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Rapper Range999 admits to shooting foreigner for being ‘bastos’ to female friends
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu – Rapper-singer Jed Andrew Salera has admitted to shooting a foreign national inside a hotel compound in Cebu City’s early on Sunday morning. Salera, who goes by he professional name “Range999,” said he was angry that Michael George Richey was disrespectful to his female friends and even touched their butts. “Kay katong.....»»
Shooting: Angry man shoots debt collector in San Fernando
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A furious 76-year-old man from San Fernando town, southern Cebu shot the lady collector of his lending business for neglecting her job. The man whom witnesses said was angered by the apparent negligence of his collector who was seen engaging in a drinking spree, also attempted to kill himself on Monday.....»»
Balamban: Man, who did not like soup served on him, burns house down
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 39-year-old man, who was angry because he was not satisfied with how the boiled pork soup (linat-ang baboy) that was served to him was cooked, set his house on fire and burned it down. The incident happened last Sunday, December 17, in Sitio Sam-ang, Barangay Pondol, Balamban town in western.....»»
Toledo stabbing attack leaves father, daughter dead, and a woman wounded
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A man, who was angry at being barred from entering the house of the young woman whom he was trying to woo, barged into the young woman’s house early this morning and killed her, her father and left the dead victims’ female friend wounded. The killing happened at past 4 a.m......»»
Acapulco hurricane survivors still struggling to get word to loved ones
Andrea Fernandez, who is eight months pregnant, is distraught, unable to let her husband in another state know that she is fine after Hurricane Otis devastated the scenic resort of Acapulco, on Mexico's Pacific coast, leaving at least 27 dead. But "there is no (cellular) service. I haven't been able to communicate for three days," she said, jostling on a bridge with about 20 others keen to make a call or text to let loved ones know that they are well. "I'm desperate," she said through tears. This picturesque tourist haunt, which lured Hollywood stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley in the 1950s and '60s, is now a bustling city of 780,000 people, living in high-rises and houses on hills and mountains. But it had never experienced a Category 5 hurricane like Otis which -- in a single day -- killed at least 39 people and made local landmarks built over decades look like they had been bombed. Cell phones intermittently pick up signals in some parts of the port, but the situation is hit or miss. One local woman could be overheard telling her loved ones: "There is no way to get out of here! I'll talk to you again when I can. Everything here is gone. It's horrible." Some disgruntled survivors have told local media they were angry to hear tourists were taken to safe places to ride out the storm -- in sharp contrast to the population as a whole. At one point, some tourists keen to contact kin approached journalists on the port's main avenue, Costera Miguel Aleman, asking them to pass on details of a sick person who needed to be evacuated from a damaged building. Francisco Perez, 50, is desperate to get word to his mother. He has accused the authorities of a grossly inadequate response to the devastation Otis wrought. "(They put) some portable (phone) antennas at a couple of places, but... what are we supposed to do?" he asked angrily, as people's focus began turning to the lack of reliable water and food. Otis strengthened with dramatic speed, growing in just hours from a tropical storm to the most powerful category of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale before hitting land early Wednesday. The World Meteorological Organization described the hurricane as "one of the most rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones on record," exceeded in modern times only by another Pacific hurricane, Patricia, in 2015. The speed with which Otis intensified took the government and weather forecasters by surprise, leaving little time to issue warnings and prepare residents for its arrival. The post Acapulco hurricane survivors still struggling to get word to loved ones appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Netanyahu says Israel ‘preparing’ Gaza ground war
