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Fa-BOO-lous Halloween celebration with your pups
Too cute to spook? Dress up your kids and pet dogs in fun and colorful costumes and take them to The Westin Manila for a Halloween lunch celebration and a Fa-BOO-lous Costume Parade on 29 October. The themed Sunday lunch buffet at Seasonal Tastes features a wickedly wonderful spread alongside premium meats, such as Australian Beef Rump, Turkey, BBQ Pork Ribs, Roasted Chicken and a variety of sausages, plus an assortment of sweets, treats and much more. Lunch is served from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Every two adults who dine at the Halloween lunch buffet are entitled to two complimentary tickets for their children to join the Kiddie Costume Soirée in the afternoon at 2 p.m. To be held in the ballroom foyer on the second level, the afternoon activity is offered to kids two to 12 years old. The program includes games, cookie decorating, costume parade, giveaways and a five-minute self-portrait shoot per child at the A Studios booth. Pet dogs are invited to the Doggie Costume Paw-ty at the Lobby Lounge veranda at 4 p.m. Tickets are sold at P1,500, good for one dog and one pet owner, and the rate is consumable on food and drinks from the A La Bark and Lobby Lounge menus. The event will include a paw-lor game and costume parade, giveaways and a five-minute photo session for each dog at the A Studios booth. Register through westinmanila@westin.com or call 8256-2020. The post Fa-BOO-lous Halloween celebration with your pups appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘I miss the sun’: Journalist detained in China issues rare message
Jailed Chinese-Australian journalist Cheng Lei has described the bleak conditions she faces in detention in a rare public message released on Thursday ahead of the third anniversary of her imprisonment by Beijing. "I miss the sun," reads the message, described as a "love letter" to Australia dictated to officials on a consular visit. "In my cell, the sunlight shines through the window but I can stand in it for only 10 hours a year." The message was shared with Australian news outlets and on the social media platform X by Cheng's partner, Nick Coyle, on Thursday evening. Cheng, a former anchor for Chinese state broadcaster CGTN, is formally charged with "supplying state secrets overseas", though no further details have been supplied. Her detention came as relations between Australia and China cratered, raising speculation it was politically motivated. Last year Coyle said he had serious concerns about a "range of health issues" Cheng faced behind bars. In Thursday's poignant message, the mother of two said she hadn't seen a tree in three years and spoke of her longing for Australia and the outside world. She said her bedding in jail was only taken out to air once a year. "When it came back last time, I wrapped myself in the doona (quilt) and pretended I was being hugged by family under the sun," the message read. "Most of all I miss my children," it ended. Cheng has been detained since August 2020 but was only formally arrested in February 2021. She was tried last March behind closed doors, with even Australia's ambassador to China blocked from entering the court to observe proceedings. The court deferred the verdict and Cheng's sentence, which could extend to life in prison. "She has missed her daughter going to high school. Her parents aren't getting any younger and Lei is their only child. So time is getting more and more precious," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Coyle as saying on Thursday. Last month Australia's foreign minister said she had again raised Cheng's case when she met China's top diplomat Wang Yi on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit in Jakarta. Ties between the two sides have been improving since the election of Australia's center-left Labor government in May last year. Last week, China announced it was removing extra tariffs on Australian barley imposed in 2020 at the height of the dispute. The post ‘I miss the sun’: Journalist detained in China issues rare message appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Telecommuters behind child abuse ring
Nineteen telecommuters have been arrested and 13 children were rescued in a child abuse ring bust by Australian police. Australian Federal Police Commander Helen Schneider said the syndicate shared encrypted child abuse material on the dark web. “The lengths this network went through to avoid detection are an indication of just how dangerous they were,” Schneider told reporters. A number of the Australian men were professionals who worked with computers for a living, police said. The ring was busted with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has already charged 79 alleged offenders in the United States. The FBI’s long-running investigation of the ring captured headlines in 2021, when its special agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were shot and killed while searching an apartment in Florida, US. WITH AFP The post Telecommuters behind child abuse ring appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Australian man charged with sex crimes against 91 young girls
