expected and about 70 percent lower than the actual 2007 surplus.
The BSPs original BOP projection was already conservative but officials said estimates needed to be adjusted further to account for the impact of the turmoil in the financial markets and the rapid increase in food and oil prices.
Although the BSP expected oil prices to continue going up this year, no one expected that prices would even touch $130 per barrel, let alone the $137 per barrel level that it eventually reached last month.
Moreover, an unexpected turn in the food sector had the government importing rice amid criticism that the surge in prices were largely self-inflicted when agriculture officials announced they were importing large quantities from a very thin market where the Philippines was the single biggest buyer.

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Philippine annual inflation hit another near 17-year high of 12.5 percent in August but the central bank said price pressures may have peaked, signaling its tightening campaign could be drawing to a close. The figure matched market consensus, coming at the high end of the central bank's 11.8-12.6 percent forecast range and up from July's revised 12.3 percent, data showed on Friday. However, the monthly pace of price increases slowed sharply to 0.3 percent from 1.6 percent in July as food costs, which have climbed at a red-hot rate this year on fears of rice shortages, stayed level and the pace of fuel price increases slowed. We are seeing moderation in prices, if this continues obviously inflation will slow down, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco said on Friday, commenting on the data. Central bank will watch this closely to see if the slowdown would continue and be more generalised. A reversal in the downtrend of oil prices remains the biggest risk to the inflation outlook, he told reporters. Tetangco said he was not ruling out that inflation had already peaked last month. The central bank had earlier predicted consumer price growth would peak in September or October. The central bank will have September inflation data before its next rate decision on Oct. 9 and many analysts said the monetary authority may raise rates for a fourth and final time next month to bolster the weakening peso and because domestic inflationary pressures are still prevalent. The headline rate remains high, I think we may see another 25 basis point hike in October, said Simon Wong, economist with Standard Chartered Bank. After October, the central bank will put rates on hold. The Philippine central bank has raised rates by 1 percentage point so far this year in three consecutive moves. Core inflation, which strips out some volatile food and energy items, climbed to an annual 7.0 percent in August from 6.3 percent in July, also convincing some analysts that another rate rise was on the cards. The peso, hovering at one-year lows and down nearly 12 percent so far this year against the dollar, was quoted at 46.85 in morning trade, weaker than Thursday's close at 46.54. The stock market was down 1.26 percent. Some analysts said with global oil prices falling due to economic fears the central bank might decide to stay pat at its next meeting, leaving the headline overnight policy rate at 6.0 percent. There is a very tight relationship between inflation in the Philippines and energy and commodity prices, said Sin Beng Ong, economist with JP Morgan. So when you see oil crash like that, that means inflationary pressures are actually a lot lower going forward.

Amizth

Before the PBA finals match starts between crowd favorite Ginebra Kings and Air21 Express on Wednesday, Red Bull and Magnolia will meet head on as they battle for third place at the 2008 Smart Fiesta Conference.

A PBA.ph report said the face-off is a rematch between the Barakos and the Beverage Masters. Red Bull won the second runner-up trophy over Magnolia during last seasons Fiesta Conference.

Red Bull is looking forward to take the third-place trophy against a Magnolia team that will have its best finish this season. The Beverage Masters only finished fifth in the Philippine Cup.

Its still important to us, said Magnolia head coach Siot Tanquingcen.

Besides every game is our way of paying respect to the game that has given us so much… by playing hard everytime whether its an actual game or just practice, he added.

The Barakos also took third-place honors in the Philippine Cup early this year which means they are actually gunning for a third straight third place-finish.

Red Bull was swept by Barangay Ginebra during their semis match up while Magnolia received a 4-2 beating from Air21 at a separate best-of-seven match up.

Win or lose against Magnolia, Red Bulls 2008 campaign will be considered as an overachievement since the team lost the likes of Rico Villanueva, Lordy Tugade, Larry Foncier and Junthy Valenzuela one after the other since last year to other teams by way of trades.

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Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of a suspected leader of a notorious robbery gang in Oriental Mindoro.

A radio dzMM report identified the suspect as Pedro Rodica, leader of the so-called Rodica robbery/hold up gang operating in Metro Manila.

The report said Rodica was spotted by members of the 409th Police Mobile Group in Barangay Lazareto, Calapan City, on board a Honda Civic .

Police said Rodica is one of the country's most wanted persons because of a string of robbery and homicide cases.

The suspect was brought to the police group's headquarters in Oriental Mindoro for booking and detention.