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel is readying a ground war in Gaza, pressing ahead with plans that have troubled allies and threaten to worsen an already cascading humanitarian crisis. Facing ever-louder international calls to temper Israel's ferocious 19-day bombing campaign in the Hamas-controlled territory, Netanyahu delivered a nationally televised address. He told fellow Israelis still grieving and angry after Hamas's bloody attacks: "We are in the midst of a campaign for our existence," while insisting Israel will decide how the war is prosecuted. On 7 October, throngs of Hamas gunmen poured from Gaza into Israel, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 222 more, according to official tallies. US President Joe Biden is among the foreign leaders stepping up public calls for Israel to "protect innocent civilians" and to follow the "laws of war" as it pursues Hamas targets. Thousands of Gazans are already believed to have died in Israel's aerial assault, with the toll expected to rise substantially if tens of thousands of Israeli troops massed around Gaza move in. Biden on Wednesday said he had privately suggested Israel should get hostages out if possible before any ground invasion. "It's their decision, but I did not demand it", Biden said, as he called on Congress to allocate more money for Israeli defense. Speaking in Cairo, French President Emmanuel Macron warned: "A massive intervention that would put civilian lives at risk would be an error." But boasting of "raining down hellfire on Hamas" and killing "thousands of terrorists", Netanyahu said his war cabinet and the military would determine the timing of a "ground offensive" to "eliminate Hamas" and "bring our captives home." "I will not detail when, how, or how many," he said. 'It's a massacre' Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry puts the number of Palestinian deaths at 6,500, including many children and 700 people killed in a single 24-hour window this week. AFP could not independently verify the ministry's claims, and US President Biden has stated he has "no confidence" in the Hamas ministry figures. While the exact toll from the war in Gaza is unclear, the depth of the suffering is not in question. Entire neighborhoods have been razed, overflowing hospitals carry out procedures without anesthetic, and residents have been forced to use ice cream trucks as makeshift morgues. "They're not waging war on Hamas, they're waging war on children," raged Abu Ali Zaarab, after his family home was bombed in the southern town of Rafah. "It's a massacre." About 1.4 million people -- more than half the population -- have been displaced, according to the United Nations. The UN says 12 of the territory's 35 hospitals have closed due to damage or insufficient fuel, and a key UN aid agency serving almost 600,000 Palestinians "began to significantly reduce its operations." Israel has cut off Gaza's normal supply corridors for water, food, and other necessities, and fewer than 70 relief trucks have entered the impoverished territory since the war began. None contained fuel, which Israel fears Hamas will use for rockets and explosives. Aid agencies have warned that more people will die if medical equipment, water desalination plants, and ambulances stop operating because of a lack of fuel. Once the generators stop, hospitals will "turn into morgues", the Red Cross has warned. Hospitals are also struggling with a shortage of medicines and equipment. "There's not enough anesthetic," said Ahmad Abdul Hadi, an orthopedic surgeon working at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. "The wounded are in severe pain but we can't wait for the procedure, so we're forced to do the operation. We performed a number of surgeries without anesthetic. It's tough and painful, but with the lack of resources, what can we do?" A regional 'explosion' The war has sparked fears of a regional conflagration if it draws in more of Israel's enemies. Since October 7, Israel has launched thousands of reprisal strikes in Gaza, but it has also hit targets in Lebanon and Syria. Late Wednesday, Lebanon-based Hezbollah fired what Israel said was a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli drone. Israel's military said it had intercepted the missile and "struck the source of the launch" in retaliation. Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria's government are backed by Iran, which denies Israel's right to exist. Tehran's top diplomat on Wednesday accused Israel of carrying out "genocide" in Gaza. Jordan's King Abdullah became the latest leader to warn that ongoing violence could "lead to an explosion" in the region. His wife Queen Rania accused Western leaders of a "glaring double standard" for not condemning Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians in its bombardment of Gaza. Violence has also risen sharply in the occupied West Bank, where health officials said more than 100 Palestinians had been killed, mostly in raids by Israeli troops or in clashes with Israeli settlers. The post Netanyahu says Israel ‘preparing’ Gaza ground war appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israel demands UN chief’s ouster
