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Walking on the Great Wall from Jinshanling to Simatai (Beijing): The Great Wall, winding snakelike through the mountains, was meant to be walked. This magnificent 3-hour hike follows China's greatest monument through various states of repair, from freshly restored to thoroughly crumbling, over steep peaks and gentle flats, and through patches of wilderness and rugged farmland, with over two dozen watchtowers along the way.

Getting Lost in the lanes around Beijing's Back Lakes: No other city in the world has anything quite like the hutong, narrow lanes once "as numberless as the hairs on an ox." Now rapidly vanishing, the best-preserved hutong are found around a pair of man-made lakes in the city center. This area is almost the last repository of Old Beijing's gritty, lowrise charm, dotted with tiny temples, hole-in-the-wall noodle shops, and quiet courtyard houses whose older residents still wear Mao suits.

Exploring the Forbidden City's Forgotten Corners (Beijing) : No one fails to be impressed by the grandeur of the Forbidden City's central axis, which is all most visitors see. But the quieter maze of pavilions, gardens, courtyards, and theaters to either side have the greater charm.

The Criminal Investigation Department in Bukit Aman is now heading the investigation into the "intrusion of Sulu terrorists" into Lahad Datu, CID director Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin said. He said the CID team was gathering evidence in Sabah. "Our investigation is exhaustive and covers all angles, even on how the terrorists obtained their weapons and received aid. We are focusing not only in Lahad Datu and Semporna but over a wider area," he told reporters at his office here. Bakri said the challenge the investigators faced in gathering evidence was made even more difficult by the decomposing bodies of the terrorists killed in the government offensive. "Sulu terrorists" from the southern Philippines who entered Sabah on Feb 12 killed eight policemen on March 1 and 2 after dismissing a government offer to lay down arms, Malaysian police said. A government offensive launched on March 5 resulted in the deaths of 62 terrorists. A soldier was also killed in...

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon called for an inclusive and sustainable human development that will bring happiness for people around the world, especially those who lack basic material well-being. "The pursuit of happiness lies at the core of human endeavors. People around the world aspire to lead happy and fulfilling lives free from fear and want, and in harmony with nature," Ban said in his message for marking the first ever International Day of Happiness that falls on Wednesday. "Yet, basic material well-being is still elusive for far too many living in extreme poverty," the UN chief noted. "For many more, recurring socio-economic crisis, violence and crime, environmental degradation and increasing threats of climate change are an ever-present threat." In July last year, the General Assembly proclaimed March 20 the International Day of Happiness, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in people...

U.S. President Barack Obama said here Wednesday that he prefers to deal with the Iranian nuclear issue in a "diplomatic" manner, which is in the interests of Iran itself. At a joint press conference after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the visiting U.S. president said that "all options remain on the table" and that he prefers a diplomatic solution. Obama said that a nuclear armed Iran would be a threat to the region, to the world, as well as to Israel, urging Iran to meet its obligations. The U.S. president reassured Israel with steady U.S. support over the Iranian nuclear issue. Israel and some Western countries have long accused Iran of secretly seeking the capability of making nuclear weapons, an accusation denied by Tehran. Iran insists its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. Israel has long threatened to launch pre-emptive strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomacy and sanctions fail to stop Iran's n...

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Thursday that a low pressure area (LPA) will bring heavy rains over Visayas and Mindanao and residents are advised on possible flashfloods and landslides. PAGASA said as of 4 a.m. the LPA was spotted at 180 km southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao Del Sur (8.0°N, 128.0°E) but has a small chance to intensify into tropical cyclone. In case the LPA intensifies into a tropical depression, it will be named "Dante," the fourth tropical cyclone to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this year. PAGASA said the regions of Eastern and Central Visayas, Caraga and Davao will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flashfloods and landslides. The Bicol region and the rest of Visayas and Mindanao will be cloudy with light to moderate rainshowers. The weather agency said that Luzon including Metro Manila will continue to ...