Mqoiwk

Agence France-Presse
SINGAPORE - Oil prices held steady near record highs in Asian trading on Thursday, boosted by a decline in US energy reserves and a weakening dollar that attracted investors to commodities, analysts said.
New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, was 10 cents lower at 114.83 dollars per barrel after a record close of 114.93 at the New York Mercantile Exchange on Wednesday.
In electronic trading after Wednesday's session, the price crossed 115 dollars for the first time and reached a high of 115.21.
Brent North Sea crude for June was six cents higher at 112.72, from a record close of 112.66 on Wednesday in London.
London Brent had surged even higher in after-hours trading, where it struck a record peak of 112.83 dollars.
Both futures contracts also hit record highs on Tuesday in a market worried about tight supplies.
Those concerns were accentuated on Wednesday by the weekly report from the US Department of Energy that showed US energy stockpiles tumbled in the week ending April 11.
Oil futures also gained support after the dollar plunged to an all-time low against the euro, traders said.
The US dollar on Thursday morning traded at 1.5936 to the euro after falling to a record 1.5979 on Wednesday as two US government economic reports raised the odds of further interest rate cuts ahead.

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HECTOR PASCUA/ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau A beauty pageant was held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Ilonggo community in Austria . Appreciating the richness of our culture, we would like to share this to our host country, Austria. With the presentation of Filipino-Austrian beauties, we would like to impart and show the successful blend of culture, as well as encouraging the significance of beauty and brain in our present generation. I am very proud of the success of the Ms. Philippine-Austria pageant, said Myrna Patricio, president of the ICA. The pageant featured nine Filipina-Austrian beauties adjudged to possess beauty, intelligence, personality and character which represent the fine characteristics of a Filipina. Cebu-born Vienne Lyn Amit was crowned Ms. Philippine-Austria 2008. This is the best thing to entertain the people and to raise funds, and at the same time we are building up the personality of the young, the Filipino-Austrians here in Vienna, to develop their talents and skills, said Jomari Segura, the pageants program director. Segura told ABS-CBN News that the proceeds of the show would benefit the victims of the recent typhoon in Western Visayas. First runner-up Stephanie Mörz was very glad to be one of the contestants.

Aside from meeting new friends and developing her personality, she joined the beauty contest for the purpose of helping the less fortunate people in the Philippines especially the victims of Typhoon Frank in Panay island. Report from Hector Pascua, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, Vienna, Austria

Mdyykn

Agence France-Presse

President Gloria Arroyo on Tuesday vowed to imprison anyone who pilfers state-subsidized rice as the Philippines denied it was going the way of countries hit by rioting caused by soaring food prices.

"Anyone caught stealing rice from the people must be thrown into jail," Mrs. Arroyo said after a Cabinet meeting to discuss the rapid rise in the price of rice, the country's staple cereal.

Manila is expected to spend nearly one percent of its economic output this year to provide rice at nearly half the market price to the country's poorest families, and has been scrambling to increase stocks at government grains silos even as neighbors curtail exports.

"I am leading the charge to crack down on any form of corruption by public or private persons who would divert supplies or pervert the price of this essential commodity in any way," Mrs. Arroyo said.

Mrs. Arroyo also said she would seek passage of a "consumer bill of rights" to address the problem of high prices, although she did not elaborate.

The President has previously ordered the military and police to secure rice warehouses and distribution centers, and has called on law enforcement to crack down on those who sell government-subsidized rice stocks at market prices.

Mrs. Arroyo also urged the public not to panic over the price increases, saying the Philippines has a secure supply of rice from both local production and foreign sources.

The Philippines, with a rapidly growing population now estimated at 90 million, is among the world's largest importers of rice.

Analysts have said that any sudden upward movements in the price of the commodity could lead to social unrest and pose security problems in the country where about one-third of the people live on a dollar a day or less. The government has deployed police and military to clamp down on rice hoarders.

Meanwhile, the UN's World Food Program said Tuesday it may be forced to cut rations feeding more than a million people in the troubled southern Philippines because of the soaring world food prices.

The WFP has 4,000 tons of rice left in its warehouse in conflict-hit Mindanao, a supply that will last about two months, said Alghassim Wurie, the agency's deputy country director.

If the WFP fails to get more funds it may be forced to "cut rations and the most affected would be women and children," Wurie said.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said Monday that the government would try to help families hit by the food price rises by expanding a school soup kitchen programme.

Under the initiative, students in kindergarten and first grade receive a kilogram of iron-fortified rice to take home to their families on 120 days of each school year.

Sdlkoz

By BOY VILLASANTA


The decision of mall chain SM to ban R-18 rated films in its cinemas across the country has had far-reaching effects. Not only did it practically kill the soft-porn film genre, it also forced sexy actresses--or as Filipinos call them, "bold stars"--to venture outside show business to find professional and personal fulfillment.

Three such actresses were at the Philippine Movie Press Club Night at Zirkoh bar and restaurant: Nika Madrid, Raja Montero and Tracy Torres.