Israel’s outspoken ambassador to the United Nations has called for the resignation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for criticizing the country’s war with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Gilad Erdan made the call in a post on X, saying the UN chief has “expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder.” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, meanwhile, canceled a meeting with Guterres in response to the UN chief’s speech during a Security Council session on the Gaza crisis. The UN leader had alleged “clear violations” of international law as Israel pounds Gaza in response to the 7 October assault by Hamas and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Guterres also said that the Hamas attacks did not occur “in a vacuum,” pointing to “56 years of suffocating occupation” endured by the Palestinians. “How you can agree to a ceasefire with someone who swore to kill and destroy your own existence?” an angry Cohen said in response. Rejecting tying the violence to the occupation, Cohen said Israel gave Gaza to the Palestinians “to the last millimeter” with its withdrawal in 2005. The post Israel demands UN chief’s ouster appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Message of PM Anwar Ibrahim
Crisis brings out the best and the worst in man. It reveals his true persona behind the façade of photo-shopped and public relations-created images. Amidst the Israel-Hamas war, former president Rodrigo Duterte outrageously advised Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu to make “Gaza the world’s biggest cemetery.” And just recently, our ambassador to the United Kingdom twitted on social media (taken down later) that “Palestinian children should be killed . . .” These comments went viral among Moro netizens who unleashed a barrage of angry libelous words against the source. Now, juxtapose this with the public statements by regional leaders about the crisis. And from the gallery of regional statesmen, I pick Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’Seri Anwar Ibrahim whose poignant messages earned the praise of not a few, including non-Muslims. The reaction of these leaders betrays the dichotomy of opinions along religious lines. The Muslim countries, true to their affiliation with the Muslim Palestinians, as members of the World Brotherhood of Muslims or “Ummah Islamiyyah” stood should-to-shoulder with the Palestinians. On the flip side are the non-Muslims led by the United States which condemned the 7 October surprise attack by Hamas on Israel. The world is now on edge because of the strong words of revenge of rightist President Benjamin Netanyahu using the world media stage for his threats of annihilation and cutting off of basic supplies of food, medicines, water, electricity, and fuel to the Palestinians of the Muslim City of Gaza. According to jurists, these are crimes against International Humanitarian Law and other UN covenants and Geneva Conventions. And they claim that while Israel has the right to defend itself, that is not a license to commit genocide. Prime Minister Ibrahim stood tall among Muslim leaders in expressing the sentiment of his government. He had been vocal at every turn of the crisis. He must have had a premonition of the impending catastrophe. His eloquent speech before the United Nations General Assembly on 22 September, which in my book is in the same league as the “What it means to be a Muslim” speech of King Abdullah of Jordan, has earned praise from many observers. He said, “In the Middle East, the politics of dispossession continues with a vengeance with more illegal settlements being built, stripping Palestinians of land that rightfully belongs to them. This constitutes a gross violation of international law. It also poses an insurmountable obstacle to a two-state solution, not to mention the continued killings. There is also flagrant hypocrisy in dealing with the issue of Palestine. The international community must speak up against the atrocities committed towards the Palestinians even as they so vehemently speak out against human rights violations, injustice, and abusive regimes.” When the war broke out on 7 October, one of the countries that reacted immediately was Malaysia. PM Ibrahim issued a statement expressing his country’s solidarity with the struggles of the Palestinians and reiterated his indictment of the international community for its “one-sided actions regarding . . . cruelty and oppression against the Palestinians. The confiscation of land and property belonging to the Palestinian people . . . done relentlessly by the Zionists.” After the bombing of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which killed more than 500 innocent civilians, PM Ibrahim described it as being “on an insane and inhumane level. What is most regrettable is that Western countries, which speak about human rights, seem to differentiate between peoples, with some considered first-class and others as subordinates.” PM Ibrahim knows how geopolitics works. There will be consequences for standing up against the position of the world powers, the US and Europe, which had expressed total support for Israel. There might be a price to pay. Economic, trade, and political relationships might be put in jeopardy. But the Islam in him outweighed other interests. And for that, Muslims salute him. We are proud to belong to the Malay race. amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com The post Message of PM Anwar Ibrahim appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Hindi ko kayo dini-discredit’: Rendon Labador apologizes to Vice, Ion, Michael V.