Get your copy of Phils Bar Exam Passers 2013 Results. Issued by the Supreme Court on March 20, 2013 101. BALBA, Zack Hansel 102. BALDOMERO, Ivan Jeffrey 103. BALDOVINO, Aldwin Kenneth 104. BALDOVINO, Alexander 105. BALDOVINO, Tanya Justine 106. BALILI, Neil Aaron 107. BALMES, Irene 108. BALORO, Joemyl 109. BALTAZAR, Ana Lyn 110. BANAYAT-NAS, Hermilia 111. BANDALAN, Jared Anthony 112. BANGHE, Hannah Jane 113. BANZON, Eva 114. BAPTISTA, Joe Allan 115. BARCELONA, Ralph Karlo 116. BARQUEZ, Ma. Elisa Jonalyn 117. BARRIOS, Angelo 118. BASCUGUIN, Maria Jocelyn 119. BASE, Amerissa 120. BASE, Maria Graciela 121. BAUTISTA, Judy-ann 122. BAUTISTA, Krystel Jehan 123. BAUTISTA, Maria Theresa 124. BAYONA, Phoebe Ann 125. BEBER, Dindo 126. BECHAYDA, JR., Jose 127. BEDURAL, Vladimir 128. BENIGIAN, II, Mardovic Dodge 129. BENITEZ, JR., Arcadio 130. BERAY-DE AUSEN, Penelope 131. BERNARDINO, Ramon Felipe 132. BERNARDO, Donna Ametyst 133. B...

Get your copy of 2013 Phils Bar Exams Results Official. See more at the sidebar list 51. ANG, Kathleen Mae 52. ANG, JR., Rodolfo 53. ANGELES, Raul 54. ANTIGUA, Perseus 55. ANTONIO, Rafael 56. APALISOK, JR., Simplicio 57. APARTE, Frances Margaret 58. APORTADERA, Mario Leonardo Emilio 59. AQUENDE, Joseph Angelo Wesley 60. ARANAS, Kim 61. ARCEO, Irene 62. ARCEO, Mariam 63. ARCEÑO, Jackielyn 64. ARDIENTE, Arnold 65. ARELLANO, May Kristine 66. ARIAS, Michelle 67. ARMENTA, Joshua 68. ARQUIZA, Arbee 69. ARQUIZA, Carlo 70. ARRIBA, Mona Liza 71. ARRIOLA, Roanne 72. ARTICONA, Mercedes 73. ARTICULO, Mark Anthony 74. ARTUGUE, Arianne 75. ARUGAY, Manuel Adrian 76. ASPIRAS, Janice 77. ASUNCION, Mark Anthony 78. ASUNTO, Daisy Ray 79. ATANACIO, John David 80. AUGUSTO, Davemark 81. AUSAN, Anniefair 82. AUSTRIA, Carlo 83. AUTENCIO, Anthony 84. AUZA, Jannycer 85. AVILA, Aldan 86. AVILA, Rachelle Faye 87. BABIERA, Jan Christian 88...

Official List of 2013 Bar Exam Passers of Philippines 1. A JOSE- AGUSTIN, Karren 2. ABASTILLAS, Lemuel 3. ABERIN, Ma. Christine 4. ABES, Royce Nieville 5. ABRENZOSA, Cleofe 6. ABUAN, Ruby Ryza 7. ACEDO, Kristian Josef 8. ACORDA, Jacqueline 9. ACOSTA, Lourdes Mae 10. ACOSTA, JR., Gil 11. ACUÑA, Jose Fidel 12. ADAN, Jan Mari 13. ADAP, Sanawia 14. AGANA, III, Carlos Ivan 15. AGATEP, Pia Augustha 16. AGBAY-ABILAR, Janice 17. AGBON, Ma. Cecelia Esperanza 18. AGOPITAC, Nestle 19. AGUAVIVA, Ava Marie 20. AJES-LAURENTE, Lilibeth 21. ALAMEDA, Abigail 22. ALAWI, JR., Saipal 23. ALBANO, Pia Ursula 24. ALBANO, Ranvylle 25. ALBAS, Dominique 26. ALBINA, Dionel 27. ALBOTRA, Tet Chea 28. ALCANTARA, Austin Claude 29. ALCANTARA, Rickmon Albert 30. ALCERA, II, Hermie 31. ALDOVINO, Marian Mae 32. ALEJANDRE, Pauline 33. ALFELOR, JR., Avelino 34. ALI, JR., Lanang 35. ALIM, Nicolito Jesus 36. ALIVIA, Mikhail Sherard 37. ALMARIO, Ann Th...