Madrid starred in at least seven soft-porn flicks from 2003 to 2006, from the unsubtle "Sex Sandal" to the double-meaning "Unang Tikim "and "Kainan sa Highway ".

Montero on the other hand was one of the moneymakers for El Ni�±o Films. She starred in films like "Katas" in 2003 and made one movie a year in the same sexy genre. Her last acting job was in 2007, when she was cast as a hotel resort guest in the Cristine Reyes launch vehicle "Green Paradise" directed by Hong Kong director Kant Leung and Filipino filmmaker Bing Santos.

Torres, who became known for her quotable quote, "No to War! Not to Peace!", when "she protested" against the war in Iraq back in 2003. She made her protest by shouting her slogan and waving her banner in the buff--she was covered only by a thin coating of body paint.

Starting over
As guest performers for the PMPCevent, the former boldies showed off their other talents--and spoke to about the changes they made in their lives.

Madrid sang a couple of songs, proving that she could really carry a tune. She's far from setting her sights on a singing career, though. Instead, she's doing her best to earn her nursing degree.

“Ga-graduate na po ako sa nursing sa May. Nang pumasok po sa ako showbiz noong 2003, nag-aaral na po ako non pero tumigil ako at nag-artista.,” Nika said.



Raja Montero was another would-be-nurse-turned-bold star. She entered showbusiness in 2002 but now that the soft-porn genre is in the doldrums, she decided to go back to school. This time, she's taking up an undergraduate course in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

She also sang and gyrated seductively onstage during the PMPC Night but she said that her days of performing sexy acts for a living are over.

The biggest reason she quit is her boyfriend--young Chinese businessman Raymond Quan. “I love him so much. I dont wanna offend him. I want him to be proud of me,” the former sexy star said.

The couple are planning to get married next year.

Torres, meanwhile, is busy managing her own bazaar in Greenhills. She sells precious stones and crystals. She admitted thought that she still does sexy dancing at some gigs.

“Minsan lang naman po. ,” she said, somewhat defensively.

Pnlozm

The country's biggest mining company has repurchased P1.57 billion worth of its shares in the open market as part of its earlier announced program to boost its stock price. Philex Mining Corp. has bought 209.6 million shares, representing 6.7 percent of its outstanding capital stock, at P7.50 each on Wednesday. Of the total number, 46.19 million common shares were bought from Gokongwei-led conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc. and 30.02 million from its food and drinks subsidiary, Universal Robina Corp. The purchase price was at a premium over its closing price of P7.30 in the previous session. Last March, Philex launched a buyback program targeting 10 percent of its outstanding shares. It said the program would continue until the number of shares earmarked has been fully repurchased or until such time its board of director determines otherwise. Philex owns the copper-gold Padcan mine in Benguet province. It is also engaged in oil exploration projects in Palawan and in the South Sulu through its unit, Philex Petroleum Corp. Shares of the company plunged P0.30 or 4.1 percent to P7.00 a piece Thursday. Meanwhile, in a phone interview with , JG Summit vice president for corporate planning Bach Johann Sebastian said the JG Summit group has yet to decide on what to do with the share sale proceeds.

