Filipina Nurse Abducted, Raped in Libya

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a female Filipino nurse in Tripoli, Libya was abducted, raped, and then released July 30, reports Inquirer.net. The Filipino nurse was abducted in front of her residence by four Libyan youths, taken somewhere, raped and then released.

PH Per Capita Income Rises to $2,765

World Bank data showed that alongside the expansion of the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) came the rise in the purchasing power of Filipino consumers, reports Inquirer.net. From a GDP per capita of $1,832 in 2009, it steadily rose until last year, when the Philippine economy grew to second fastest in Asia with a 7.2-percent expansion, the GDP per capita further climbed to $2,765.

PH Welcomes 100 Millionth Baby

A baby girl born early Sunday, July 26, has officially pushed the population of the Philippines to 100 million, highlighting the challenge of providing for more people in the already-impoverished nation, reports Inquirer.net. The child, Jennalyn Sentino, was one of 100 babies born in state hospitals all over the archipelago who received the symbolic designation of “100,000,000th baby.”

NAIA 3 Fully Operational By End of July

After 17 years, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 will become fully operational by July 31, announced the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), reports Inquirer.net.

Two-year-old Filipino Boy Dies After Free Heart Surgery in Texas

All Mary Grace Demafeliz could now wish is to have more days to tell her two-year-old son, Dave Gabriel, how much she loved him. But her boy died unexpectedly Monday night, four days after he underwent free heart surgery at the Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, reports ABS-CBN News.

Filipina Maid Marries English Baron

Baron Southampton and Alma Pasqual

A Positively Filipino reader sent an undated news clipping about a Filipina maid who married an English baron. The sender also provided a translation:  "Lord makes his cleaning woman his Lady: The aristocratic family upped their nose as the English Baron Southampton, 70, married his 34-year-old younger cleaning woman, Alma Pasqual of the Philippines and from here on officially made her his Baroness and Lady. And the heir is baby Charles who opened his eyes to the world. The Lord and lady are very happy."

Filipina Pianist Gets Standing Ovation at India Music Fest

Performing solo in Chennai, India, Filipina pianist Alexandra Minoza received a standing ovation as she set the bar for a music festival celebrated worldwide, reports GMA News. Minoza was the only Filipino to perform at the Goethe Institute-organized Fete de la Musique, a yearly musical festival that was held last June 21, a news release from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Filipinos on Ill-Fated MH17 were 'Chance Passengers'

The Filipinos who boarded the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 were apparently ''chance passengers'', one of their relatives said, reports ABS-CBN News. MH17 fatality Irene Pabellon-Gunawan and family were  chance passengers of the Malaysian plane, which was shot down over the Ukraine July 17, according to Gunawan's sister-in-law.