Indonesian volcano unleashes new powerful eruption

MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia — Indonesia's deadly volcano has unleashed another powerful eruption, spewing out towering clouds of hot ash. There were no immediate reports of new casualties or damage.

Heat Beats Nets' ; Ends unbeaten start with easy victory 101-78

James scored 20 points, CBosh and DWade were close behind, and the Heat ended the Nets unbeaten start with a 101-78 win on Sunday.

Bosh finished with 18 points and Wade added 17, both getting most of them in Miami's dominant first half before sitting out the fourth quarter. James played a little of the final period and added seven rebounds and seven assists.

Patuloy na paglakas ng piso kontra dolyar ikinabahala ng ilang kongresista

MANILA – Iminungkahi sa pamahalaan ng dalawang kongresista na pag-aralan na ang magiging negatibong epekto sa ekonomiya ng patuloy na paglakas ng piso kontra sa dolyar.

Kabilang sa pinuna ni Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles ang magiging epekto ng paglakas ng pisa sa dollar reserve at ipinapadalang remmitances ng mga overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).


Bukod sa mga OFWs at pamilya nila, idinagdag ni Nograles na tiyak na may masamang epekto ang paglakas ng piso sa export sector na nagbibigay ng kontribusyon sa ekonomiya na umaabot sa $4.7 bilyon bawat taon.

Maging ang Business Process Outsourcing(BPO) industry, o mga call centers na nagpapasok ng $7 bilyong kita bawat taon ay maaapektuhan ng paglakas ng piso laban sa dolyar, ayon sa kinatawan ng Davao City.

“I think the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) should pay a very close attention to this upward trend because many key industries are at stake. This early, the BSP should already figure out possible solutions on problems arising from the continuing escalation of the Philippine peso, " payo niya.

Nitong Biyernes, nagsara ang palitan ng piso laban sa doryar na P43.010-$1.

Maging si Kasangga party-list Rep. Teodorico Haresco, ay naniniwala na hindi lubos na magandang balita ang dala ng paglakas ng piso laban sa dolyar pagdating sa usapin ng ekonomiya.

Bleak Xmas: DOLE allows layoff of 3,000 PAL workers

A bleak Christmas awaits some 3,000 employees of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) upheld its earlier decision allowing the national flag-carrier’s mass layoff. 

The decision came even as PAL’S employees’ union argued that the mass retrenchment is illegal and a form of "union-busting," and not for cost-cutting as claimed by the PAL management. 

Referring to the act that came on the eve of All Souls’ Day, union leader Gerry Rivera said the vacated jobs will become "zombie positions" filled by non-unionized contractuals who "will have cheaper wages, less benefits, no security of tenure and no protection by a union." 

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz ordered last Friday that the department is affirming its March 2010 decision to allow the retrenchment, which is expected to cut PAL’s workforceto 4,000. 

According to a report over GMA News’ “24 Oras Weekend," the department’s order stated it is a “management prerogative" if PAL decides to drop its employees as it plans to close down at least three of its departments. 



In her decision, Baldoz, in effect, denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA), the PAL ground crew union, and affirmed the previous order by then Acting Labor secretary. Romeo Lagman. 

Mail bomb found in Dubai sent on passenger planes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – One of two powerful bombs mailed from Yemen to Chicago-area synagogues traveled on two passenger planes within the Middle East, a spokesman for Qatar Airways said Sunday. The U.S. said the plot bears the hallmarks of al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen.


The airline spokesman said a package containing explosives hidden in a printer cartridge arrived in Qatar Airways' hub in Doha, Qatar on one of the carrier's flights from the Yemeni capital San'a. It was then shipped on a separate Qatar Airways plane to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where it was discovered by authorities late Thursday or early Friday. A second, similar package turned up in England on Friday.

The airline spokesman disclosed the information on condition of anonymity in line with the company's standing policies on conversations with the media. He did not give any timeframe for the two flights in question.