An Australian former childcare worker sexually abused 91 young girls in a "chilling" spate of crimes across 15 years, police said Tuesday after charging him with 1,623 separate offenses, including rape. Seasoned detectives have described it as one of Australia's "most horrific" child sex abuse cases, with a scale of offenses "beyond the realms of anyone's imagination". "I know this news will seem unfathomable, and I know there will be many questions," said Assistant Federal Police Commissioner Justine Gough. "There is not much solace I can give to the parents and children who have been identified," she added. Included within the 1,623 charges are 136 counts of rape, 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child younger than 10 -- a charge used instead of rape in some Australian jurisdictions -- and 613 counts of making child pornography. Investigators have been hunting for the 45-year-old man since discovering a cache of child pornography photos and videos being shared on the dark web in 2014. But their efforts had been mostly fruitless until they made an unexpected breakthrough in August last year -- matching visual clues in the background of the material to a childcare center in the city of Brisbane. While the man was initially charged with just three offenses, Gough said the gravity of his "heinous" alleged crimes emerged as police sifted further through his computer and phone. Police believe the man filmed or took pictures of "all" his alleged crimes -- and eventually cataloged more than 4,000 photos and videos of abuse. New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said it was one of the most horrific cases he had ever seen. "It's beyond the realms of anyone's imagination what this person did to these children," he said. "I can only say, you try not to be shocked after a long period of time in the police, but this is a horrific case." Young girls targeted Police said the abuse happened at 10 different childcare centers between 2007 and 2022 and exclusively targeted "prepubescent girls" -- some as young as one year old. While 87 of the 91 victims were from the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales, police believed four other unidentified children were abused while the man worked overseas for a brief spell between 2013 and 2014. Police said they were now working with international crime agencies to find those children, without revealing which country they were targeting. "We have been working tirelessly since August last year to identify the children in the alleged child abuse material," Gough said. Police said the man had passed the stringent series of background checks needed to work at childcare centers in the states of Queensland and New South Wales. Queensland's Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Col Briggs said detectives had first been tipped off in 2021, but had been hamstrung by a lack of evidence. "There was insufficient evidence to take action against any person based on evidence available at the time," he said. Given the sheer volume of child abuse material that needed to be documented, a dedicated task force of about 35 staff was called in to work on the investigation. The man, who has not been named by police, is scheduled to face court in Queensland on August 21. Once those proceedings are finished, he will be extradited to New South Wales to face further charges. The post Australian man charged with sex crimes against 91 young girls appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rage vs child, women abuse
The Australian government and Unicef Philippines are expanding access to facilities for women and child survivors of violence and abuse, with the launch of new tele-Women and Child Protection Units in Kapalong and Nabunturan, Davao del Norte. The TeleWCPUs allow women and children to call or send a text message to report violence and abuse and ask questions about protection services, especially those who have no direct access to the regional hospital’s Women and Child Protection Unit. Moreover, they ensure the continuity of services, such as counseling and treatments through video calls with social workers, mental health professionals and doctors. TeleWCPUs are part of Women and Child Protection Units, where social workers, pediatric doctors and experts in child psychology examine children and women who survived all forms of abuse and violence, and assess them for further medical examination, treatments, rehabilitation, and counselling. “After the drastic disruption of services that the pandemic brought, we must now ensure that vital services such as child protection and safety continue in all communities. We need to continue the work in protecting women and children against all forms of abuse, and by bringing the tele-WCPUs closer to their communities we are ensuring to reach the under-served and marginalized,” said Unicef Philippines representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov. The post Rage vs child, women abuse appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tainted love: Misinformation drives ‘vaccine-free’ dating
