I must admit I was a bit wary of 'Puss in Boots', Dreamworks Animation's spin-off of its blockbuster 'Shrek' franchise.

An overcrowded boat capsized during a religious sea parade in a central Philippine province today killing at least 16 people, most of them children, officials and witnesses said.

THE PHILIPPINE president yesterday flew to the devastated island of Leyte, where authorities declared a calamity following weekend floods and mudslides that killed at least 160 people in the region.

Rescuers battled rain, mud and floodwaters today to search for more than 100 people believed buried under tons of earth and debris and feared dead after landslides and huge waves devastated eastern Philippine villages, officials said.