In Washington, President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser said Sunday that authorities "have to presume" there might be more potential mail bombs like the ones pulled from planes in England and the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen is suspected of mailing the bombs. The group was behind a failed bombing on a Detroit-bound airliner last Christmas that bore some of the same hallmarks as this plot.

India: Land of many cell phones, fewer toilets

MUMBAI, India – The Mumbai slum of Rafiq Nagar has no clean water for its shacks made of ripped tarp and bamboo. No garbage pickup along the rocky, pocked earth that serves as a road. No power except from haphazard cables strung overhead illegally.

And not a single toilet or latrine for its 10,000 people.

Yet nearly every destitute family in the slum has a cell phone. Some have three.

When U.S. President Barack Obama visits India Nov. 6, he will find a country of startlingly uneven development and perplexing disparities, where more people have cell phones than access to a toilet, according to the United Nations.



The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

It is a country buoyed by a vibrant business world of call centers and software developers, but hamstrung by a bloated, corrupt government that has failed to deliver the barest of services.

Its estimated growth rate of 8.5 percent a year is among the highest in the world, but its roads are crumbling.

It offers cheap, world-class medical care to Western tourists at private hospitals, yet has some of the worst child mortality and maternal death rates outside sub-Saharan Africa.

And while tens of millions have benefited from India's rise, many more remain mired in some of the worst poverty in the world.

Businessman Mukesh Ambani, the world's fourth-richest person, is just finishing off a new $1 billion skyscraper-house in Mumbai with 27 floors and three helipads, touted as the most expensive home on earth. Yet farmers still live in shacks of mud and cow dung.

The cell phone frenzy bridges all worlds. Cell phones are sold amid the Calvin Klein and Clinique stores under the soaring atriums of India's new malls, and in the crowded markets of its working-class neighborhoods. Bare shops in the slums sell pre-paid cards for as little as 20 cents next to packets of chewing tobacco, while street hawkers peddle car chargers at traffic lights.

DOLE warns recruiters vs passing on insurance costs to OFWs

Labor officials sternly reminded recruitment firms Wednesday against passing on to prospective overseas Filipino workers the cost of their mandatory insurance coverage.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is already monitoring potential violators.

"The insurance coverage shall be effective for the duration of the worker’s employment contract and shall at least cover the benefits provided for by the Omnibus Rules and Regulations Implementing Republic Act 8042 as amended by R.A. 10022," DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in an article posted on the DOLE website. 

She added POEA under Administrator Jennifer Manalili has vowed to strictly monitor agencies trying to circumvent the law. 

Few days that last for 20 yrs: Tale of Pinoy’s feat in Dubai

Jijie Zablan, an industrial engineering graduate, came to the United Arab Emirates 20 years ago as a tourist, upon the invitation of her friend to spend a few days there. Little did she know that the “few days" would wind up to a full 20 years.

She had been to countries like the US before coming to the UAE. But life in Dubai has charmed her so much that she decided to stay.

“Back then there was talk of free zones, large airports and the like," she said. “Large tracts of land in Dubai and Sharjah were barren," she added. 

Dubai OFW gets 3 mos. in jail on stolen money

A 23-year old Filipino cleaner in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been sentenced to three months in jail for possession of 15,000 euros (P901,885) stolen by his two work colleagues.

The sentence was handed down on Thursday by the Court of First Instance in Dubai, according to UAE-based news site Khaleej Times.

The other two people involved in the crime — a driver and an office boy, both Sri Lankan — were charged with theft of 20,000 euros (P1.202 million) and Dh265,000 (P3.106 million) from their workplace.

Rain expected on All Saints’ Day - PAGASA

MANILA, Philippines – People going to cemeteries to visit the tombs of their loved ones on All Saints’ Day should bring umbrellas, the weather bureau said Sunday.

The Intertropical Convergence Zone affecting the country will bring scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms in eastern and southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. 

'No terror threats against RP for now'

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Even if there is no direct threat, local intelligence authorities are on their toes closely monitoring the country’s security amid the discovery of suspicious packages bound for the United States.

