Friday, February 15, 2013

Meteorite Hits Russia, Causing Panic



A meteorite plunged to earth near Chelyabinsk, over 900 miles east of Moscow. WSJ's Greg White reports that hundreds were injured by the explosion but there was no major destruction. Photo: AP

MOSCOW—A flaming meteorite plunged to earth in Russia's Ural Mountains Friday, smashing windows and injuring around 500 people.
Amateur videos broadcast on state television showed an object streaking across the sky around 9:20 a.m. local time before bursting into a fireball. Residents in the city of Chelyabinsk, the largest in the affected region, described a shock wave from the meteorite that blew in doors and smashed glass.


"There was a bright flash and three or four seconds later the building shook as if from an explosion,"
said a woman who answered the phone at the city administration but declined to give her name. "Many people were cut by glass. We didn't understand what was happening. We thought an airplane had come down."

"There's no major destruction,"
Chelyabinsk regional Governor Mikhail Yuyevich wrote on his blog. "The main task now is to maintain heat in the apartments and offices where the glass was smashed."

The Emergency Situations Ministry said around 500 people requested medical attention, mostly for cuts. Roughly 100 people were hospitalized with injuries. Around 300 buildings were damaged by the blast, which blew a hole in the walls of a metals factory in Chelyabinsk, approximately 1,500 kilometers east of Moscow.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the emergency situations minister to provide help for those affected.
Search teams are looking for the remains of the asteroid. State television showed one burning crater, saying it could be the landing site of the meteorite.

VIDEO HERE:  

PHOTO SLIDES








[NAT GEO NEWS] Local authorities stand near the possible landing zone for the meteorite hited Russia last Friday, a 20-foot hole on a frozen lake in in the Ural Mountains, Russia.
Photograph from Chelyabinsk Region Police Department/AFP/Getty Images
source: click here
special thanks to: online.wsj.com

Sunday, February 10, 2013

List of Visa-free Countries for Philippine Passport Holders


VISA-FREE COUNTRIES FOR PHILIPPINES PASSPORT HOLDERS

ASIA
Brunei - Not Required for stay up to 14 days 
Cambodia - Not Required for stay up to 21 days
Hong Kong - Not Required for stay up to 14 days
Indonesia - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Israel - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Laos - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 30 days
Macau - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Malaysia - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Maldives - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 30 days
Myanmar - Visa can be obtained upon arrival with pre-approval letter required
Nepal - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 150 days
Palestine - Not Required for undefined number of days
Singapore - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Sri Lanka - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 30 days
Thailand - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Timor Leste - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up-to 30 days
Vietnam - Not Required for stay up to 21 days

SOUTH AMERICA
Brazil - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Bolivia - Not Required for stay up to 59 days
Colombia - Not Required for stay up to 180 days
Costa Rica - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Ecuador - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Grenada - Visa can be obtained upon arrival
Haiti - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Montserrat - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Peru - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Suriname - Not Required for stay up to 90 days

AFRICA
Cape Verde - Visa can be issued upon arrival
Central African Republic - Not Required for stay up to 7 days
Comoros - Visa can be obtained upon arrival
Djibouti - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 1 month
Eritrea - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Ethiopia - Visa can be issued upon arrival
Madagascar - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 90 days
Mauritius - Not Required for stay up to 60 days
Morocco - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Seychelles - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Somalia - Not Required for stay up to 21 days
Togo - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 10 days at Lome airport
Zambia - Visa can be obtained upon arrival

PACIFIC ISLANDS
Cook Islands - Not Required for stay up to 31 days
Fiji - Not Required for stay up to 120 days
Micronesia - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Nauru - Visa can be obtained upon arrival
Nieu - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Palau - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 30 days
Pitcairn Islands - Not Required for stay up to 14 days
Samoa - Not Required for stay up to 60 days
Tuvalu - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 30 days
Vanuatu - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 30 days

EUROPE

Andorra - Not Required but only accessible via Spain or France that require visa.
Azerbaijan - Visa can be obtained upon arrival up to 30 days
Kosovo - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Liechtenstein - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
San Marino - Not Required for stay up to 21 days

This data is updated as of February 2012. Visa requirements may change in the future so it is advisable to double check also before making your travel arrangements. You would also need to check whether a transit visa will be needed if you will travel through countries that require visas for Philippine passport holders. For those territories where you can get your visa upon arrival, make sure to check the required documents prior to arranging the trip.


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