AFP/Vice Governor of Sulu/Ho/File – Three abducted Red Cross workers, Filipino Mary-Jean Lacaba (L), Italian Eugenio Vagni (2nd R), Andreas …

MANILA, Philippines – Three Red Cross hostages survived two days of fierce jungle clashes that killed three marines and up to seven al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf captors in the southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.

The Italian, Swiss and Filipino aid workers, their hands tied, were seen running with their captors toward a mountain after the militants fought with marines near Indanan township on southern Jolo Island, police Chief Superintendent Bensali Jabarani said.

Sen. Richard Gordon, who heads the local Red Cross, said he spoke with Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad by mobile phone and was told the hostages, who have been held for more than two months, were unharmed.
Gordon strongly criticized the marines for opening fire on the Abu Sayyaf gunmen Monday because it could have provoked the militants to hurt the hostages. 

Read the rest of the story here.

TSUKUBA, Japan (AFP) - - Japanese researchers on Monday showed off a robot that will soon strut her stuff down a Tokyo catwalk.

The girlie-faced humanoid with slightly oversized eyes, a tiny nose and a shoulder length hair-do boasts 42 motion motors programmed to mimic the movements of flesh-and-blood fashion models.

"Hello everybody, I am cybernetic human HRP-4C," said the futuristic fashionista, opening her media premiere at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology outside Tokyo.

The fashion-bot is 158 centimetres (five foot two inches) tall, the average height of Japanese women aged 19 to 29, but weighs in at a waif-like 43 kilograms (95 pounds) -- including batteries.

She has a manga-inspired human face but a silver metallic body. For more information, read the full story here.

Boys Over Flowers Episode 21 Preview

Jae Gyeong and Jun Pyo's mom catch him and Jan Di in a compromising position. The head servant tells chairwoman Kang Who the real boss is. The head servant explains to Jan Di why she stuck up for her. Jae Gyeong kindly but firmly tells Jan Di that she will not give up Jun Pyo. JG makes two requests of JP's mom, one is to let JD stay at the house and the second is to let Jae Gyeong move in as well.

JP is informed that JG will stay with them until the wedding, which has been moved up earlier than planned.JG tries on her (vintage) wedding gown in front of JD. She insists that JD has to be her maid of honour. Jun Pyo and Jae Gyeong dress up as royalty to film a new Shinhwa commercial. Ji Hu and his grandfather go fishing together. His grandfather gives Ji Hu a family Heirloom. With JH's grandfather's scheming, JD and JH end up dressed as a bride and groom. A photo is snapped of her kissing him in the cheeks.

There are many things to consider in dating a Filipina, and your future together depends on how you handle your first date. You must try to consider that most Filipina ladies are shy and old-fashioned – so you can’t stop a Filipina lady from feeling nervous.

Here are some tips to make a good impression on your first date with a Filipina lady.

Personal Hygiene & grooming – A Filipina lady would be proud to go out on a date if you appear presentable and neat. And don’t forget to ask permission or chat with her parents or guardian before leaving the house; it will make them comfortable to think that their daughter is in good hands.

Select a public venue like – a restaurant or in downtown area or as long as not just the two of you. A Filipina lady always think of her family and what others are saying, so you better take that into consideration and never insist to take her to your hotel room.

Filipina is hard to get – so do not try to be too forward on this first date, because she will feel offended that you do not respect her. You may get the shock of your life if she slaps you in public or walks out on you. Your date needs to feel safe and secure with you.

Take an interest in your date - if you can come up with a joke that would be better, Filipina ladies love to laugh, so make her laugh. And also, talk only about things in general or maybe her hobbies and what she likes to do, and leave the investigative questioning to the police officers.

To kiss or not to kiss - most Filipina ladies would not expect a goodnight kiss from you especially as this is your first date, so do not be disappointed if you try and she turns her head away because she may be undecided between wanting to receive your kiss or fear that you will think she is cheap.

Act as a gentleman - after your date take her back to her house and thank her for going out with you.

And also remember, a successful first date is your key to succeeding dates in the future. Good luck!

Learning new words is fun, don't you think? Here are some basic Japanese words and phrases that you could find very helpful on your travels to Japan.

Learn basic Japanese words, very easy!

Hello. 

こんにちは。　Konnichiwa. (kon-nee-chee-WAH)

How are you? 

お元気ですか。　O-genki desu ka? (oh-GEN-kee dess-KAH?)

Fine, thank you. 

元気です。　Genki desu. (GEN-kee dess)

What is your name? 

お名前は何ですか。 O-namae wa nan desu ka?　(oh-NAH-mah-eh wah NAHN dess-KAH?)

My name is ____ . 

私の名前は ____ です。 Watashi no namae wa ____ desu. (wah-TAH-shee no nah-mah-eh wa ____ dess)

Nice to meet you. 

始めまして。　Hajimemashite. (hah-jee-meh-MOSH-teh)

Please. (request) 

お願いします。　Onegai shimasu. (oh-neh-gigh shee-moss)

Please. (offer) 

どうぞ。 Dōzo. (DOH-zo)

Thank you. 