In an interview with radio dzRB, Presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said there is no direct threat to the country “but our intelligence authorities are monitoring.”

Woman gives birth in LRT coach

MANILA, Philippines - A 23-year-old woman gave birth in an Light Rail Transit (LRT) coach in Manila on Saturday morning.

Geraldine Mahinay was with her brother-in-law when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy inside an LRT coach at the Pedro Gil station.

A radio dzMM report said that Mahinay came from Parañaque City and was rushing to the Dr. Jose Favella Memorial Hospital in Sta. Cruz district.

Guards at the Pedro Gil station immediately brought the mother and the baby boy to the Philippine General Hospital. -- Report from Henry Atuelan, radio dzMM

OFW groups want HK labor attaché recalled

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino migrant groups in Hong Kong are demanding the recall of a labor attaché for allegedly insulting and neglecting a distressed Pinay worker.

Migrante and the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL) want Labor Attache Romulo Salud fired from the Philippine Consulate for his alleged callous treatment of OFW Agnes Tenorio.

Tenorio sought the help of the Philippine Consulate after her contract was illegally terminated by her Hong Kong employer.

“Kaninang umaga nagkaroon ng press con yung UNIFIL Migrante HK para ilantad yung ginawa sa kanya ni Labatt (Labor attaché) Salud,” said Gina Esguerra, secretary-general of Migrante International.

Based on the statement of the 29-year-old OFW from Bulacan, she came to Hong Kong on September 23, 2010. Five days later, her agency brought her to her employer’s residence where she was told to clean 3 rooms and 2 toilets.

After 2 hours, she was told by her employer to pack her things and was forced to sign a blank paper which she refused.

“Iniharap pa ako sa isang video camera at pinipilit akong magsabi na 'the house is very big, I cannot do the work.' Tumanggi din akong magsalita at umiiyak na ako,” Tenorio said.

The OFW said Salud had asked her what she wanted to do. She said she initially asked for a return ticket and her debts with the agency canceled. However, she changed her mind after a volunteer at the Mission for Migrant Workers explained to her rights to her.

Tenorio told Salud of her plan to remain in Hong Kong to file a labor case against her agency and employer, which the labor attaché reportedly did not like.

Rose's 39 lift Bulls past Pistons, 101-91

Posted Oct 31 2010 12:18AM

CHICAGO (AP) Fans chanted ``MVP! MVP!'' for Derrick Rose on Saturday night, and it probably won't be the last time he hears it.

Rose matched a career high with 39 points, helping the Chicago Bulls stage a big rally in a 101-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

``I'm just taking the shots that they gave me,'' said Rose, who was 13-of-27 from the field. ``They're giving me wide open shots. I'm going to take them. They're giving me wide open lanes, I'm going to drive it. My teammates gave me the confidence to do that.''

Chicago trailed by 21 early in the third quarter and was still down 86-73 about three minutes into the fourth when it went on a 19-2 run to pull out a dramatic win in the home opener. Rose led the way, scoring eight in the final period, but he had help.

EU NAVFOR: Somali pirates seize tanker with 16 Pinoys

Somali pirates seized on Saturday a Panama-flagged tanker with at least 16 Filipinos onboard, European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) said this weekend.

According to EU NAVFOR, the 16 Filipinos were among a crew of 24 serving aboard the Liberian-owned m/v Polar.

“The m/v Polar, deadweight 72,825 tons, has a crew of 24, of which 1 is Romanian, 3 are Greek, 4 Montenegrin, and 16 Filipino," it said.

EU NAVFOR said the attack occurred some 580 nautical miles (or almost 1,100 kilometers) east of Socotra island in the Indian Ocean.

AJ Banal wins by disqualification over Perez

source: Dong Secuya | philboxing.com

CEBU CITY – A vicious right cross thrown by Nicaraguan and former two time world champion Luis Alberto Perez hit AJ 'Bazooka' Banal...

