Maniolas

Britain’s Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, as she meets with people on the steps of the Sydney Opera House following a reception in Sydney, Australia.(AP Photo/Jason Reed) LONDON — Kate’s dilemma: What to pack for a two-week trip, when your itinerary includes everything from state receptions and church services to toddler playdates and cricket games? For the Duchess of Cambridge, who’s rounding up her trip to Australia and New Zealand with husband Prince William and 8-month-old son George, there were additional sartorial challenges: Do royals take off their shoes at the beach? And what’s the most ladylike way to climb into a fighter jet while in a pencil dress and high heels? Here are the most talked-about fashion moments from Kate’s Down Under tour. ALL GROWN UP Over the past two weeks, Kate, 32, delighted fashionistas with a non-stop parade of stately suit dresses by top designers mixed with her favorite style staples: Blazers, wedges, simple court shoes and demure day frocks. Hems have crept below the knee, dresses are less figure-hugging, and sleeves also covered more of her arms. Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 It’s a wardrobe that’s markedly more “grown up” and more regal than before, royal watchers say. There’s also much more color — bold, traffic-stopping hues — a choice that reflects her growing confidence, both as the face of a new generation of the British monarchy and as a style icon for women all over the world. Among the hits: A minimalist Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – Toni Gonzaga is often asked by fans and members of the press if she’s already engaged to boyfriend Paul Soriano and if they’re already planning of settling down soon. But the TV host-actress said she is in no hurry to get married, especially now that she’s “just really happy with the opportunities” coming her way. RELATED: Toni Gonzaga wants no rushed engagement to Paul Soriano “Hindi naman ako yung bata pa lang, ang biggest dream ko is to get engaged, to be married. Kasi alam ko talaga, ang babae darating ang panahon to settle down, magpapakasal,” Toni said in an interview during the press conference for “Pinoy Big Brother All In” on Wednesday, April 24. The topic of Toni’s marital status came about when the TV host-actress was asked if she’s jealous of friend and fellow “Pinoy Big Brother” host Bianca Gonzalez, who recently got engaged to basketball player JC Intal. “Walang inggit factor,” she said. “I’m happy for Bianca, this is her year, this is her moment, so I’m giving it to her.” The “Starting Over Again” star further said her boyfriend direk Paul is also “very, very happy for Bianca kasi alam naman namin na andito kami sa age na we’re all heading towards that direction.”  ‘God’s timing is perfect talaga’ Toni admitted there was a point she got tired of being asked about getting engaged with Paul. But after a while, she has gotten used to the idea that her relationship with the her Read More …

ZAMBOANGA) – Philippine forces on Wednesday arrested a Muslim extremist believed to have taken part in the kidnapping of 21 people from a Malaysian resort in 2000, a senior commander said. Such cross-border kidnappings have become more common recently with militants from the lawless southern Philippines travelling to nearby Malaysia, where there are many dive resorts popular with foreign tourists. Nabil Talahi Idjiran, a member of the Abu Sayyaf group who took part in one such raid on Malaysia’s Sipadan island, was arrested in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, said Colonel Andrelino Colina, head of a special anti-terror task force. “He was one of the members of the group that kidnapped them (the 21 hostages),” Colina told AFP. Idjiran also took turns guarding the hostages who were taken across the sea border to the remote Philippine island of Jolo, he added. The kidnapping of the 21 mostly Western holiday-makers was one of the most brazen attacks by the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic extremist group founded in the 1990s with seed money from Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden. The hostages endured months of captivity in the jungles of Jolo, about 955 kilometers (515 miles) south of Manila, until they were ransomed off for millions of dollars. Colina said Idjiran is also believed to have taken part in another attempt to raid a luxury resort in the southern Philippines in May 2001 that was foiled by its security staff. The Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine Read More …

Significant easing of the extreme congestion at Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport could come by August, when five airlines transfer their operations to NAIA Terminal 3, the Department of Transportation and Communication said Tuesday. Relief from the stifling heat at Terminal 1 is expected also by August. Last April 16, the DOTC said the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has ordered delivery in August of four new units of air chillers to augment the current three units, which is programmed for replacement with new units by yearend. DOTC spokesperson Atty. Michael Arthur Sagcal said the agency estimates Terminal 1 will be decongested by 3.5 million passengers per year. The facility now handles up to eight million passengers but what designed for only 4.5 million. President Aquino and other government officials have apologized for the lack of airconditioning and other inconveniences at NAIA 1 where rehabilitation works have been underway since last January. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the warm temperature at NAIA T1. We understand how inconvenient it is to endure these conditions inside the airport’s facilities, especially during this peak season.  While the airconditioning system is functioning, temperature is affected by rehabilitation works.  We appeal to you to kindly bear with us, as this is all part of the ongoing project which will ensure T1’s structural integrity for the continued safety of its users,” DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya has said. The rehabilitation works are the first at the airport terminal in its over Read More …

President Barack Obama. AP WASHINGTON—Five years after refashioning US foreign policy to emphasize Asia, President Barack Obama will face questions over his strategy’s content and staying power in the region this week. Obama will counter the impression that the carnage in Syria and the East-West showdown over Ukraine have dragged his administration’s attention elsewhere. He will argue in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines that the “rebalancing” policy—of withdrawing US military, economic and human resources from Middle East wars and deploying them to emerging Asia—remains on track. Obama will embark on his fifth visit as president to Asia when he lands in Japan on Wednesday. He will be in Manila April 28 and 29. Obama’s eight-day Asia swing, the first of two to the region this year, will make up for the embarrassment of skipping regional summits in November because of domestic political battles. Counterweight to China Obama seeks progress in tough talks with Japan over the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, hung up over auto and agricultural market access. The TPP would cement Obama’s legacy in Asia, but talks on the 12-nation pact lost momentum last year. Obama must also walk a fine line, bolstering alliances with nations, which see the United States as a counterweight to powerful China, while avoiding angering Beijing. He will also press on with efforts to ease the dispute between US allies South Korea and Japan, insist North Korea will get no reward for belligerence and complete a revival of US relations Read More …