He added, I am not privy to the reason why . J udith Balea,

Enkylr

WASHINGTON - Even one collapsing bank is one too many. The takeover by federal regulators of IndyMac Bank -- the fifth to fail this year -- was unsettling for savers and investors. And the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has close to 100 other banks on its watch list.
FDIC head Sheila Bair has moved to reassure consumers that she doesn't see further failures of banks as large as IndyMac -- the ninth biggest U.S. mortgage lender. But not all consumers are comforted. The recent earnings reports from big banks aren't helping: Wachovia lost $8.86 billion in one quarter. It could cost taxpayers as much as $25 billion to stabilize Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. When Citicorp reported that it only lost $2.5 billion in the same quarter, Wall Street took that as a good sign. Sheesh.
Homeowners, savers and investors shouldn't feel bad if they are confused by it all. It's obvious the experts are confused, too, or they wouldn't be buying and selling bank stocks with such ferocity on alternative weekdays.
Nonetheless, consumers shouldn't depend strictly on the banking industry and its regulators to find a way out of the current mess. They should protect themselves, and perhaps even capitalize on current events. Here's how.
-- Fix your mortgage. Strongly consider refinancing now if you have a high interest rate mortgage or a subprime loan. Rates are low. If you're been making timely payments on your loan for at least two years, you could qualify for a better loan than you received initially. And since some crooked mortgage brokers were pushing subprimes on people who qualified for better loans in the first place, you may be able to get out of that loan now. If you're behind on your payments and worried about defaulting, try your best to hang on until October, even if you have to let other bills go unpaid. That's when the new housing bill now in Congress is expected to take effect. If you need help making it that far, look for a nonprofit mortgage counselor at the Department of Housing and Urban Development website .
-- Protect your savings. Do not exceed the FDIC insurance limits in any one bank. That means one person could get coverage for as much as $100,000, plus $250,000 in a retirement account, plus an additional $100,000 in joint accounts. If you really think you need more than that in a bank, find another bank to start putting cash into once you come close to those levels. Find more details at http://www.fdic.gov/ .
-- Protect the house and mortgage you already have. Keep stellar records of the mortgage payments you do make, just in case you're making them to a bank or servicer that is getting sloppy and not recording your payments correctly. That's not likely, but it doesn't hurt to keep your own records. Save canceled checks or -- it's likely your bank isn't even sending you canceled checks anymore -- your bank statements demonstrating payments.
-- Don't count on the fat dividends that banks used to pay. Wachovia was the latest to slice its dividend; other banks have cut theirs already, or may going forward. If you depend on bank stocks to fund retirement income, spread your money into other dividend paying industries, like utilities.
-- Don't try to time or cherry pick your investments in bank stocks. They are extremely volatile now and even professional traders seem uncertain as to whether they're going to go down further or recover. As an industry, banks will certainly recover at some point going forward, and that recovery could be reflected in share prices very quickly -- so quickly, in fact, that you might miss it. So it makes sense to keep some bank shares in your portfolio. Look to keep them safely diversified in mutual funds rather than trying to choose the right bank on the right day.
-- Go house hunting, if you were thinking of doing it anyway. There are some statistical signs that the housing market will begin to recover. Right now, there are so many houses on the market, you can pick and choose what you really want, and take your time doing it. Whenever the banks and the economy recover, all the inflationary pressures are likely to result in higher mortgage rates. So, this might be a good time to get in. While you're shopping around, live as lean as possible so you can save up for a down payment. In the new mortgage banking era, you're going to need one.

Sdlkoz

Veteran broadcast journalist Ces Drilon and cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama arrived in Manila Wednesday afternoon after they were released by kidnappers in Sulu.

“Lubos na nagpapasalamat kaming tatlo na nakaapak kami ng Maynila na magkakasama. Si Angel at saka si Jimmy. They were the best guys to be with while in captivity I wouldn't have survived. Nagpapasalamat ako kay Loren she was a lifeline to us lalo na nun parang ang dilim-dilim na ng hinaharap namin,” Drilon said, who spoke on behalf of the group.

"We had no idea noong nasa gubat na marami pa lang nagdadasal, nagmamahal, sumusuporta sa amin habang nasa kadiliman kami at hindi alam kung mabubuhay pa kami. Of course to ABS-CBN, mga kapamilya namin, we cant thank them enough,” she added.

The group arrived past 2 p.m. and held a 15-minute press conference at the tarmac of the Manila Domestic Airport. They then took a helicopter flight to a Metro Manila hospital for medical examinations.

Drilon recounted the times when the kidnappers threatened to behead Encarnacion and Valderama.

“Silang dalawa were threatened with beheading. Si Jimmy pa nga ang pakukunan nila ng beheading. Pero buo kami, walang sisihan, naging matatag kami, pag mayroong mahina pinapatatag namin ang loob. Walang sisihan na bakit ba tayo napunta dito. There was teamwork,” she said, adding that she sincerely apologized to her colleagues and felt accountable for what happened to them.

Encarnacion said that they were hit several times with an M-14 rifle. The kidnappers also threatened to cut their heads off.

“Maraming beses na narasan ko na parang katapusan na. Nandoon na 'yung tinali kami, pinapalo kami ng M-14. Maraming beses na gusto nila akong pugutan ng ulo. Tali ka, pag may ultimatum papatayin ka nila. Nakakatakot 'yung experience. Maraming salamat sa inyo sa lahat ng dasal ninyo,” he said.

Encarnacion said the group of kidnappers was composed of more than 20 people, both young and old.

“Halos karamihan ng gamit namin kinuha nila. Di ko mabilang kasi iba ibang mukha nakita namin. More than 20,” he said.

Drilon, her crew and their guide, Mindanao State University professor Octavio Dinampo, were kidnapped on June 8 in Indanan, Sulu. They were on their way to interview a leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group when the abduction took place.

The victims said that the group that that was supposed to be the subject of the interview was the one that held them hostage.

Drilon, Encarnacion and the professor were freed late Tuesday night while Valderama was released last week.

Ymmugr

TIRDZNISI, Georgia- Russia accused Georgia on Saturday of seeking bloody adventures by trying to retake its breakaway region of South Ossetia and defended its own military campaign to stop it.

