Philippines

Philippine troops Wednesday rescued a kidnapped American businessman who had been chained by his neck and feet for 22 days, Philippine and U.S. officials said. Alastair Joseph Onglingswan, 35, was rescued in a house in Bacoor, south of Manila, by a government anti-kidnapping force and military intelligence agents, officials said. A suspect was arrested and was being interrogated, officials said.

Do you remember those plexiglass dollhouses that museum shops sold for a while -- brightly colored things that looked like the "Brady Bunch" house as re-imagined by a unicorn? The new Venice restaurant Sunny Spot is a little like that, a bit of Midcentury Modern on an institutional strip of Washington Boulevard in Venice with a flat roof, acres of windows and glowing, color-washed dining rooms that can't quite decide whether they're outside or in. As Beechwood, this space felt slightly generic, a loungy "Playboy After Dark" kind of place centered on its fire pit. As Sunny Spot, it booms with reggae and supports both a serious cocktail crowd and a multitude of lobster-red beer guys fresh from an afternoon on Venice Beach.

Power Shortage May Last for Years: The president of National Power Corp., the state electricity company, warned that the Philippines will experience severe power shortages until at least 1994. Pablo Malixi delivered the warning as the government extended electricity cuts in Manila to seven hours a day because of breakdowns at power stations.

Luzon and the 7,100 other Philippine islands may have extra allure with this round-trip offer from LAX to Manila for $858, including all taxes and fees, on China Airlines. It is subject to availability for departures Mondays-Thursdays between Aug. 20 and Nov. 29. There is no minimum stay, but the maximum stay is two months. The ticket must be purchased by May 20. Info: China Airlines , (800) 227-5118 Source: Airfarewatchdog

Rescue vessels and a helicopter searched the rough seas in the eastern Philippines today for a fishing boat that disappeared in foul weather with 21 people aboard, officials said. The small boat left Catanduanes island Wednesday afternoon but failed to arrive at its destination on Rapu-Rapu island, about 25 miles away, said disaster official Cedric Daep in Albay province. Navy vessels and an air force helicopter launched a search today as soon as the weather improved, the coast guard said.

Restaurant owner Lyra Quitay is blind in one eye. Her arms, chest and legs bear painful black scars and her right hand is so gnarled that it resembles a claw when she signs her name. In October 2001, a terrorist's bomb ripped through the claustrophobic downtown market where Quitay runs a tiny kitchen, instantly killing her security guard and blowing a hole in her life. The guard had gone to investigate an abandoned duck egg cart; when he opened the lid on a pot, it exploded -- ripping off his head and leaving Quitay with injuries so severe that she still wakes up crying at night.

Jason McKenney was in the Philippines this summer to visit the town of Baler, northeast of Manila. During a boat trip across the river that divides the village, he saw a boy with two kittens, one perched on his shoulder and the other on his lap. "The solemn, piercing eyes of the child can capture a viewer's attention, as if he's on guard watching for any potential threats to the kittens he's protecting," said the Torrance residence. McKenney used a Canon EOS Rebel XT.   View past photos we've featured . To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery . When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when.

Thousands of Filipinos were marooned on rooftops Friday, and officials released water from at least one large dam to keep it from collapsing as heavy rain from Tropical Depression Parma pummeled the archipelago. Hundreds of people were reported killed by flooding and landslides, bringing the death toll from two storms in the last 10 days to more than 500, Philippine authorities said. Officials said 60% of Pangasinan province, about 110 miles north of Manila, was submerged. Strong winds and rain hampered rescue efforts, grounding military helicopters and lifeboats.

Philippine prisons are better known for rats and vicious gangs than diplomatic niceties, which is why people here are angry that an American Marine convicted of rape is doing his jail time in the dignified U.S. Embassy. Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith was convicted in December 2006 of raping a 22-year-old Filipina a year earlier after they had been drinking in a bar in Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval base north of Manila.

Pastry obsessives might have an affinity for layer cakes, fruit tarts or croissants, and may even know where to score kouign amann (the caramelized Breton pastry). Filipino silvanas and Danishes by way of Taiwan are probably a taller order. How about warm Persian sangak slathered with cultured cream and honey? Or the Chilean cake brazo de reina filled with dulce de leche ? Here are some bakeries from recent Find columns at which to get your beyond-chocolate-chip-cookies fix. - Linda Burum, Miles Clements, Betty Hallock and C. Thi Nguyen Chilenazo Baker Ruben Villaruel is baking more than Chilenazo's sturdy buns - the foundation of the Chilean cafe's hefty sandwiches.

1. The closure of the U.S. Embassyin Syria and ongoing violence will limit visits to and may endanger the country's six UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Damascus and Bosra. Poland "will serve as the protecting power for U.S. interests in Syria," the State Department said. 2. The State Department's renewed travel warning for the Philippines cites Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago as special danger spots but says any gathering place, such as an airport or mall, could be a terrorist target.

The death toll from a devastating late-season storm in the southern Philippines rose Sunday to more than 700 after massive floods washed away entire villages, drowned residents who had been sleeping and swept victims out to sea, authorities said. Hundreds remained missing as beleaguered rescue workers patrolled the Philippine Sea off Mindanao Island in search of bodies. Officials attributed the rising toll from Typhoon Washi to the unlucky confluence of such factors as the absence of a flood warning, high tide, darkness and a false sense of security.

At the end of a dirt road deep in the mountains, Consolacion Acay hobbled onto her porch and picked up her tools of the trade: a glass cup, a bamboo straw, a stone the size of an apricot pit and a bottle of potion. Then she began casting spells to heal her client. "I found this stone while I was swimming near waterfalls in the middle of the island," the unassuming 86-year-old said later. "That night I had a dream that taught me how to use the stone to heal people, and I've been doing it ever since.

Jason McKenney was in the Philippines this summer to visit the town of Baler, northeast of Manila. During a boat trip across the river that divides the village, he saw a boy with two kittens, one perched on his shoulder and the other on his lap. "The solemn, piercing eyes of the child can capture a viewer's attention, as if he's on guard watching for any potential threats to the kittens he's protecting," said the Torrance residence. McKenney used a Canon EOS Rebel XT.   View past photos we've featured . To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery . When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when.

In his 17th feature, indie stalwart John Sayles sheds welcome light on a long-suppressed episode in American foreign policy. Uneven but ultimately affecting, "Amigo" looks at the Philippine-American War, an often brutal adventure in imperialism at the turn of the last century, through the story of an occupied village. Shot entirely in the Philippines, the film captures the tropical humidity as U.S. troops overtake a remote community and place its leader (Philippine star Joel Torre)

Marine Lance Cpl. Arden Joseph Buenagua knew grief at a young age. Still, his friends and family said, he remained funny, kind and an attentive older brother who was just becoming a man. He was born in San Jose to parents who came to the U.S. from the Philippines looking for a better life, said his mother, Veronica Trinidad. His parents divorced when he was young and his father moved back to the Philippines, but Arden, his two younger brothers and mother stayed in the U.S. They lived in a nice neighborhood, his mother said, a place they loved, with plenty of opportunities and lots of ways to keep a young man occupied.

The masses worshipping at his feet have never been more numerous. The media attention on his every step has never been so exhaustive. Manny Pacquiao also stands as a significant favorite to defeat Pomona's Shane Mosley in their May 7 welterweight fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Despite the overload of fuel for overconfidence, Pacquiao is in the midst of what he and those close to him say is his best training camp in years. "My first concern is train hard and give a good show," the Filipino star said Wednesday at his media-day workout at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.