Dubai Exec Is Among World's Most Influential Women

Mary Jane Alvero-Al Mahdi, 43, chief executive of Geoscience Testing Laboratory, was named one of the most influential Filipinas in the world by the U.S.-based Filipina Women’s Network, reports Dubai’s The National. She began working as a quality control inspector at a textile factory in Dubai in 1992, eventually rising to chief executive at Geoscience, where she manages 450 engineers, technicians, microbiologists and consultants from the Middle East and Asia. 

Expats Fueling Luxury Condo Sales in PH

Asian real estate investors and expatriates are fueling the demand for luxury residential condominiums, reports ABS-CBN News. According to a CBRE Philippines senior director expats who are now in the Philippines are buying condo units instead of just renting. While foreigners are not allowed to own land in the Philippines, they can own condominium units but are subject to conditions of the Condominium Act.

Search for Sailors in North Sea Called Off

Dutch coast guards late Monday called off a search for three missing sailors, two Filipinos and an Indonesian national, amid fears they may have drowned in the North Sea after their ship sank following a collision with a fishing trawler, reports GMA News.tv.  At around 1:30 a.m. (2330 GMT Sunday) the 32-meter Maria, deployed to guard an oil drilling platform 24 miles off the Dutch  port of Den Helder, collided with fishing trawler Texel 68.

PH Cracking Down on Visitor's Visas to Bahrain

The Philippine government is now screening Filipinos bound for Bahrain on visit visas to keep a check on undocumented workers, reports Gulf Daily News. The move follows a Philippine Embassy alert on the practice of many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) traveling here on a visit visa, but later trying to convert them to work visas. They become undocumented if unsuccessful.

Filipinos in Greece Can't Work in Other EU Countries

Virtually none of the 20,000 registered immigrant Filipino workers can move domicile and work in other European Union countries because of Greece's restrictive citizenship laws, reports Balita Pinoy. It is nearly impossible for an immigrant worker to become a Greek citizen, even if married to a Greek spouse. Having a Greek passport would allow them free movement within the European Union/European Economic Area and leave Greece's troubled economy.

University Denies Links with "Miss World" Hater

 Manchester University in Indiana has denied any ties with Facebook user Devina DeDiva, whose comments on Miss World 2013 Megan Young and other Filipinos triggered online outrage early this week, reports ABS-CBN News.  "Miss Philippines is Miss World? What a joke! I did not know those maids have anything else in them. They are mostly filthy maids and will only be of that status. End of story," went DeDiva's quote.

Undocumented Can Now Get Calif. Driver's Licenses

Undocumented immigrants living in California will be eligible to apply for driver's licenses under a law signed on Thursday by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, in the latest action to expand privileges for such immigrants in the most populous US state, reports GMANews.tv/Reuters.

Filipinos Warned of Fake Visa Fixers in UAE

Filipinos in Abu Dhabi are urged to report activities of individuals or groups who claim to have connections with the Philippine Embassy in facilitating visas for Pinoys wanting to enter the United Arab Emirates, reports ABS-CBN News. The embassy said it is not linked with any travel agency, facilitators of visas, or with any person or company claiming to facilitate services for the execution of the Affidavit of Support and Guarantee (ASG).