Pro-western Georgia earlier called for a ceasefire after Moscow's bombers widened an offensive to force Tbilisi's troops back out of the region in the Caucasus mountains.

Russia's actions in South Ossetia are totally legitimate, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said, visiting an adjacent region of Russia to which thousands of refugees have fled.

U.S. President George W. Bush urged Moscow to stop bombing immediately, saying it marked a dangerous escalation.

Russian officials said the death toll in fighting that began on Thursday stood at 2,000. Georgian officials said that on their side, 129 people had been killed and 748 injured.

Russia said it had seized the rebel capital Tskhinvali but Georgia denied this. The Moscow-backed rebels contradicted each other, one leader saying Georgians had been beaten back, but another that The city has been lost. We have been betrayed.

Russian state TV reported a five-hour battle outside Tskhinvali but said the outcome was uncertain.

Current European Union president France urged Russia to accept Georgia's truce offer.

It demands an immediate ceasefire. It welcomes the offer of the ceasefire from Georgia and expects from Russia that it will immediately accept such a ceasefire.

A senior U.S. official echoed that call, saying Russia had used disproportionate force in the conflict.

Britain said an EU-U.S. delegation would head to Georgia to try to broker a truce. The fighting threatens oil and gas pipelines seen as crucial in the West in a volatile region where instability could well spread.

Georgia said Russian planes had targeted a vital pipeline that carries oil to the West from Asia via neighboring Turkey but had missed.

Russia's military action dramatically intensified its long-running stand-off with Georgia that has sparked alarm in the West and led to angry exchanges reminiscent of the Cold War.

NATO aspirations rankle

Putin said Georgia's bid to join the Western alliance NATO -- anathema to Moscow -- was part of the problem.

Georgia's aspiration to join NATO ... is driven by its attempt to drag other nations and peoples into its bloody adventures, he said, demanding Tbilisi halt its aggression.

Russian troops poured into South Ossetia on Friday, hours after Georgia launched a major offensive aimed at restoring control over the province.

Russia is the main backer of South Ossetian separatists and the majority of the population, ethnically distinct from Georgians, have been given Russian passports.

I call for an immediate ceasefire, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said earlier in Tbilisi. Russia has launched a full-scale military invasion of Georgia.

He accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians.

Putin said more than 30,000 refugees from South Ossetia had fled over the border in the past 36 hours. Russian officials said two of Moscow's warplanes had been shot down, 13 soldiers killed and 70 wounded.

Abkhazia, another pro-Russian enclave on Georgia's Black Sea coast which, like South Ossetia, has rejected Tbilisi's rule for many years, said its forces had begun an operation to drive out Georgian forces, possibly opening a second front.

U.N. officials said Abkhazia had asked the world body to withdraw military observers from a disputed gorge where the Georgians are.

Russian jets carried out up to five raids on mostly military targets around the Georgian town of Gori, close to the conflict zone in South Ossetia, a Reuters reporter at the scene said. At least one bomb hit an apartment block, killing five people.

A woman knelt in the street and screamed over the body of a dead man as the bombed apartment block burned nearby. Another old woman covered in blood stared into the distance and a man knelt by the road, his head in his hands.

The attacks are occurring in regions of Georgia far from the zone of conflict in South Ossetia. They mark a dangerous escalation in the crisis, Bush said at the Olympics in Beijing.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Bush by phone the only solution was for Georgian troops to quit the conflict zone.

We have not received through any channels any appeal from the Georgian leadership to the president of Russia, a Kremlin official said.

State of war

Georgia's parliament approved a state of war across the country for the next 15 days, while Russia accused the West of contributing to the violence by supplying Georgia with arms.

Russian accused Ukraine -- like Georgia a former Soviet republic now seeking NATO and EU membership -- of encouraging Tbilisi to carry out ethnic cleansing in South Ossetia.

Russia, which sent in tanks to back the South Ossetians, said its forces had liberated the enclave's capital, but Georgia said Tskhinvali was under its complete control.

The city could be seen shrouded in valley mist from the higher-up village of Tirdznisi, in the Georgian-controlled part of South Ossetia around 10 km away.

The town is destroyed. There are many casualties, many wounded, Russian journalist Zaid Tsarnayev told Reuters from Tskhinvali.

In Tbilisi, people were nervous but defiant. Most supported Saakashvili but had been shocked by the Russian reaction.

To fight Russia is crazy, said music studio owner Giga Kvenetadze, 30. But I do support Saakashvili ... And what Russia is doing is wrong. They must stop.

Georgia was planning to bring its Iraq contingent of 2,000 soldiers home as soon as possible.

The U.N. Security Council met on Saturday to discuss the conflict for the third time in three days but, with Russia a veto-wielding member, was again too split to issue a unanimous call for a ceasefire, diplomats said.

