Maniolas

Agence France-Presse 12:32 pm | Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 GOLAN HEIGHTS–Hundreds of UN troops withdrew from the Syrian to the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan on Monday, an AFP correspondent said, two weeks after Al-Qaeda-linked rebels kidnapped dozens of peacekeepers. They crossed in a UN convoy in the afternoon into the Israeli-occupied sector, the correspondent said. The peacekeepers in the Golan Heights withdrew to the Israeli side after Syrian fighters advanced near their positions, a UN spokesman said. The armed groups posed “a direct threat to the safety and security” of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) troops, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. UNDOF monitors a 1974 ceasefire between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights. In late August, rebels on the Syrian side including Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front seized the Quneitra crossing and kidnapped more than 40 Fijian UNDOF troops, before they were released two weeks later. They also clashed with 75 Filipino members of the force, who eventually fled a nearby outpost. Dujarric said the situation on the Syrian side of the Golan “has deteriorated severely” and that “armed groups have made advances in the area of UNDOF positions”. Rebels including Al-Nusra have now taken control of most of the Syrian side of the plateau from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, a Britain-based Syria monitoring group said on Saturday. The fighting has driven thousands of Syrian families from their homes. “Clashes between government forces and the armed opposition have intensified in recent days in Quneitra governorate — in Read More …

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 8:37 am | Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 Florian Tria NEW YORK — When Filipino-American mom Florian Tria disappeared on the night of September 10 after coaching volleyball practice and being dropped off near her home in Sacramento, California, her family and friends distributed flyers, posted messages on social media and asked the public’s help in hopes of finding her. They got their wish. The 51-year-old volleyball coach for the Christian Brothers High School was found alive on Sunday night in Klamath Falls, Oregon, four days after she went missing. Police officials said there was no foul play. “Florian has been found,” said her older sister, Roseli, via text message. “[Everything is] good.” According to police officials, Tria had checked into a motel room in Klamath Falls. Her husband, Joe Broadhead, had tracked her whereabouts after he checked online and found transactions with their credit card. Broadhead then called the authorities. “It was stressful during the past few days, but we’re just very thankful that she is safe,” Freddie Esteves, a close family friend who lives with Tria and Broadhead, said on the phone while driving to Oregon Sunday night. “We’re all relieved.” Police report says that Tria was found inside her motel room. Experiencing undisclosed medical issues, she was transported to Sky Lakes Medical Center and is currently there for evaluation. Tria was reported missing after she failed to return home after coaching volleyball practice on September 10. The last time she was seen was about 8:00 Read More …

Pinoy Newsmagazine / INQUIRER.net News Partner 8:26 am | Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 Order of Knights of Rizal officers led by Filipino American Council of Chicago president, Dr. Rufino Crisostomo (middle) show off the “Terror de Manila” signs in protest of the construction of a 46-story high-rise condo that will block the sight line from the Rizal Monument in Manila. PINOY photo CHICAGO, Illinois–The call to tear down “Torre de Manila,” the proposed 46-story condominium complex that will eventually block the iconic sight line of the monument and burial ground of the Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal at the Rizal Park in Manila, has become louder with the members of the Order of the Knights of Rizal (OKOR) leading an international campaign. Resolutions “calling for the Philippine government to stop and tear down the structure” being built along Taft Avenue in Manila was passed in two recently concluded OKOR regional conferences in Florence, Italy and in Cleveland, Ohio. The fraternity’s Supreme Commander, Jeremias Singson, in his keynote addresses in both gatherings, explained the issues behind the controversy and called on his fraternity brothers to actively work against the “Terror de Manila” which “constitutes a desecration of the memory of our National Hero.” Further, the OKOR resolution strongly urged its hundreds of members in the United States and Canada regions to “call upon all Filipinos wherever they are– to rise up in protest and protect this national shrine, a symbol of our freedom and nationhood.” In Rosemont, Illinois during the Read More …