... squarely in the head just as the referee separated both combatants at 1:47 in the 7th round that sent Banal sprawling in the canvas could not continue to fight resulting Referee Ver Abainza to declare Banal the winner by disqualification in an unexpected ending of the otherwise exciting fight at the Waterfront Hotel & Casino here Saturday night.

The judges' scores were 59-55, 59-55, 60-54 after the completed six rounds. Philboxing had it 60-54 with Banal winning all rounds.

OFW Guide: Implementation Of Expanded OFW Protection To Start This Month

OFW Guide: Implementation Of Expanded OFW Protection To Start This Month

Scam Alert:Don't Be A Victim: The Balikbayan Box Scam

Aside from remittances, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) love to send packages, fondly called by others as balikbayan box. It is common for the family or friends of an OFW to receive huge boxes containing goods such as chocolates, clothes, toys, jewelries, appliances, etc. It is usually sent when there are special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and during the holiday season.

One of the most crucial decisions Filipinos abroad make in sending balikbayan boxes to thePhilippines is choosing a freight forwarder. There are various methods on how to send it and of course the cost differs. One thing that is sure though is the fact that cargo services are not cheap.

However despite the high cost of their services, there can be cases when a cargo company will not be able to deliver the package on time or there will be missing or broken items. In fact there are cases of balikbayan boxes not being delivered at all. So it pays to be choosy when it comes to balikbayan box companies. There may be a lot of cargo forwarders that an OFW can choose from, but the question is -- can you trust them?

Here are some tips for you to check if the freight forwarding companies are legitimate:

The freight forwarding company should have a licensed and is registered with the government. To check the status of a freight company, you can visit the website of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) website to check if they have an Ocean Transport Intermediaries (OTI) license.

The FMC is an independent federal agency that is tasked to regulate oceanborne transportation in the foreign commerce of America. However, since it is a US agency, it only monitors certain activities of international shipping lines, marine terminals operators and ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs) that operate in the U.S. foreign commerce. So even if it is a legitimatefreight forwarding company, it is possible for you not to find them in the FMC list.

If you do not see the freight forwarding company in the FMC website, you can then inquire at the Department of Trade of Industry because it should have at least one storage office in the country. You can also check at the Philippine Shippers' Bureau, the agency where freightforwarders get an accreditation. Their contact details are provided below:

Philippine Shippers' Bureau
Department of Trade and Industry
5F Trade and Industry Building
361 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City
Tel. nos.: (6-32)751-0384 local 2512/2513; (6-32)751-3304; (6-32)890-4892
Fax No.: (6-32)751-3305
e-mail: psb@dti.dti.gov.ph

Do a little research by checking the background of the company such as their profile and history. You can search the internet for some feedbacks/testimonials regarding their services. You may also discover if the company has many customer complaints.

Take note of the contact details of the company you are dealing with. They should have an office so know their company address, telephone numbers, etc. You should also have a contact person that you can call in case you want to inquire about the delivery of your package.

You can also ask for the opinion /advice of other OFWs. It is best to ask for an advice of people than be lured by the commercial advertisements. Ask your colleague about their experience with a certain cargo company or ask them to recommend a company that delivers quality service.

When you pay for the cargo services, always ask for an official receipt because this is your proof that they have receive money from you. Keep the official receipt as you may need it later on.

Inmate kills Filipina prison nurse

CALIFORNIA – A 55-year-old Filipina nurse died 3 days after an inmate at the Contra Costa County Prison attacked her.

Prison nurse Cynthia Barraca Palomata was struck in the head with a table lamp by 34-year-old inmate Aaron Nygaard. The inmate was in prison on burglary charges.

Nygaard has been charged with the murder of Palomata.

The native of Nabas, Aklan had worked as a nurse for 20 years. Palomata started providing care to inmates in 2005.

According to Zenei Cortez, president of the California Nurses Association (CNA), many nurses and even other healthcare workers deployed in correctional facilities are really at risk of being victims of violence.