Controversial "motivational speaker" Rendon Labador, who recently lost all his social media platforms apparently due to the mass reporting by netizens angry at the tirades he has directed at a number of well-loved celebrities such as Coco Martin, Vice Ganda and her partner Ion Perez, Nadine Lustre and Michael V., sat down with veteran showbiz scribe Ogie Diaz at the latter's YouTube channel to explain his side. Labador said his abrasive talk on social media is not personal -- he has nothing against the personalities he has targeted, whom he doesn't know personally, he said. But as the self-proclaimed "Boses ng Masa", he wants to correct the mistakes of people in the limelight so they could be good examples to the public. And his "laging galit" way of calling them out is just his tough style, said Labador, so he could challenge them to change for the better. Pointedly chided by Diaz that he seemed to come off as "perfect" and better than everyone else, not to mention being a clout-chaser, because of his penchant to slam well-known personalities, Labador acknowledged that his harsh words may indeed have hurt some people, and that he is learning to recognize his own shortcomings. In the end, Labador extended an apology to the people he had blasted -- but still with the caveat that he had no ill intentions whatsoever, and just wanted to "motivate" them to overcome his broadsides and become stronger. "Kung nasaktan ko man kayo, kay Vice, Ion, sa lahat ng artista, Michael V. -- I'm apologizing at wala akong masamang intention sa inyo. Hindi ko kayo dini-discredit. I'm thankful sa mga nagawa ninyo. Ang gusto ko lang matulungan,magising. Sana kasama ko kayo sa pagbago ng Pilipinas," he said. The next days and weeks should see whether Labador's charm offensive would see the return of his social media platforms, which he said has made social media personalities like him become the dominant forces in the current mediascape while traditional or mainstream media has become "laos" (outdated), fated to -- another bold declaration -- disappear in five years or so. The post ‘Hindi ko kayo dini-discredit’: Rendon Labador apologizes to Vice, Ion, Michael V. appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Hercules’ actor Kevin Sorbo thinks Timothée Chalamet is killing ‘real masculinity’
American actor and producer Kevin Sorbo, who starred as the Greek demigod Hercules in the 1990s show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, is angry about allegedly being “canceled” by Hollywood for his conservative views and Christian beliefs. In a controversial essay titled “Make Hollywood Manly Again” published on Fox News, the actor griped about how Hollywood and the media are supposedly putting traditional male roles in a negative light. “Fathers, in particular, have become the butt of every woke Hollywood jab, the bumbling, useless idiots who contribute nothing to their families or communities, but sacrifice themselves as objects of ridicule,” Sorbo wrote. Lamenting the rise of female-centric “girl boss” films in recent years, Sorbo complained that men are now portrayed as the “impotent sitcom father” and the “brutish he-man who only abuses his strength and makes a mockery of masculinity.” [caption id="attachment_189784" align="aligncenter" width="318"] Timothée Chalamet[/caption] The right-wing actor reserved particular venom for actors Timothée Chalamet and Billy Porter for their androgynous fashion sense. “Society today seriously misunderstands masculinity. On the one hand, we love to normalize androgynous, Billy Porter-type men who sport skirts and poofy dresses,” Sorbo wrote. As for Chalamet: “Let’s just say your grandfather wouldn’t have been caught dead dressed like Chalamet.” Chalamet has been acclaimed for redefining modern men’s fashion and style. His eclectic and atypical roles in films have been reflected in his unique and bold personal style on the red carpet. [caption id="attachment_189785" align="aligncenter" width="316"] Billy Porter[/caption] The Call Me By Your Name superstar was a head-turner at the premiere of his 2018 film Beautiful Boy with a statement tuxedo by Alexander McQueen in a graphic floral motif that gave a fresher and more youthful look to the standard male formal get-up. In 2022, the Oscar-nominated actor once again dominated fashion headlines when he wore a sleeveless and backless Haider Ackermann custom red halter-neck top at his red-carpet appearance for the romantic horror film Bones and All. Porter, a Tony, Grammy and Emmy award-winning actor, is likewise regarded as a fashion icon for flaunting genderless clothing in his public appearances. Exhibit A was his appearance at the 91st Academy Awards, where he wore a velvet tuxedo jacket paired with a ball gown. The post ‘Hercules’ actor Kevin Sorbo thinks Timothée Chalamet is killing ‘real masculinity’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Armenian refugees fleeing Karabakh
