Mixed Martial Arts

September 5, 2014 Edition

Valerie Castro

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

  1. PH: Troops endangered, but we’ll pull out of Golan ‘the proper way’

    The Philippine military leadership has submitted to Malacañang Palace a “blow by blow” account of how Filipino troops escaped Syrian rebels in Golan Heights by defying an order from the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) commander. They are standing by their story despite UN’s denial of it and its expression of support for the commander in question. A spokesman of President Benigno Aquino III said the Philippines wants “to complete our tour of duty and wind down our UN commitment in the proper way,” despite what happened. The country was already planning to pull its troops out of Golan even before Syrian rebels almost too them hostage. Filipino soldiers were hostages, and freed unharmed, by rebels in Golan twice before.

    Read about Malacañang’s statement here. The full story on the Philippine military standing by its story is on Rappler.

  2. Enrile recommended for transfer to better hospital; Revilla stays in Crame

    Doctors from a government hospital who were called to testify in the plunder trial of Senate Minor Leader Juan Ponce Enrile recommended that he be transferred to a tertiary hospital, from the police hospital where he is currently detained. Saying Enrile’s heart is becoming weak, with a high probability of contracting a coronary disease, doctors from Philippine General Hospital said the 90-year-old senator should be transferred to either the PGH or the Philippine Heart Center. Meanwhile, another division of the anti-graft court trying the pork barrel scam cases, ruled against transferring Senator Ramon Revilla Jr to a regular jail, saying the prosecution has not presented enough arguments that would warrant removing him from the special detention center at the police central camp.

    Read on Rappler the full stories on Enrile’s hospital arrest and Revilla’s continued stay in Camp Crame.

  3. Large aircraft can’t land in Tacloban until December 3

    Civil aviation authorities finally gave a definite time crime for the closure of the Daniel Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City, two days after it announced that the 5-inch thick asphalt overlay on the runway would be replaced. Until December 3, aircraft larger than turbo propeller ones cannot land on Eastern Visayas’ main gateway. Only Bombardier Dash 8, ATR 72-500 and aircraft smaller than turboprops are allowed to use the airport, whose runway is undergoing repairs due to potholes. Some airlines have cancelled some of their flights that use Airbus aircraft.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  4. Senator to recommend demolition of building that photobombs historical site

    Photo from DMCI Homes website

    Calling DMCI Homes a “builder in bad faith,” Senator Pia Cayetano said she will likely recommend the filing of charges against the developer for building a condominium that ruined the site of the Luneta Park – the site where even heads of state visiting the country lay flowers and salute the monument of national hero Jose Rizal. She said she may also recommend the demolition of Torre de Manila, which is already 19 storeys into construction, since there are indications the developer pulled strings at the city government to get the permits it needed despite laws banning such developments in historical sites. She has called the DMCI structure “ang pambansang photobomb” (the worst photobomber in the country).

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  5. Are any of 8 experimental drugs the cure for Ebola?

    Some 200 health experts from around the world gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the merits of 8 experimental treatments and two vaccines against Ebola, the infectious disease which has already killed more than 1,900 in west Africa. A key issue at the Geneva conference was to determine what therapies and vaccines are in the pipeline and how rapidly they can meet the desperate need, given that “the current west African Ebola outbreak is unprecedented in size, complexity, and the strain it has imposed on health systems,” according to the World Health Organization. While WHO said “extraordinary measures” were in place to accelerate the pace of clinical trials on the drugs, it warned that new treatments were not expected to be ready for widespread use before the end of 2014.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  6. Boycott of peace summit seen as S. Africa bars the Dalai Lama’s entry

    A summit of Nobel peace laureates in South Africa may face a boycott after it was announced that Pretoria had refused to issue a visa to the Dalai Lama in a bid to avoid angering China. An aide of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader confirmed that the South African government “conveyed by phone…they will not be able to grant the visa for the reason that it would disturb relations between China and South Africa.” A spokesman for South African laureate and former archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “I have heard that if the Dalai Lama is not allowed into the country, other invited guests have said they will not come.” This is the 3rd time in 5 years that the country denied the spiritual leader entry.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  7. WHO: 1 suicide every 40 seconds an avoidable tragedy

    Calling suicide a major public health problem that must be confronted and stemmed, the World Health Organization released a report showing that one person commits suicide every 40 seconds. The study, which covered 172 countries, was released 3 weeks after the apparent suicide of Hollywood actor Robin Williams, which prompted WHO to warn that media reporting of suicide details raises the risk of copycat behavior. “It is estimated that over 800 000 people die by suicide and that there are many suicide attempts for each death,” said WHO chief Margaret Chan, who stressed that it is an avoidable tragedy that fails to grab attention because of taboos and stigma.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  8. Joan Rivers dies, but ‘she would want us to return to laughing soon’

    Joan Rivers, the caustic stand-up comic and television host who blazed a trail at a time when comedy was all but off-limits to women, died in hospital in New York. She was 81. “It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers. She passed peacefully at 1:17 pm surrounded by family and close friends,” daughter Melissa Rivers said. The actress had been in hospital since August 28, when she reportedly stopped breathing during a medical procedure on her vocal cords at a clinic in New York. “My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon,” Melissa said.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

  9. Philippine team in first FIBA win after 40 years

    Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine men’s national basketball team, finally earned a victory on the world stage when it defeated a determined Senegal team, 81-79, in overtime to close their FIBA World Cup campaign. It was the team’s first win in 40 years. Gilas captain Jimmy Alapag, who may have played his final game for the national team, scored 18 points, including 3 crucial late free throws that sealed the victory in overtime. “Congrats Gilas” topped the worldwide social media trend right after the game.

    Read the full story here. Relive the game through Rappler’s live blog, video highlights, and slideshow.

  10. Suggestive captions removed from clothing line’s billboards

    Philippine authorities have asked the advertising firm responsible for the suggestive billboards of Bench clothing line to remove at least the captions that “have sexual overtones and [are] offensive to the morals.” The advertiser immediately complied, although the captions occupied but a negligible space. The billboards showing half-naked models are still up along a major highway in Metro Manila. “We cannot afford this kind of profane language being used in billboards to go unabated because this might lead to the breakdown of the morals of the public,” said Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Francis Tolentino. He said Catholic bishops called his attention to the billboards.

    Read the full story on Rappler.

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