“Statistics have shown that over 2 million cases set forth by the labor department say that 49% of those occur in the healthcare setting. So our nurses are really at risk and so are our other healthcare workers,” said Cortez.

Cortez said the CNA has called for better protection of nurses and healthcare workers.

“We have called on the county for several years now to better protect our nurses and also the other healthcare workers and in fact in 2008, we have suggested that they report every incident to the state. But apparently, all of our requests and our demands have been left unanswered,” she said.

She added that Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi from the 18th District has pledged to author a bill to “strengthen the language regarding protection for our healthcare workers and our nurses”.

Cortez cited a law in 1993 which only applies to acute care hospitals. She said Hayashi’s bill will include correctional facilities. Balitang America

UPDATE:gang rape of Pinays in UAE

E-mail claiming gang rape of Pinays in UAE a hoax: report

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – The video showing an alleged injured Filipina gang rape victim in United Arab Emirates (UAE) is spreading on the Internet and social networking site Facebook, yet an online report noted that the e-mail pertaining to the incident is a hoax.

Quoting officials from the Philippine embassy, the online version of Abu Dhabi Media Company’s “The National” reported on February 28 that the contents of the e-mail were false and unverified.
The controversial e-mail claimed that 2 Filipinas were gang-raped by Pakistanis behind the Marina Mall last February 20. One of them reportedly died, while the other was being treated at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.
The source of the information was purportedly a female staff member at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.
“We had this investigated and there’s no such incident… There’s no one at Sheikh Khalifa or in the morgue,” Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz said in an article written by Ramona Ruiz.
The e-mail also claimed that 2 other Filipinas were raped last January in Musaffah, “The National” reported.
Warning to women
“The National” reported that the writer of the e-mail even called on Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Grace Princesa and Fr. Troy de los Santos from St. Joseph’s Cathedral “to emphasize awareness and vigilance among overseas Filipino workers in Abu Dhabi.”
Princesa, according to the report, maintained that the contents of the e-mail were “based on hearsay.”
Cruz told “The National” that even if the e-mail writer’s intention to warn women to be careful was “clear and good,” he said “one should not send a report if it is unverified.”
A Migrante official, UAE branch Secretary-General Nhel Morona, also told “The National” that he replied to the e-mail sender who identified himself as “Edgar.”
“I told him that our group would like to help our two compatriots and their families,” Morona told the UAE newspaper. “He told me that it was a police case and that it would be difficult to get information due to security reasons. But he promised to forward more information to me.”
Morona said “Edgar” did not reply when he asked for the name and contact details of the female hospital staff member, the alleged source of the information on the gang rape incident.
“We wanted to conduct our own investigation,” he added. “Since I’ve not received a reply from ‘Edgar’, we consider this a hoax e-mail,” he said.
John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, added: “First things first: verification and conducting a thorough investigation by the RP posts officials. And from its findings, the RP post must act swiftly. If it’s true, then the alleged Pakistani suspects must be hunted down and file an appropriate criminal case against them.”
Video
Months after "The National" article came out, the video showing the purported injured Filipina gang rape victim in UAE is fast circulating online.
The viral video, titled “pls help spread the video pr makarating s kinauukulan,” showed a woman who had deep cuts on her face and body being attended to by a hospital’s medical staff. It has been removed from YouTube due to terms of use violation.
The woman was allegedly a Filipina working in Abu Dhabi. She and another Filipina were purportedly drunk and were about to go home from a party when the crime happened.
They allegedly hailed a taxi driven by a Pakistani then fell asleep inside the cab. The driver allegedly called up his friends and brought the victims to an undisclosed location where they took turns in raping the Filipinos.
The suspects then used a sharp object to slash the victims’ face and body. One of the Filipinas died on the spot, while the other reportedly escaped. She ended up in the hospital and died 3 days later.

’ Pinay maid ‘rescued’ from employers in UAE: TORTURED

A 28-year-old Filipina worker in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was “rescued” after allegedly being assaulted by her Egyptian employers, a UEA-based news site reported.