European countries once in the Soviet sphere condemned Russia in language that also harked back to the Cold War.

The European Union and NATO must take up the initiative and oppose the spread of imperialist and revisionist policy in the east of Europe, the presidents of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia said in a joint statement.

Hdersm

Agence France Presse PARIS - Roger Federer has challenged Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka to cement his stunning rise into the world top ten and prove he belongs to be living in such exalted company. World number one Federer has admired 23-year-old Wawrinka's sudden rise from journeyman pro to serious title contender, but is concerned that the current state of the rankings system encourages false hope in many players. "If you get two good results, you can be in the top ten, because myself, Rafael and Djokovic are ahead of the pack," said the top seed at the French Open here. "But I can tell you that Stan has seized his opportunity. Now he will have to confirm he's a different player in different tournaments. It's a very good period for him and I'm very happy for him." Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are the supreme powers in the men's game with the world number four Nikolay Davydenko of Russia over 2000 points behind Serbian Djokovic in fourth spot. That gap is likely to widen with Australian Open champion Djokovic steadily making inroads into the second spot on the ladder held for so long by Nadal, the triple defending champion at Roland Garros. Wawrinka is the world number 10 but seeded nine here following the injury-enforced absence of America's Andy Roddick. The Swiss number two's progress in 2008 has been based on his runner-up spot to Djokovic at the Rome Masters having knocked out Roddick and James Blake on the way. He was also a finalist in Doha, a semi-finalist at Barcelona and a quarter-finalist at the Indian Wells Masters. "You can say that you want to be in the top 10, but making it into the top 10 is very difficult," added Federer. "There are many tennis players so it's not easy to be among the top ten. Stan has worked very hard. I can tell you that he's also skillful. "Last year he was injured and he didn't make progress. At Roland Garros this year he will be able to play well." Wawrinka, the junior champion here in 2003, was scheduled to meet Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round on Monday but the heavy rain, which decimated the program, meant the match was rescheduled to Tuesday. Meanwhile, Switzerland could also boast progress in the women's singles first round with veteran Patty Schnyder, the 10th seed, defeating Russia's Ekaterina Bychkova 6-3, 6-4. Compatriot Timea Bacsinszky also made it through with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Austria's Tamira Paszek.

Yvducj

Reuters

Philippine troops overran a major communist guerrilla base in the north after a week-long gunbattle, an Army general said on Wednesday, warning of reprisals ahead of a key rebel anniversary at the weekend.

Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang, Army commander in the northern Philippines, said troops found several assault rifles, an undetermined amount of ammunition and two landmines at the hastily abandoned rebel camp in mountains in Abra province.

Soldiers also found the body of one rebel in one of the bunkers and witnesses saw the guerrillas fleeing with some wounded comrades, Maclang added.

"We lost two men in the assault and six others were wounded," Maclang told reporters in mobile phone text messages. "We hit the jackpot. We've found a major rebel base deep in the mountains straddling three northern provinces."

Maclang said troops stumbled upon the rebel base at the end of an eight-day gunbattle with the communist New People's Army guerrillas in Abra on Tuesday.

"We're expecting the rebels to retaliate because we probably disrupted their plan to attack army detachments to celebrate the NPA's 39th founding anniversary on March 29," he added.

The Army claims to have dismantled 13 rebel bases in 2007, reducing the number of communist guerrillas from 7,000 to a little over 5,700 fighters, the lowest-ever level in the nearly 40 years of conflict that has killed 40,000 people.

Active in 69 of 81 provinces across the archipelago, the communist rebels have also been engaged in on-off peace talks with government since the late 1980s. The latest round of negotiations were stalled in August 2004 over rights and terrorism issues.

Manila has declined to help remove the communist group from terrorist blcklists of the United States and some Western European states.

Maclang said security forces had been placed on alert for possible rebel reprisals, particularly remote Army and police detachments and less defended municipal halls in the mountain regions.

Sphnds

Agence France-Presse
Philippine share prices are likely to follow Wall Street's lead in the coming week with investors awaiting the US Federal Reserve's action on interest rates, dealers said Friday.
"The movement of the Philippine market is strongly dependent on Wall Street. If they go up, we go up, if they go down, we go down. It will continue to mirror what the Dow is doing," said Nestor Aguila of DA Market Securities.
He forecast that the market would move within the 2,900 and the 3,000-point range for the week.
Aguila said that most of 2008 "is really just for accumulating in sectors that may outperform expectations in 2009 and 2010."
However he says the market may bottom out between July and August.
"The market will continue consolidating and will be trading at a narrow range pending major catalysts like the Fed's action on interest rates," said Jose Vistan of AB Capital Securities.
"I believe the Fed will continue to cut interest rates since it wants not just to stimulate the economy but also to shorten the span of recession."
The US Federal Reserve is to meet on April 29-30 to decide on interest rate policy.
For the week to April 18, the composite index fell by 25.31 points or by 0.9 percent to 2,915.67 points.
Average daily turnover fell to 590 million shares worth 2.04 billion pesos this week from 765 million shares worth 2.55 million pesos in the previous week.