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) office here on Tuesday confirmed that this mountain resort will have higher temperature averages in the next few days due to the end of the northeasterly winds. Wilson Locando, senior weather forecaster, said the easterly winds will have its advent during the middle of this week which will contribute to make temperatures here at the average of 15 to 27 degrees celsius. Towards the end of the northeasterly winds affecting this part of the country, the PAGASA in the past three days still recorded cool 14 degrees celsius as the minimum temperature. Locando said the cool temperature here even during the dry months of February to May make Baguio and suburbs as very attractive to visitors from the lowlands of the country whose temperatures have distinctly higher than these highlands of Cordilleras. Meanwhile, the announcement of PAGASA on higher temperatures have prompted the Department of Envir...

If you think that Guimaras is the only province staging "Pagtaltal" or the enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross during Holy Week in Western Visayas, you got it all wrong. Negros Occidental and its capital city will also stage the same activity during Good Friday on March 29, according to Provincial Tourism Officer Cristine Mansinares. "Thousands of Roman Catholics here are looking forward to it and this has been a tradition every Lent," Mansinares told PNA. The "Pagtaltal" in the metro is organized by the San Sebastian Church and played by its youth core group. Live re-enactment of the "Seven Last Words" on Good Friday can likewise be experienced at the hills of Barangay La Granja in La Carlota City. La Carlota City's own version of "Pagtaltal" dubbed as "Calvary Enactment" is using a community-based and multi-sectoral theatrical approach. The play is often organized by Fr. Jesmar Manato of Sa...

South Korea's top 10 conglomerates plan to fill one-third of their new auditor positions with former bureaucrats and law enforcement officials, data showed Monday, a move that critics claim is meant to take advantage of their personal connections for corporate benefits. A total of 66 companies affiliated with the country's family-controlled conglomerates, known as chaebol, have either selected or plan to select 81 new finance managers through an annual general meeting of shareholders, according to the data compiled by the country's online regulatory filing system and the Korea Exchange, South Korea's stock market operator. The number of former officials selected as auditors for the 66 companies reached 25, accounting for 30.9 percent. The former officials included tax officials, prosecutors, and those who worked for the antitrust watchdog Fair Trade Commission, the data showed. Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top smartphone, flat-panel TV and memory chip...

South Korea's households and non-profit agencies held the largest amount of excess funds in 2012, since data has been available, as heightened economic uncertainty curtailed their spending, the central bank said Monday. The value of excess funds held by households and non-profit organizations amounted to 86.5 trillion won (US$ 77.6 billion) in 2012, up from 54.9 trillion won the previous year, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The 2012 data marked the largest amount since 2003 when the BOK began to compile related data. Excess funds refer to the volume of money that remains after people manage available funds via deposits and stock investments. "The data means that economic uncertainty led more people to refrain from spending even though overall income growth improved from a year earlier," Jeong Yu-seong, the head of the BOK's flow of funds team, said at a press conference. Jeong said that households and others increased the holding of such extra funds as...

South Korean banks' overseas borrowing conditions improve d in January compared with about a year ago as the portion of short-term foreign borrowing declined sharply due to growing foreign-currency deposits, the financial regulator said Monday. The outstanding amount of foreign-currency debts held by 12 local banks reached US$ 116.4 billion at the end of January, sharply down $ 9.9 billion from $ 126.3 billion at the end of 2011, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The sharp fall in banks' foreign-currency debts came as their short-term borrowing decreased on the back of a rise in foreign-currency deposits, with which banks were able to make a lot of short-term debt repayments, the FSS said. The portion of their short-term foreign debts thus fell to the lowest level since 2008, coming in at 18.1 percent as of end-January, from 50.1 percent five years ago, it said. Banks saw their foreign-currency deposits increase by $ 12.7 billion to $ 68.3 billion o...

