Aquino condemns Taliban killing in Pakistan, says it dishonors Islam

 General
Dec 162014
 
Aquino condemns Taliban killing in Pakistan, says it dishonors Islam

popular Ex-Pacquiao sparring partner Khan also wants a piece of Mayweather Pulse Asia survey: Binay falling, Poe surging Roxas to PNP chief: You’re suspended Malversation case part of plot to sideline Estrada clan, allies – JV Ejercito Metro Pacific renews offer to run railway Joma Sison denies NPA out to harm Pope Francis during PH visit Palace denies pressuring Sandigan justices on pork scam cases Douthit leads SEAG hopefuls videos Filipino street kids greet Pope Francis on his birthday The naked truth behind the Oblation Run UP Lantern Parade 2014 Simbang Gabi at the Gesu (Day 1) Indie Bravo! Night of renegades, game changers and amazing grace President Benigno Aquino. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Tuesday condemned the attack in the military-run school in Pakistan, calling it an “affront to all civilized peoples.” “Today, we join the world in condemning the outrage perpetrated on innocent schoolchildren, and school officials and personnel in Peshawar, Pakistan,” President Benigno Aquino III said in a statement sent to media. Aquino said the Taliban’s killing of at least 126 people, mostly children, is “an act of terror and savagery (that) deserves nothing less than our condemnation.” He said the attack has “dishonored Islam.” “The senseless deaths of so many young lives, and the barbarism of this attack is an affront to all civilized peoples,” he added. “In this moment of grief and sadness for the people of Pakistan, the Filipino people are one with them in mourning. Today, every person of goodwill Read More …

Filipino visual artist upcycles garbage into wearable art

 News
Dec 162014
 
Filipino visual artist upcycles garbage into wearable art

Trashion [via Facebook] A Filipino designer has taken on the challenge of solid waste management by upcycling trash into fashionable works of art. Visual artist Francis Sollano partners with hotels, malls and restaurants to source garbage materials to be used by him and his team in creating trashion art pieces that can be worn as accessories. Sollano also creates home accessories and installations. Sollano and his team are based in Cebu in central Philippines and shuttles between the islands and Singapore where he has set up a second home. He admits to taking trashion seriously only after he joined the Youth for a Livable Cebu (YLC), a group of young professionals advocating sustainable lifestyles to make his home island a more liveable place. The group has been his platform for introducing his creations and networking with commercial establishments, effectively ensuring proper solid waste management. To create his art pieces, Sollano experiments with various techniques such a weaving, shredding, and indirect heating to manipulate materials. The designer uses organic processes done by hand to convert ugly used and thrown out elements into works of art. His works are described by the fashion world as elegant in aesthetic and delicate in quality. Where there used to be the signature blue plastic bags of a huge department store chain, there now exists delicate-looking lacy material for his Chloe-inspired dress, a piece shredded by hand and ironed by Sollano himself. He has fashioned clear plastic bottles into a cluster of flowers for his Dani Read More …

Korean Air faces $2-million fine over ‘nut rage’

 Economy
Dec 152014
 
Korean Air faces $2-million fine over ‘nut rage’

In this Aug. 14, 2009 file photo, customers walk near the model planes of Korean Air in a showroom at the headquarters of Korean Air Lines Co. in Seoul, South Korea. AP SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea said on Tuesday it could fine Korean Air up to $2 million after the daughter of its chief executive delayed a flight by throwing a tantrum over some nuts. Cho Hyun-Ah, a former senior executive with the flag carrier, forced the chief cabin crew member off a New York-Seoul flight after she took exception to being served macadamia nuts she had not asked for — and in a bag, not a bowl. “We will file formal complaints with the prosecution against Cho Hyun-Ah today” and ask them to open a criminal investigation, the transportation ministry said in a statement. Korean Air will also face either a flight ban of up to a month on an unspecified route or a fine of up to $2 million, it added. A ministry investigation found that 40-year-old Cho screamed and hurled abuses at a flight attendant and the chief purser during the incident on December 5, in a case which has sparked a wave of public anger in South Korea. State prosecutors are also investigating unconfirmed allegations that Cho used violence against cabin manager Park Chang-Jin, including his claims that she pushed him into the cockpit door and jabbed him with a service manual. Cho has denied reports she also made him and the flight attendant Read More …

Generosity, gift-giving and the 30% donor tax

 Economy
Dec 152014
 

IT’S THE most wonderful time of the year, with people worldwide gearing up for Christmas by dispensing gifts. The spirit of the season truly crosses all boundaries of culture, economic background or social status, and business people are definitely not immune to the wave of giving as they sign hefty checks to the objects of their generosity.

Del Monte group posts profit

 General
Dec 152014
 
Del Monte group posts profit

Campos-led Del Monte Pacific Ltd. (DMPL) posted a modest profit in the quarter ending October, reversing the loss in the previous quarter but still weighed down by the expenses incurred for its recent big acquisition in the United States. In August to October, the second quarter in its fiscal year, DMPL posted a group net income of $200,000, a reversal of the $21.9-million net loss in the first quarter. The group earlier aligned its financial year with that of newly acquired Del Monte Foods Inc. (DMFI) in the US which is May to April. For the six months that ended in October, the group incurred a net loss of $21.7 million due mainly to non-recurring acquisition-related expenses in the first quarter. The group earlier embarked on a leveraged buyout of the consumer food business of DMFI. In the second quarter, the group posted $548 million in sales, of which the DMFI contributed $435.1 million. “We are committed to significantly deleverage DMPL’s balance sheet by reducing debt in the next quarter through an international perpetual preference share offering followed by a rights issue which are expected to raise $515 million,” DMPL chief executive director and managing director Joselito Campos Jr. said in a statement. In the second quarter, cash flow as measured by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) hit $59.4 million while net income before acquisition-related and other non-recurring expenses reached $20.7 million. The Ebitda level for the quarter was more than double that of the first quarter Read More …

Luzon Newsbits for December 16, 2014

 General
Dec 152014
 
Luzon Newsbits for December 16, 2014

BICOL CMO BEST Naga City, Camarines Sur — The 9th Infantry Division’s Civil Military Operations Battalion (CMO) based in Camp Francisco Canuto, Barangay Sagurong, Pili, this province has been cited the best among the rest by the Philippine Army. The CMO, headed by Lieutenant Colonel Joselito Pastrana, was cited for its work in environmental protection, disaster risk reduction, and emergency response. (Ruel Saldico) GRANNY MURDERED San Carlos City, Pangasinan — A 78-year-old grandmother living alone in her house in Barangay Agdao, here, was found dead yesterday morning. Police, said Gloria Dolorico was found dead by her son, Roger, lying on her bed with a bruise in her head and a slit in her neck. Robbery has been discounted. (Liezle Basa Iñigo)

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