Ulybja

By GING REYES, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau Chief and LENN ALMADIN-THORNHILL, New York Correspondent NEW YORK - Marichu Suarez Baoanan unassumingly and somewhat nervously entered the room filled with media and observers Wednesday afternoon at the office of the Asian American Legal Defense Fund in downtown Manhattan. After the preliminaries, Baoanan took the microphone, calmly introduced herself and told her story. This 39-year-old woman has accused former Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Lauro Baja and his wife, Norma, of slavery, forced labor, trafficking, racketeering and eleven other charges in a civil case filed on June 24, 2008. In tears, Baoanan recounted her ordeal, ““I served the Bajas for 3 months, I cooked, I took care of the child, cleaned their really big house, did the laundry, ironed and did other tasks as a domestic worker. In return, they paid me with curses, insults, disrespect and 100 dollars.” The former househelper said the Baja couple lied to her and tricked her into paying 250 thousand pesos to come to America. She thought they would help her find work as a nurse, instead she said she was forced to work as a servant for three months under abusive conditions. When she reminded Mrs. Norma Baja about their agreement, she would allegedly curse her, “Everytime na sasabihin ko sa kanya yung napag-usapan namin, minumura niya ako palagi. 'Yun ang nagpasakit sa akin, sasabihin ko sa kanya, mumurahin niya ako, kaya talagang napakahirap ng sitwasyon ko doon.” The former maid said she was forced her to work for up to 18 hours a day, and was not allowed to leave the apartment. 'Ambassador did nothing' Sobbing, Baoanan said she even thought of committing suicide, “My life was miserable. They did not treat me like a person. I always thought about my family. The only reason I came here was to work and make money to support my family.” She arrived in New York in January of 2006. She said that she pleaded with Mrs. Norma Baja to buy her winter clothes and shoes, to no avail. “Nung dumating ako dito January, sobrang lamig! Ni jacket hindi n'ya ako binigyan, kahit na sapatos. Nakiusap ako sa kanya na bilhan mo man lang ako ng sapatos para proteksyon ko sa lamig, pero hindi niya ko binilhan,” Baoanan recalled. In another instance, Baoanan said Ambassador Baja did nothing, and just stared as his 5-year-old grandson hit her with a broom. “Isang beses, nakita ng ambassador na pinalo ako sa likod ng bata ng walis, pero wala siyang ginawa, hindi man lang niya sinaway yung bata.” In her complaint, Baoanan also claimed she was forced to sleep in the basement with only a sheet. In April of 2006, Baoanan escaped from the Bajas apartment through the help of Damayan, a non-profit organization that gives assistance to foreign domestic workers. Baoanan said she was not allowed to answer the Bajas telephone at home, but the one time that she did, she blurted out crying about her suffering to the Filipino caller. This good Samaritan contacted Damayan. The Manhattan-based group helped her flee her employers and gave her refuge. Damayan sought the help of the Asian American Legal Defense Fund , which filed a criminal case of human trafficking against the Bajas last year. After this was dismissed, the group filed a civil suit, seeking unpaid wages and damages from the Bajas. The AALDEF was also able to secure a T-visa for Baoanan, which made it possible for her husband and three children to join her in the US. The family was reunited last April. Staff attorney Ivy Suriyopas explained, “a T-visa allows a trafficking survivor to stay in the US for a period of time and eventually theyre eligible to apply for a green card.” A ploy vs deportation Bajas counsel, Atty. Salvador Tuy, denied Baoanans allegations of abuse and maltreatment, saying this was a ploy to avoid deportation. Tuy told the North America News Bureaus “Balitang America”: “She said it already. That is the only way she can get a T-visa. A T-visa allows a victim of human trafficking to stay in the US for three years, and if she wins this case, which she hopes she does, she will eventually be granted a permanent resident card, not only for her but her family as well.” Tuy also showed Balitang America a photo of a bundled-up Baoanan during winter, to dispute her claim that the Bajas refused to provide her winter clothes. The Bajas have 20 days to respond to the civil suit filed by Baoanan, but Atty. Tuy said he would ask for a 30-day extension. At the time he was interviewed, Tuy said he had not yet spoken to Baja to get his reaction to the statements made by his accuser today. At least two Filipino diplomats were present during Baoanans news conference, but they refused to issue any comment. Officials of the Philippine Mission to the UN and the Philippine Consulate General in New York have distanced themselves from Baja and his legal troubles. Sources said Baja became unpopular among his colleagues during the last few months of his tenure as Permanent Representative to the UN

Jkandm

Reuters

QUITO - Ecuador broke off diplomatic ties with Colombia on Monday, escalating a dispute across the Andean region that erupted after Colombian soldiers raided inside its southern neighbor to kill a guerrilla leader.