どうもありがとう。 Dōmo arigatō. (doh-moh ah-ree-GAH-toh)

You're welcome. 

どういたしまして。 Dō itashi mashite. (doh EE-tah-shee mosh-teh)

Yes. 

はい。 Hai. (HIGH)

No. 

いいえ。 Iie. (EE-eh)

Excuse me. 

すみません。 Sumimasen. (soo-mee-mah-sen)

I'm sorry. 

御免なさい。 Gomen-nasai. (goh-men-nah-sigh)

Goodbye. (long-term) 

さようなら。 Sayōnara. (sa-YOH-nah-rah)

Goodbye. (informal) 

それでは。 Sore dewa. (SOH-reh deh-wah)

I can't speak Japanese [well]. 

日本語「よく」話せません。 Nihongo [yoku] hanasemasen. (nee-hohn-goh [yo-koo] hah-nah-seh-mah-sen)

Do you speak English? 

英語を話せますか。 Eigo o hanasemasuka? (AY-goh oh hah-nah-seh-moss-KAH?)

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

だれか英語を話せますか。 Dareka eigo o hanasemasuka? (dah-reh-kah AY-goh oh hah-nah-seh-moss-KAH?)

Help! 

たすけて! Tasukete! (tah-soo-keh-teh!)

Look out! 

あぶない! Abunai! (ah-boo-NIGH!)

Good morning. 

おはようございます。 Ohayō gozaimasu. (oh-hah-YOH go-zigh-moss)

Good evening. 

こんばんは。 Konbanwa. (kohm-bahn-wah)

Good night (to sleep) 

おやすみなさい。 Oyasuminasai. (oh-yah-soo-mee-nah-sigh)

I don't understand. 

わかりません。 Wakarimasen. (wah-kah-ree-mah-sen)

Where is the toilet? 

トイレはどこですか。 Toire wa doko desu ka? (toy-reh wah DOH-koh dess kah?)

Knowledge is power, and learning is fun! And the best way to improve your Japanese speaking is to use it regularly, and read Japanese books.

The Philippines is an archipelago located in Southeast Asia and has more than 7 thousands islands. Philippines is one of the most popular country in Asia that get visited by tourist around the world.

Here are the lists of beautiful tourist attractions in the Philippines.

Boracay Island - What this beautiful island offers is its majestic white sand beaches. This is a popular tourist destination of not only the locals but the foreigners as well, and there are a lot of activities here like the usual water sports as well as trendy bars and discos during summertime.

Mount Pinatubo - This majestic volcano that wreaked havoc in the lives of Filipinos during the early 1990s is located in Pampanga. Here, you can take guided hikes on some parts of its slope. You can also take a refreshing dip in Pinatubo's crater lake.

Mayon Volcano - This wonderful and perfectly cone-shaped volcano can be found in Bicol. What makes this a major tourist spot is that you will find here the bell tower of an old church that was buried when it erupted during the early 1800s, and also, with that major eruption, it buried the Cagsawa town. Now, this is a must-see when you visit the Philippines, and you can also buy your souvenirs here as well as the famous pili nut candy.

Intramuros City - This walled "city" is located in Manila. It served as a walled settlement of the Spaniards during their occupation of the country and, as such, has its own museums as well as churches and wonderful ruins. Today, this well-preserved Intramuros is one of the visited places in the Philippines.

Rizal Park / Luneta Park - This park is dedicated to the Philippines' national hero, Jose Rizal, who was not only a poet but a very good writer during the Spanish era, and this was also the place where he was executed. Now, this is a popular place for picnics.

Baywalk - This is a walking distance from the Rizal Park. You can find here numerous restaurants and bars offering wonderful foods and drinks. This is also a nice place to stroll along as well as listen to the many bands that play at night.

Nayong Pilipino - If you want to tour famous destinations of the Philippines in one spot, then visit Nayong Pilipino. This cultural park has a miniature Philippine Islands including some of the beautiful spots of the country. You can also buy here some native foods as well as souvenirs.

Camp John Hay - When you visit Baguio, the country's summer capital, be sure to visit also Camp John Hay. This used to be an American Military area but was later given to the Philippine government. Now, it is a recreational center with golf club, and it also offers horseback riding as well as camping.

Mount Apo - Is a magnificent mountain location in Davao city. Here, you can go nature tripping as well as hiking. You will also see here the Philippine Eagle, which is said to be one of the biggest eagles of the world.

Camarines Sur Water Sports Complex - Located in Pili, Camarines Sur in Bicol, this is fast becoming a must-visit place whenever you visit the Philippines. If you love cable wakeboarding, then this is the place to be as it boasts of a wonderful cable wakeboarding experience as well as modern amenities. You can also find quaint cabanas here where you can spend your summer or vacation, plus, the services here are excellent.

Lee Chae Yeon was born on 10 December 1978 in Seoul, South Korea and popularly known as Chae Yeon. She is a popular Korean pop singer, and was part of a group band called “Brand New Biscuits” with fellow Korean singer Yuny Han (Han Tae Yoon) was debuted in Japan. Last 2004, her hit single “Two of Us” brought the fame.

Watch the "Two of Us" music video here:

For more information about Chae Yeon, visit here.