South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region saw US$ 1.59 billion worth of trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)in the first two months of 2013, according to new data. The figure is a 20.8 percent year-on-year increase compared with the corresponding period in 2012, said the Nanning Customs District of China on Monday. The export value from Guangxi to the ASEAN was US$ 1.21 billion, a 30.2 percent year-on-year rise. The ASEAN remains the region's largest trade partner, followed by the United States and the European Union (EU), with which Guangxi respectively racked up a trade volume of US$ 490 million and US$ 390 million in the first two months of 2013, showed statistics released by the customs authorities of Nanning, the regional capital. The ASEAN has been Guangxi's largest trade partner for 13 consecutive years. China and the association's members formed a free trade zone in January 2010. Last year, trade between Guangxi and the ASE...

Pope Francis is planning no immediate staff reshuffles in the Roman Curia and asked their staff to carry on their duties. "Holy Father Francis has expressed the desire that the Heads and members of the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, as well as their Secretaries, and also the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, continue 'donec aliter provideatur', that is, provisionally, in their respective positions," the Holy See Press Office said in a statement on Saturday, March 16 . "The Holy Father wishes to reserve time for reflection, prayer, and dialogue before any final appointment or confirmation," it said. Meanwhile, Vatican City is preparing to receive numerous foreign delegations that will arrive for the pope's enthronisation on Tuesday, March 19. Over 150 foreign delegations are expected to attend the ceremony. State Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin will lead the Russian delegation. The U.S. delegation will be headed by Vice...

Italy's new parliament on Saturday elected the speakers of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate, ending a two-day session on its second official day as the country's legislative body. At the fourth round of voting for each of the equally powerful houses, lawmakers elected the two speakers both belonging to the center-left coalition, the most voted in last month's national elections. In Italy, the speakers of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate are the highest positions after the president of the Republic. Laura Boldrini, 52, of Left, Ecology and Freedom party (SEL), the main ally of the Democratic Party (PD), became the speaker of the 630-member lower house. A former journalist for Rai state television with a law degree, Boldrini has worked for 24 years in various United Nation (UN) organizations including the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of which she was a spokesman from 1998 to 2012. In her inaugural speech, she expressed high hope for ...

U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday called on Congress to support establishing the so-called Energy Security Trust to bolster clean energy research in the U.S. and help shift cars and trucks off oil. "I'm proposing that we take some of our oil and gas revenues from public lands and put it towards research that will benefit the public, so that we can support American ingenuity without adding a dime to our deficit," Obama said in his weekly address from the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, where he on Friday touted the 2-billion-dollar Energy Security Trust to reduce dependence on oil and create new jobs. The energy research fund can support scientists devising new ways to fuel cars and trucks with new sources of clean energy "so drivers can one day go coast-to-coast without using a drop of oil", Obama said. According to a "blueprint for a clean and secure energy future" Obama's administration unveiled on Friday, the energy rese...

Peace prevails Saturday as Zimbabweans vote in a referendum that may bring positive changes to this southern African country. The draft chapter is a major stepping stone for general elections set for late 2013. It for the first time limits a president to two five-year terms, but is not retroactive, meaning President Mugabe, already the eldest African leader at the age of 89, could continue to rule until he turns 99 in 2023. Mugabe and his family on Saturday cast their votes at Mhofu Primary School in Highfield, where he has voted in all elections since the country's independence three decades ago. The school is just a stone-throw away from his Highfield home which has since been turned into a tourist attraction. Mugabe said the proposed constitution would also provide for the right of Zimbabweans to own their natural resources and that all had equality to life and freedom, including the right to education and health. "We shall not brook those people who want to s...

The newly elected Pope explained on Saturday what inspired him to pick the name Francis, which has never been used in papal history before. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, who was elected the 266th pope on Wednesday, said during an audience with journalists that Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes had told him not to forget the poor when the conclave voted in his favor. "He [Cardinal Hummes] hugged me. He kissed me. He said don't forget about the poor. And that's how in my heart came the name Francis of Assisi," the pope said. He added that St. Francis was "the poor man who wanted a poor church." The inauguration of the new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, will be held on March 19. After the inauguration, on March 23, Pope Francis will meet with his predecessor Benedict XVI, who stepped down on February 28, at the papal summer retreat of Castel Gandolfo.