In a private dating group on Facebook, Renee flaunts herself to like-minded singles as a fit, adventurous Kizomba dancer who at 35 exudes "inner child vibes." But her main draw? She is unvaccinated. The Covid-19 pandemic may have receded, but dating apps, websites and social media groups still offer to unite vaccine-hating singles who believe debunked falsehoods such as that coronavirus jabs alter DNA or cause infertility. The trend underscores how anti-vaccine sentiment has become an entrenched identity for many who willfully resist or ignore scientific assertions that inoculations saved tens of millions of lives globally when the pandemic was raging. A prospective match's vaccination status determines compatibility not just for Renee, a self-employed Australian, but for many posting in "unvaxed singles" groups that have cropped up on Facebook. Dating decisions there are driven by chemistry but not science. In one closed group breached by AFP, many listed "no jabbies" as their top dating criteria, while others cheered anti-vaccine advocates as "pure blood freedom fighters." One meme popular in the group described their ideal partner: "She's curvy, funny, intelligent, unvaccinated." It demonstrates how the pandemic turned rejecting vaccines from a personal health decision to the way "people express their personal brand," said Timothy Caulfield, a professor at the University of Alberta in Canada. "It shows how high the walls of their echo chambers are. Being anti-vaccine has become an ideological flag -- a way to demonstrate which team you belong to," Caulfield told AFP. "It is less and less about science and more and more about the values being antivax signal." 'Swipe left' According to a 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center, about half of US adults who used a dating site or app said it was important to see the vaccination status on profiles. "Why is your vaccination status such a big deal? I've even seen it listed as a 'dealbreaker' on some profiles," said a post in a dating discussion group on the online messaging board Reddit. "The profiles I see most state the following: 'if you're vaccinated then please swipe left.'" Some comments in the group referred to vaccinated singles as people carrying "biological weapons," an apparent reference to the debunked claim the vaccinated spread "super strain" variants. Vaccine falsehoods often overlap with other types of misinformation, introducing believers to those espousing the QAnon conspiracy theory and anti-LGBTQ narratives. "Studies have consistently shown that if a person is anti-vaccine – or unvaccinated – you can make a strong guess about that person's positions on a host of other issues," Caulfield said. Spreading falsehoods can also be profitable. The Florida-based Wellness Company sells a detoxification supplement that it claims counteracts the harmful effects of coronavirus jabs, destroying spike proteins to get back "that pre-Covid feeling." But experts and public health authorities told AFP's fact-checkers there is no evidence the nearly $65 supplement does that. The same company also backs a dating website for unvaccinated people called Unjected. Before being accepted, its members are required to have their "vaccination status certified by a medical professional," according to the website. In 2021, US media reported the Unjected app, dubbed as the "Tinder for anti-vaxers," was removed from Apple's App Store over Covid-19 misinformation. A slew of similar apps for unvaccinated singles are available on the Google Play Store. One such platform is called Unjabbed, whose user reviews expressed concern about bugs and phone hacking attempts after the app was downloaded. 'Tall, dark, handsome' At the height of the pandemic in 2021, conventional online dating platforms including Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid sought to boost vaccinations. As part of a White House-backed effort, many platforms allowed users to create badges displaying vaccination status, with OkCupid calling the inoculated the "new tall, dark and handsome." Users who were vaccinated or planned to be saw a spike in matches and engagement, OkCupid said in a blog, adding the "vaccine is really helping people find love." But any future inoculation drive could be jeopardized by anti-vaccine sentiment, which appears resilient even as the pandemic ebbs and travel restrictions are lifted around the world. The allure of finding an unvaccinated partner is reinforced by false social media posts sharing unfounded fears that vaccines can be "shed" or passed onto people through body fluids, threatening fertility. "The only real utility a dating platform like this could have is finding a partner that aligns with your 'medical freedom' views," Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, told AFP. "There is no clinical reason to do so." The post Tainted love: Misinformation drives ‘vaccine-free’ dating appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Australia, Unicef launch facility for survivors of abuse, violence
Expanding access to facilities for women and child victims and survivors of violence and abuse, the Australian government and the United Nations Children’s Fund Philippines launched new tele-Women and Child Protection Units in Kapalong and Nabunturan, Davao del Norte......»»
AFP intel leads to record child rescue operation in the Philippines
Editor's note: Images and audio grabs from Detective Superintendent Andrew Perkins are available via HightailThis is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and Philippine National PoliceAFP intelligence has led to 16 children in the Philippines being removed from harm by the Philippine National Police (PNP), believed to be the most child abuse.....»»
16 abused children rescued in the Philippines after Aussie police sends tip
The PNP’s rescue operation involving 16 minors is “believed to be the most child abuse victims rescued at one time” in a cross-border effort involving Australian authorities......»»