A total 377 “forcefully displaced persons” from Nagorno-Karabakh had crossed from Azerbaijan to Armenia Sunday evening, Yerevan authorities said. Russian peacekeepers escorted bus convoys with civilians leaving Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia, the Russian defense ministry said on Sunday, TASS reported. “In all, five buses and 41 private passenger cars were escorted by Russian peacekeepers. As many as 311 civilians, including 102 children, were evacuated,” it said, according to TASS. BBC, citing Armenian officials, reported 1,050 Karabakh people who lost their home crossing into Armenia. Some of the refugees came from Eghtsahogh, where people took shelter around a Russian peacekeeping base after their village allegedly came under Azerbaijani shelling last week. “Yesterday, we had to put down our rifles. So we left,” a man in his 30s from the village of Mets Shen told Agence France-Presse. “We had 15 minutes to pack everything up,” he said, regretting having left behind his livestock and the grave of his three-year-old daughter. Angry relatives of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is inside Azerbaijan, waited at the Kornidzor crossing, for news on their loved ones early on Sunday. Azerbaijani troops defeated Armenian rebels in Nagorno-Karabakh last week and seized control of the territory inhabited by around 120,000 ethnic Armenians. The separatists were disarmed under a truce brokered by Moscow on Friday, with Russian peacekeepers facilitating the demilitarization. The first group of Nagorno-Karabakh refugees entered Armenia on Sunday, an AFP team at the border said. Yerevan had promised to provide them with government-funded housing, BBC reported. David Babayan, an adviser to Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leader Samvel Shahramanyan, told Reuters he expected almost everyone in the enclave to leave, according to BBC. Karabakh people “do not want to live as part of Azerbaijan -- 99.9 percent prefer to leave our historic lands,” Babayan said. WITH AFP The post Armenian refugees fleeing Karabakh appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PM wants Armenia to ratify ICC treaty
Armenia-Russia relations seemed on the brink of breakup Sunday as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan lashed at Moscow for failing to help protect his countrymen against Azerbaijan’s military offensive in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. In nationally televised comments, Pashinyan, who is being blamed by Armenians for the deaths of separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh, called the security guarantees of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization as “insufficient” and that Moscow failed to help Armenian defenders in the disputed territory. Azerbaijani troops defeated Armenian rebels in Nagorno-Karabakh last week and are now disarming the separatists under a truce brokered by Moscow on Friday and with Russian peacekeepers facilitating the demilitarization. Pashinyan added that Armenia should ratify the treaty which established the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war. No sympathy The first Red Cross aid convoy has crossed into the disputed Armenian enclave as Azerbaijan forces showed off Saturday part of the captured rebel arsenal: Sniper rifles, Kalashnikov rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and four tanks painted with cross insignia. At Armenia’s Kornidzor border crossing, five kilometers from the Hakari bridge, the convoy’s route, dozens of angry Armenians await news of their relatives in Karabakh. The first group of Nagorno-Karabakh refugees entered Armenia on Sunday, an Agence France-Presse team at the border said. The group of a few dozen people were questioned by Azerbaijani border guards before entering the Armenian village of Kornidzor, where they were registered by Armenian officials. On the other side of the border in the Azerbaijani town of Beylagan, just outside the breakaway region, local civilians had no sympathy for their Armenian neighbors and were celebrating their government’s victory over the rebels. State television played patriotic music paying tribute to the nation and its army, and the roadside was lined with flags and portraits of dozens of local “martyrs,” fallen in the fighting during the previous 30 years. WITH AFP The post PM wants Armenia to ratify ICC treaty appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
EDITORIAL — Pastillas scam: A laughable penalty
An angry Rodrigo Duterte summoned them to Malacañang during his presidency, although he did not carry out his threat to make them eat paper rolled up like pastillas or local milk pastry. Last week, one of 50 Bureau of Immigration employees accused of facilitating the entry of 143 foreigners, mostly Chinese, between 2017 and 2020 was fined the princely sum of P5,000 by the Sandiganbayan......»»