Colombia also fueled the tensions by accusing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of funding Colombia's Marxist rebels -- a charge denied by the anti-U.S. president's government.

The three-nation crisis erupted when Colombia flew troops into Ecuador at the weekend in a bombing raid that killed a leading guerrilla commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

It was a major blow to Latin America's oldest guerrilla group. Chavez responded by ordering troops and tanks to the border with Colombia and he warned conservative President Alvaro Uribe that a similar strike on Venezuelan soil could lead to war.

Ecuador has also sent thousands of troops to the border and took another step in the dispute on Monday.

"The Ecuadorean government has decided to break off diplomatic relations," it said in a letter to Colombia's foreign ministry.

Colombia earlier said it found documents in the FARC camp inside Ecuador showing evidence that Chavez gave the rebels $300 million and that the slain commander, Raul Reyes, had ties with an official close to Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa.

Both Venezuela and Ecuador denied the allegations.

"The government of Ecuador energetically rejects these accusations which cynically add to the hostile attitude shown in the recent violation of our sovereignty," Correa's government said.

Reyes had been involved in talks with Venezuela, France and Ecuador to win the freedom of hostages held for years in the FARC's jungle camps. Chavez has brokered those talks, securing the release of six captives since the start of the year.

He called the killing of Reyes a cowardly assassination.

Latin American governments, including diplomatic heavyweight Brazil, also lined up to condemn Colombia's raid and demand an explanation.

Wpmpbz

SYDNEY - When Jane Coloccia set out to find her soul mate online she had no idea that eight years and 200 dates later she would end up an expert on the topic, writing a book and setting up a course to teach the pitfalls of Web love.
Coloccia, now 45, was living in Manhattan and struggling to meet single, straight men when one of her friends met a man online and married him. She decided to give it a go.
Over the next few years, she was swamped with emails and instant messages from attentive men, some who told her she was beautiful, others who lied about their age, weight, hair, and marital status, and one who became her therapist.
Learning along the way how to spot the liars, Coloccia has written a book, " Confessions of an Online Dating Addict: A True Account of Dating and Relating in the Internet Age ," tracking the highs, lows -- and addiction -- of online dating. She is also developing an online course on Web dating.
"I would go on three or four dates a week. One Sunday I had three dates - brunch, lunch and dinner," said Coloccia, who has her own public relations and marketing communications agency.
"It does get very seductive as it is nice to open up an email and someone to say you are beautiful and they want to meet you."
The growth in the online dating industry has been massive and is expected to continue. Figures from market analyst Jupiter Research show revenue has almost doubled in the past three years to $1.04 billion in the United States alone and is expected to rise 16 percent a year until 2012.
MARRIAGE, FRIENDSHIP OR SEX?
Coloccia said at first, she was nervous about going to meet the men she was talking to online. "My impression before I did this was that the people online were weirdos but that is just not the case," she said.
But among the good people there were those who were dishonest about themselves and their reason for being online -- as there are always creeps in any bar.
Coloccia said married men, for example, tended not to post a photograph of themselves, would not give a cell phone number and tended to instant message late at night.
Some men were just after one-night stands. Others would post old photographs when they were slimmer and had more hair.
"When I met one man for a date he was bald and fat and his photo must have been from 20 years ago. I told him he looked different and he explained it by saying he was wearing glasses and just had a haircut but that was the end of that," she said.
She was once pawed on a first date, stood up on another, but over the years Coloccia said she honed her technique to ensure she did not waste time on men that were not suitable.
First dates were usually over coffee, with dinner only booked once the man proved to be likeable. She set geographical limits which knocked out the men in Russia, Malaysia or the west coast of the United States.
She advises would-be daters to really question people before they meet and read their profiles well. She says steer clear of free dating sites where married men and ones after sex reside.
Coloccia has been with her current boyfriend Victor -- whom she met online -- for 18 months.
She said there is no stigma attached to online dating any more but it can be addictive. Her therapist even wrote a section in her book about how the ability to build a fantasy life online can be hard to leave.
"Find out why people are there. People date online for a lot of reasons -- some are lonely, some just want to IM and never meet, some want friendship, marriage or just sex," she said.
"But it is not a real experience unless you are prepared to get out from behind your computer screen and go live it."