Philippine Consul-General Benito Valeriano instructed the Labor Attache to investigate the alleged assault on Renelyn Balba Boco.

News site Khaleej Times on Thursday reported that Boco escaped from her employers and sought the help of their neighbor on the fifth floor of the building at 10 a.m. last October 23.

Her face, chest, back and ears bore bruises and cuts, the report said.

The neighbors, who was not identified in the police complaint, called 999 when they saw the physical condition of Boco and reported the abuse.

Valeriano ordered a thorough investigation after the Bur Dubai Police informed the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Monday afternoon that the employers made a counter-charge against Boco.

The Khaleej Times report said Dubai Police confirmed they received the maid’s complaint on October 23, after which they rushed to her sponsor’s house and took him to the Bur Dubai police station.

The Egyptian sponsor and wife were referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution and released on bail.

‘Treated like an animal’

“A few minutes before the Bur Dubai police arrived, my employers came back to the house but I refused to go back to their flat. My sponsor tried to convince me to return to their flat but I refused. Then the police and the ambulance arrived and took me to Rashid Hospital,” Boco was quoted as saying in the report.

Boco, who said she had been working without salary for six months, alleged that she had been “treated like an animal.”

She said at times, her lady employer would force her to eat biscuits lying on the floor and lick the woman’s shoes clean.

An ambulance staff rang the Welfare Office at the Philippine Consulate and reported the condition of Boco who was at the hospital.

Welfare Officer Mary Cyd Cimangan took her from the hospital to the Bur Dubai police station to lodge 
her complaint.

Labor Attache Amilbahar Amilhassan, citing Boco’s complaint, said her sponsor’s wife forced her to eat sand mixed with fertilizers from the planter boxes twice, sleep in the toilet, cut her hair short to make her look like a man and hit her.

“My sponsor would also beat me with his belt, slippers and shoes. My madam will ride on my back while twisting my arm and hitting my head with any object,” Boco said. “I have lumps in both my breasts. My employer only gave me a slice of bread and noodles as a meal during the day. I worked without salary for six months,” she alleged.

During police interrogation, the Egyptian man and his wife confessed they had beaten up the maid but claimed Boco beat up and hurt their children.

They denied allegations that they tortured, abused and maltreated her, and that they did not pay her salary. They said the maid was telling lies.

Police said the maid had presented a medical report, which showed that she had been beaten up, but the husband and wife had also lodged a complaint against the maid and presented a medical report that she had beaten up the children.

British national Liza Kingsley, benefactor of the Filipino Workers Resource Center where Boco is now staying, told Amilhassan she would provide free legal services to Boco. — RSJ, GMANews.TV

Wade leads Miami Big 3 in rout of Magic

source: The Associated Press
http://www.rnhalawi.com/2010/10/wade-leads-miami-big-3-in-rout-of.html


MIAMI (AP) – LeBron James stayed fairly quiet when the Orlando Magic questioned his competitiveness this summer.

James and his new team presented an emphatic response Friday night.

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points in Miami's home opener, James had 15 points and seven assists and the Heat scored the first 14 points of the second half to turn a close game into a surprisingly one-sided 96-70 victory over the Magic.

The Heat earned their sixth win over the Magic in their last 21 meetings. Of course, all the previous ones were before Wade, James and Chris Bosh teamed up in Miami.

And if this game was the measuring stick to see how the Heat are coming together, the result had to be an enjoyable one for Miami's Big 3. The Heat held Orlando to its lowest point total since Dec. 2, 2005.

When the Heat acquired James this summer, Magic president of basketball operations Otis Smith uttered a now-infamous-in-Miami line: "I was surprised that he went. I thought he was, I guess, more of a competitor."

They competed, all right, from start to finish.

It didn't take long for the trio to provide their first highlight: Bosh grabbed a rebound at one end, passed near midcourt to James, who took one dribble and found Wade for an alley-oop dunk.

They were just getting started.

