No Shore Leave for OFWs in Ebola Ports

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has barred Filipino seamen on ships operating or calling on Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone ports from going on shore leave in those countries, for fear of Ebola contamination, according to the POEA's Official Gazette .

Filipino Helping Build Cooking Tool for Outer Space

Apollo Arquiza beside a space galley looks like aboard a zero gravity G-Force 1 plane (Photo from NASA/JPL/Cornell)

Filipino citizen Apollo Arquiza, a postdoctoral research associate who is a graduate of the UP Los Baños, is part of a team at Cornell University now building a space galley to enable cooking in outer space, reports Interaksyon.com. 

Filipinos Joining Extremists in Iraq -- Dep't of Foreign Affairs

Philippine authorities are on alert following an increase in the number of Filipinos going to Iraq and Syria to train and fight with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), reports Inquirer.net. The foreign affairs department reported that two Filipinos have died fightingn the conflict. One of the two Filipinos found dead with Syrian fighters was raised in Syria by his Filipino mother and a Syrian father (now deceased). The other was carrying a Filipino passport.

Jollibee Temporarily Closes 72 Outlets in PH

Jollibee Foods Corp., the country’s largest fast food company, said that 72 stores across its brands in Metro Manila and nearby cities have been temporarily closed over the lack of popular menu items at its outlets, reports Inquirer.net. Jollibee apologized as it sought to allay angry customers and calm worried investors.

Only 13 of 900 OFWs Have Evacuated from Violent Iraq

Only 13 of the 900 Filipino workers in Iraq have been repatriated despite the ongoing unrest and no OFWs have evacuated since, reports Inquirer.net, as US President Barack Obama authorized “targeted air strikes” against the strife-torn country.

Italy-Based Filipina Flutist at CCP Concert Series

Milan-based young Filipino flutist Sarah Mae Gabuyo will be the second featured artist of “The CCP Special Concert Series” on Friday, August 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater), reports Inquirer.net. Arriving in Italy when she was 10,  Gabuyo entered the Accademia Internazionale della Musica where the prestigious flute soloist Raffaele Trevisani took her in his class and taught her the Sir James Galway method of flute playing.

Thousands of OFWs Refuse to Leave Violent Libya

So far, only 1,700 of about 13,000 Filipinos have signed on to leave Libya despite frantic Philippine government efforts to evacuate them, reports Inquirer.net. It's because they’re afraid of losing their jobs in the conflict-torn country, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said.

Filipino Seafarers, Others Stranded Due to Shipowner's Debts

A Greek-owned cargo ship has been anchored in the Delaware River for nearly 16 weeks, with 20 crew on board, including Filipinos, caught in a quagmire between U.S. Coast Guard demands for operational repairs, and an owner who has not paid bills incurred since April, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.