Anne Curtis moved to tears by ‘Mini Ms. U’
[caption id="attachment_153719" align="aligncenter" width="525"] ANNICA Co. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MINI MS. U[/caption] The Multimedia Superstar Anne Curtis-Smith was brought to tears by a touching interaction with a young contestant during an impromptu segment on the popular noontime show It’s Showtime on 3 July. The poignant scene also won over the “madlang people.” The Filipina-Australian actress, who is a doting mother of three-year-old Dahlia Amelie, took to twitter and expressed her admiration for the child. “Genuinely kind and pure soul,” she described the young contestant in her tweet. Curtis-Smith continued to shower praises, acknowledging the parents of the child for instilling such beautiful values in her. She said that if more people possessed the kindness and purity demonstrated by the young contestant, the world would be free from hatred and harmful words. “Imagine if we were all like this. No hatred or harmful words would exist,” the television host stated. The remarkable contestant who sparked this emotional response from Anne was Annika Co, a seven-year-old hopeful from Muntinlupa City. Annika initially impressed both the hosts and the audience with her impressive singing talent. However, it was her spontaneous acting skills that left the studio cheering and Anne in tears. Annika took on the character of Vice Ganda’s best friend during an on-the-spot acting performance with the well-known comedian. Their characters were getting ready to sing a duet on stage in the skit, when Vice Ganda started to get nervous right before the performance. She comforted Vice Ganda’s character by saying, “Who cares if the others don’t like you? I like you and everybody else does. What matters is somebody still likes you. If some people don’t like you, then it’s fine. What’s important is someone still likes you.” Annika also reminded Vice Ganda, “You shouldn’t be worrying about if you’ll be the best in the world. You have to be the best version of yourself.” Anne could be observed clapping along with the “madlang people” during this moving scene as Annika spoke her words. Anne cries caught Vice Ganda’s attention, and said, “Naiyak ako kasi (I was moved because) it was so pure na parang (that) if everyone could be as kind as this child, wala nang (there would be no) hatred sa mundo (in the world). It was so innocent and pure. So beautiful.” Annika Co ultimately won the daily title of “Mini Ms. U,” beating out two other competitors and making an impression on the audience. Recently, It’s Showtime! achieved a historic milestone on Philippine television when it made its formal premiere on the GTV Channel, a joint venture of ABS-CBN and GMA. The program is still being shown on a number of channels, such as Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, GTV, A2Z, iWantTFC and TFC. The post Anne Curtis moved to tears by ‘Mini Ms. U’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Minors rescued vs trafficking, online abuse
The local government of Taguig City reported on Wednesday that its operatives — along with other law enforcement agencies — rescued 12 minors, including 11 who were victims of human trafficking and online sexual abuse in three separate operations. Initial reports disclosed that the city government moved to assist law enforcement units for the rescue of four minors — a five-month-old baby, a three-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl, and a 14-year-old boy -- on 25 May. During the operations, authorities arrested the mother of the minors as she was pointed as the culprit behind the trafficking and online sexual abuse. The Taguig City Social Welfare Development Office assisted the National Bureau of Investigation in the rescue operation as they detained the mother for violation of the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children law, the Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention law and trafficking. To recall, the CSWDO and the Philippine National Police’s Children Protection Center in Camp Crame on 10 May saved four minors — one female and three males. It was based on the referral by the Australian Federal Police, which said an Australian national was involved in the minors’ online sexual abuse and exploitation. On 5 May, four minors — a 16-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl, and two 13-year-old girls — were rescued with the help of the Taguig Police Substation 4, the Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Committee Against Trafficking, the Philippines Against Child Trafficking, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region. The CSWDO said the rescued minors underwent medico-legal examinations and psychosocial intervention. The post Minors rescued vs trafficking, online abuse appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
WA man charged with 111 child abuse related offences
This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police and Western Australia PoliceA 70-year-old man accused of paying to see children being sexually abused live on camera is expected to appear in court today (5 August 2021) to face more than 100 criminal charges after being charged with an additional 41 offences.The Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JA.....»»
Senate bill vs. online child abuse draws international support
Rights groups, an international development organization and the Australian government on Thursday collectively urged both chambers of Congress to immediately pass a bill that would strengthen protections against online sexual abuse and the exploitation of children. .....»»