Dwight Howard scored all 19 of his points in the first half for Orlando, then fouled out midway through the fourth quarter. Reserve Ryan Anderson scored 12 for the Magic, who got 10 from Jameer Nelson.

Miami's starters — with no points from Joel Anthony — outscored Orlando's first five 59-37.

The first half was fairly back-and-forth with eight lead changes and seven ties, neither team going up by more than nine.

That changed quickly coming out of intermission.


James hit a 3-pointer to open the second half, Wade connected on two more 3s within a 51-second span, and suddenly Miami's lead was up to 60-45. Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy called timeout, and that didn't change anything — James' jumper about a minute later pushed the cushion to 20.

And that, mind you, was against an Orlando team that cruised to a 29-point win over Washington on Thursday night. For a team with no shortage of offensive options, the Magic were icy cold against the Heat.

Vince Carter played just 13 minutes, banging his head and hip on the floor while jostling for a rebound in the second quarter and finishing with four points. Orlando's starting forwards — former Heat starter Quentin Richardson and Rashard Lewis — combined for four points and missed all 14 of their field-goal tries. J.J. Redick left for a few minutes in the first half after drawing a charge against James with the right side of his face, which was cut and puffy.

Van Gundy wanted no part of the hyperbole surrounding Magic-Heat I — at least for this season — before the game, and certainly didn't want to embrace it afterward.

"After listening to you guys for two days I said to the coaches, 'The great thing is it's the shortest season on record. This is it. Championship game tonight. The winner wins it and we go home. Season is over either way,'" Van Gundy said before the game."It's like the NBA finals here atmosphere-wise. It's Game 2 for us, Game 3 for them guys."

It was over after the third quarter, Miami's best period in all three games so far. The Heat have outscored foes 86-41 in that quarter through the season's first week.

OFW sa Qatar humihingi ng tulong

Mahigit 50 na OFW ang tatrabaho sa Growtech Trading and Industrial Group LLC ang humingi ng tulong sa Philippine Labor Office dito sa Qatar dahil sa hindi pag bigay ng sahod sa loob ng dalawang buwan at halos 4 na buwang overtime pay.Ayun sa mga empleyado nag aalala sila sa kanilang pamilya sa pilipinas dahil lahat sila ay umaasa lamang sa kanilang padala.

Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia

A Filipina charged with illegal possession of drugs has been sentenced to death in Indonesia, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday.

The Filipina, whose identity the DFA has not yet disclosed, was meted the death penalty by a lower court in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta province on October 11 despite a petition for life imprisonment from the state prosecutor.

On April 25 this year, the Filipina was arrested at the Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta by local customs and excise authorities.

The Filipina was reportedly attempting to smuggle 2.6 kilograms of heroin through the airport’s international arrivals terminal.

The Philippine Embassy in Jakarta is working with the Filipina’s lawyer to file an appeal, said the DFA.

The embassy is also extending assistance to the Filipina through jail visitations while the DFA’s migrant workers office maintains contact with her relatives in the Philippines.

“We warn our countrymen from carrying drugs when traveling overseas,” said DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos, noting that other countries often impose very stiff penalties on anyone caught with illegal drugs.

In China, for instance, 75 Filipinos — most of them women — have been sentenced to death for drug smuggling, he said.

Drug trafficking of 50 grams or more of illegal drugs is punishable by life imprisonment or death in China.

In Muslim countries, where a number of Filipinos are also detained for drug-related crimes, Shariah law holds that drug trafficking is punishable by death.

Conejos warned Filipinos planning to travel abroad “not to accept packages which they suspect contain drugs, and also to be wary of the modus operandi being used by drug-trafficking syndicates.”

The DFA has instructed the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to double its efforts as more Filipinas are caught being used as drug mules.

“The country is doing everything to arrest the drug menace, and with the cooperation of all, we hope that we can eradicate it once and for all,” said Conejos.

Still, Filipinos should “take full responsibility for their actions by always being on guard,” he added. – with Larissa Mae Suarez, VVP, GMANews.TV