DFA issues travel ban for Libya, Yemen and Bahrain

21 February 2011 (Manila) - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advises Filipinos who have plans to proceed to Libya, Bahrain or Yemen to defer non-essential and non-urgent travels, until the security situation in those countries have stabilized. 

This is in light of protest actions taking place in those countries.

The Philippine Embassies in Tripoli, Manama and Riyadh reported earlier that they are in heightened alert and said Filipinos in those countries are safe.  They are also in constant contact with them.  The Embassies have also established 24-hour crisis monitoring teams.  The Embassy in Riyadh covers Yemen.

As of June 2010, there are around 31,000 Filipinos in Bahrain, while 1,400 are in Yemen and around 26,000 are in Libya.

The Embassies have also advised Filipinos to be alert when in public places or on major roads and to stay well away from large crowds and demonstrations.

The Embassy in Tripoli communicated with the human resources manager of SNC Lavelin Company on the situation of some 1,800 Filipino construction workers at an airport construction site in Benghazi city, and was informed that the Filipinos there are safe within the work site which has its own security complement.  The worksite is some 19 kilometers  from central Benghazi, where the protests are taking place.

According to SNC Lavelin, the Filipinos have accommodations and ample food and water.

The Embassy added that the Thai, Indonesian, Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi embassies-which also have sizable populations in Libya-have not announced any evacuation at this time.  It is also on heightened alert.

In Libya, clashes between protesters and security forces snowballed on Sunday in the northeastern cities.  News reports confirmed 173 deaths.

The Embassy in Riyadh said that it communicated with members of the Filipino community in Yemen, who informed them that the Filipinos in the country are relatively safe, and that malls and all transportation facilities are working normally.

In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh offered to oversee a dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition to defuse the stand-off with protesters.

Meanwhile, the Embassy in Manama has issued an advisory to Filipinos in Bahrain to remain calm and avoid joining or going in places of protest actions.  It has also provided a telephone hotline.

Protest actions continued to cool down in Bahrain Sunday as opposition groups working to present protesters' demands met to coordinate a response to the government's call for dialogue. 

source:dfa.gov.ph

Distressed Filipino workers in Kuwait fly Home

Manama: A group of 68 distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) have left Kuwait for home, officials have said.

Their departure last week was part of the mass repatriation of stranded OFWs in Kuwait.

Most of the distressed OFWs worked as household service workers who were victims of non-payment of salaries, fatigue, lack of food, physical, verbal and sexual abuse prompting them to escape from their employers and seek temporary refuge at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) at the Philippine Overseas Labour Office in Jabriya.

Philippine Labour Attache Vivo Vidal told that the airfare of all those repatriated was paid by the manpower agencies of the distressed OFWs.

According to the official, 196 distressed OFWs are temporarily housed at the FWRC who are awaiting repatriation.

source: Arab Times

Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental commercial passenger jet — unveiled

Boeing's (BA) newest version of its 747 jumbo jet — the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental commercial passenger jet — unveiled here Sunday as a crowd of several thousand people waved red and white thundersticks to the blare of rock music.

The added length, 18.3 feet to be precise, makes the 747-8 the longest jetliner in the world.

The new Intercontinental has other distinguishing features: Its tell-tale hump, which covers double-deck seating inside, stretches 13.3 feet longer than before. Its redesigned wings, which begin near the base of the fuselage and sweep upward as they slope away from the cabin, give it the appearance of a soaring bird.

The redesigned plane gives passengers larger windows and reconfigured overhead storage bins to hold more bags than before.

But Boeing's "stretch" version of the 747 is not so much about size as important strategic objectives for the company.

It's about trying to keep Boeing, which introduced the phrase "jumbo jet" into aviation lexicon with its first 747 more than 40 years ago, in the game of manufacturing the world's biggest class of passenger jets against competition from European rival Airbus and its giant A380.

"There's no question that we were coming to a decision that it was either going to be close or near the end of the line for the airplane ... or we had to figure out something new," says Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

source: By Ben Mutzabaugh USA Today

Asteroid to hit Earth by 2036

Known as "99942 Apophis," the 900-foot-long asteroid has had the attention of scientists for some time. According to an article from SPACE.com, back in 2004, NASA scientists announced that Apophis could hit the planet in 2029. But, after further number crunching, that prediction was later retracted.

Per the article: "Sokolov went on to say the chance of a collision on Easter Sunday in 2036 was extremely slim, predicting that the asteroid would likely disintegrate into smaller parts and smaller collisions with Earth could occur in the following years."

Both Sokolov and our planetary scientists agree that on Friday, April 13 of 2029 the asteroid is predicted to brush by Earth at 18,000 miles altitude, below the height of Earth's geosynchronous satellites.

The asteroid hurtled back into the news when Russia recently predicted 99942 Apophis may hit Earth on April 13, 2036. NASA acknowledges that there is a chance this may happen, but it is far from likely. Donald Yeomans, who heads up NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office, estimates the odds at around 1 in 250,000. And, don't worry — NASA does have a backup plan. Should the need arise, the space agency will construct machinery to change the asteroid's orbit. 

source: yahoonews

Muscat-Dubai Highway to be Upgraded

Muscat: Alarmed by the increasing fatalities on the highway linking Muscat with Dubai in the Batinah region, the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Oman has planned to turn the main link road into an international-class carriageway.

According to a report in the government-owned daily Oman Observer, the government is preparing to select an experienced consultant to undertake detailed design work on the project.

The Ministry, report says, plans to construct a total of 24 grade-separated junctions at key points along the highway. These junctions will replace existing open intersections that have been the focus of horrific road mishaps that occur from time to time along the highway.

The grade-separated junctions will come up at 24 locations along a 250-kilometre stretch extending from Bait al Barakah roundabout to Khatmat Malaha roundabout.

Source: gulfnews.com