Knocking on Goliath’s Doors
Most people love a David vs. Goliath story, cheering when the underdog comes out on top, defying all odds and expectations. In all probability, part of the attraction comes from how seldom it happens. In the consumer goods corporate arena, for example, what we’ll read about more often is how some creative, forward-looking, independent enterprise is gobbled up by a multinational, or big player. So here’s something that’s different, a David calling on the Goliaths to partner with ‘him,’ to forge something collaborative, rather than adversarial or acquisitive. Founders of the Australian-based social enterprise, Thankyou, Daniel and Justine Flynn Thankyou is an Australian social enterprise founded in 2008 by a group of university students. Offering consumer products – personal care and baby product ranges – in Australia and New Zealand, their mission vision and business model is to make and distribute the Thankyou products to help end extreme poverty. As Daniel Flynn, Thankyou co-founder with his wife Justine and Jarryd Burns, reminds us, ‘With $63 trillion spent on consumer goods each year while 736 million people are stuck in extreme poverty (based on WB, OECD data), we believe that business as usual is broken. But we also believe that we, together with people and a partnership with one of the two biggest companies in the world, can change this by funneling the dollars spent on consumer goods into helping extreme poverty.” To achieve this, and drum up attention to their ‘call’ to P&G and Unilever to make and distribute Thankyou products globally; Thankyou has embarked on a global Social Media campaign, No Small Plan. The ‘plan’ is to muster enough global viral support that one of these giants will take notice, and team up with Thankyou. It’s the collective impact of voices around the world that Thankyou is asking for. To show our support, Thankyou is asking us to:– Post a photo or share the campaign social title with the caption ‘I’m in, are you?’ – Tag @proctergamble and @unilever. – Hashtag #thankyoutotheworld. – Share Thankyou’s video to help spread this even further.And you might have begun seeing these ‘I’m in, are you?’ IG posts, wondering what they were all about. A Thankyou-funded water supply & sanitation project in Asia. Thankyou will then set virtual meetings with both consumer goods giants – this to happen at the end of the social campaign. And on November 5th, Thankyou will announce which multinational will be their partner, on one of the largest and most iconic digital billboards of the world, New York City’s Time Square. It’s a daring gambit by this company that is as much social movement and engaged community, as it is distributor of consumer goods. To date, Thankyou has raised over A$17 million for their impact partners serving the world’s poorest populations. They’ve helped over 857,000 people in over 20 countries, from Asia to Africa; addressing water, health, sanitation, economic development programs, maternal and child health programs in low-income communities. Tackling extreme poverty, the supported programs and impact partners help alleviate the problems of people living on less than $1.90/day. Thankyou doing something for Education in Africa. To date, the verdict is still out on to what extent this COVID pandemic will affect the global economy. Needless to say, we can be certain that the gap between the rich and the poor will only widen, inequalities heightened. Thankyou offers a new business model, where it’s not just the CSR programs that reach out to ameliorate social ills; but that the business model itself gets a much-needed makeover. Make your voice heard if you share in Thankyou’s vision of tomorrow......»»
Aussie, Pinoy held for online child trafficking
An Australian and a Filipino alleged to be involved in online child sexual exploitation were arrested in Barangay Canitoan in this city on Thursday......»»
Cairns man charged with possessing child abuse material
The Australian Federal Police have charged a 57-year-old Cairns man with possessing child abuse material following an investigation to the alleged payment of money to the Philippines to facilitate.....»»
Pertussis or whooping cough: 40 child deaths so far this year – DOH
MANILA, Philippines — Assistant Health Secretary Albert Domingo reported on Wednesday that as of March 16 this year, some 40 children had died of whooping cough — a respiratory infection also called pertussis. An increase in new pertussis cases nationwide had been observed nationwide, with 28 cases reported from March 10 to 16. READ: What.....»»
Victims of Baltimore bridge collapse include those from Mexico, Guatemala
Maryland [US], March 27 (ANI): Among those reported missing following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the US are Mexican nationals, CNN reported, citing Rafael Laveaga, Chief of the Consular Section of Mexico's Embassy in Washington. Laveaga refrained from specifying the exact number of missing Mexican nationals when he addressed reporters near the scene on Tuesday. A reporter asked Laveaga: ".....»»
DSWD-Davao to aid disaster victims in recovery, rehab amid regionwide ECT payouts
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development-Davao Region (DSWD-Davao) reaffirmed its commitment to aid all victims of recent disasters in the Davao Region on their journey towards recovery and rehabilitation......»»
China blocks Philippine supply run in disputed waters (VIDEO)
Manilla and Beijing have traded accusations over a naval incident near the Spratly Islands Chinese patrol boats used water cannons on Saturday to disrupt an attempt by the Philippine military to deliver supplies to a reef in a disputed part of the South China Sea, where the Philippine Navy intentionally grounded a tan.....»»