MANILA (Reuters) – A cruise ship temporarily stranded off the south Philippines coast after a fire disabled engines, injuring five crew, is heading for an eastern Malaysia port under emergency power, the Philippines coast guard and the ship’s owner said on Saturday.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get money just for having an awesome idea?

The Detroit Journal, a local online video project, was awarded $1,000 Friday, becoming the first Detroit winner of a new Awesome grant — and yes, that’s really what it’s called.

The Awesome News Task Force Detroit, the 30th chapter of a loosely-knit global organization, launched here earlier this year. Each month, the local branch, comprised of Dean Marshalle Montgomery and 19 trustees, awards a grant to applicant with a community media project.

Projects range from journalism to art to technology — Awesome News encourages applicants to think outside the box. The winner gets $1,000, no strings attached.

Instead of requiring grant winners to meet benchmarks or show exactly how they use their funding, Christina Xu, who organizes across the different Awesome chapters, said the organization takes the opposite approach: “What can we help you with after you win the money?” Oftentimes, that means using social media and personal networks to give projects a wider audience.

“We think most of the people applying for these grants are so motivated, passionate and driven, we want to keep the stipulations low and focus on trust,” Xu said.

On Friday evening, the Taskforce held a party at the Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center in downtown Detroit to celebrate its launch and The Detroit Journal. The Journal’s founders, Andy Miller and Ben Potter, have been self-funding their monthly video profiles of Detroiters and their stories.

“We are both surprised and excited, but most of all we are thoroughly motivated to keep on going,” said Miller. He added they will use the grant to fund The Detroit Journal’s fourth video episode.

Xu said Detroit’s Awesome trustees appreciated the craftsmanship of The Detroit Journal’s work as well as the producers’ ideas.

“They liked the mission of what The Detroit Journal is trying to do … show the story of Detroit through one complicated and amazing individual at a time,” she explained.

The Awesome Foundation, which provides some oversight and structure for the different chapters, started with one group in Boston, where trustees pledged $100 a month to fund projects out-of-pocket. Detroit is the first chapter to get outside funding — a $244,000 Knight News Challenge grant from the Knight Foundation will support funding and operational expenses for two years in Detroit, the pilot city, as well as two more unchosen locations to come.

The trustees will look for a wide range of proejcts that think outside of the box. Awesome’s simple application process opens the door to those who might not ususally think to apply for a grant.

“A lot of the excitement in Detroit is happening around these smaller projects that don’t fit into a category but are still doing amazing work,” Xu said.

“I think almost everyone can have a $1,000 idea,” she added. “Once they get their first grant, who knows where they can go.”

The Awesome News Taskforce awards micro-grants on a monthly basis with a rolling application deadline. For more information and to apply, see the group’s website.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria says the year-long revolt to topple President Bashar al-Assad is now over, but it will keep its forces in cities to “maintain security” until it is safe to withdraw in keeping with a U.N.-backed peace deal.

NFLPA director DeMaurice Smith says the NFL must release to the union all relevant information pertaining to its investigation of the Saints’ bounty program before making any recommendations or rulings on possible player discipline.

ADEN (Reuters) – Islamist militants killed 10 Yemeni soldiers and seized control of an army checkpoint in the south of the country on Saturday, a local official said, in an attack claimed by an al Qaeda-linked group.

RIYADH (Reuters) – The United States will work with Gulf Arab nations to strengthen their shared defenses against threats including Iran, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday.

Authorities say former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has been arrested in his Montana hometown on burglary and drug possession charges.

GAO, Mali (Reuters) – Separatist rebels in pick-up trucks loaded with heavy arms entered the northern Mali town of Gao on Saturday as army troops sought to respond with helicopter gunships, a Reuters reporter in the town and other sources said.

(Reuters) – Aung San Suu Kyi, the long-time standard-bearer for democracy in Myanmar, is taking a leap of faith in running for parliament on Sunday, opting to enter a political system crafted and run by the soldiers who kept her locked up for a total of 15 years.

YALA, Thailand (Reuters) – Eight people died and at least 70 were injured in a series of bomb explosions on Saturday in Thailand’s Muslim south, the latest in a wave of violence blamed on separatists in a region bordering Malaysia, police and officials said.