Libya survivors angry of neglect protest
Survivors of the deadly dam bursts in Derna, eastern Libya have turned their despair to anger, staging a protest to vent their frustrations to the slow help and demand justice from negligent officials. The people want parliament to fall,” “Aguila is the enemy of God,” “The blood of martyrs is not shed in vain” and “Thieves and betrayers must hang,” hundreds of protesters shouted outside the city’s grand mosque. The protesters also demanded a United Nations office in Derna, the start of the city’s reconstruction, compensation for affected residents” and a probe into the current city council and previous budgets. Some protesters marched on a house reportedly owned by Derna’s unpopular mayor Abdulmonem al-Ghaithi and set it on fire, according to images shared on social networks and by Libyan media. Al-Masar television reported that the head of the eastern-based government, Oussama Hamad, had dissolved Derna council and ordered an investigation into it. Politicians and analysts say the chaos in Libya since the 2011 fall and killing of Moamer Kadhafi has relegated the maintenance of vital infrastructure to the background. Dam waters submerged a densely populated six-square-kilometer area of Derna, damaging 1,500 buildings of which 891 were totally razed, according to a preliminary report by the Tripoli government based on satellite images. Libya has been split between two rival governments — a United Nations-backed administration in the capital Tripoli and another in the disaster-hit east — since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-backed uprising 12 years ago. In the face of the tragedy, rival Libyan administrations appear to have set aside their differences for now after calls to collaborate in the aid effort. On Monday, the Tripoli government said it began work on a temporary bridge over the river that cuts through Derna. WITH AFP The post Libya survivors angry of neglect protest appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Zubiri: Coral destruction in WPS a global food security threat
The destruction of the marine ecosystem in the West Philippine Sea, particularly in the Escoda (Sabina) and Rozul (Iroquois) Reefs, threatens global food security, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri warned. “This is a wanton destruction of our future food security areas. I am really angry with what they are doing,” Zubiri said in a statement. He made the comment following the report of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command of missing and destroyed corals along Rozul Reef. The discovery of damaged corals came after the sightings of Chinese maritime militia vessels in the area. The report was confirmed by the Philippine Coast Guard, which found similar observations on the seabed of Escoda Reef, also in the West Philippine Sea. According to Zubiri, the destruction of marine ecosystems will have global consequences. “This is not a destruction only on the Philippine side, but for the whole world. It’s for the whole world because the species of fish that breed there are not only being harvested by Filipino fishermen, but also harvested by Malaysian fishermen, Vietnamese fishermen, even Chinese fishermen,” he pointed out. “So it is for the good of the world if our coral reefs are protected. That’s why I’m really very mad,” he added. He also made an appeal to the Chinese Embassy in Manila to “tell their militia vessels to put a stop on this wanton destruction.” ‘Marine ranger stations’ To safeguard the country’s marine resources in the West Philippine Sea, the Senate chief said the upper chamber would propose a P600 million budget to build marine ranger stations across the country. “We agreed to it already. We already spoke to Senator Sonny Angara. The P600 million is to build marine ranger stations in different parts of the Philippines, including the West Philippine Sea,” he said. He noted that the upper chamber is working closely with the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources in setting up marine ranger stations in key coastal areas nationwide. Aside from budget allocations for the establishment of marine ranger stations, Zubiri also vowed to fight for bigger allotments for the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy in the national budget for 2024 to boost their capabilities to protect and monitor the country’s maritime zones. “This budget is a critical budget. This is the time that we have to put our money where our mouth is. This is the time that we need to increase the budget for ships, patrol crafts, and marine research centers,” he said. Under the proposed P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Plan for 2024, the PCG has been allocated with P24.014 billion, an increase of nearly 10 percent from its allotment of P21.92 billion this year. On the other hand, P40.97 billion has been set aside for the Navy, up from its current budget of P34.98 billion. The post Zubiri: Coral destruction in WPS a global food security threat appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘No one has come to help us’
Many survivors of Morocco’s powerful earthquake feel that death is stalking them as they now struggle to stay alive with help yet to arrive. “We feel abandoned here, no one has come to help us,” 43-year-old Khadija Aitlkyd said in the ruins of her village of Missirat in a remote area high in the Atlas Mountains. “Our houses have collapsed... where are we all going to live?” she asked in the rubble of the tiny, remote settlement where the smell of death hung in the air on Monday. Residents of Missirat said the bodies of 16 locals killed in the quake have been recovered, but their dead livestock under the stones and timber was starting to decompose. Another survivor, Mohammed Bouaziz, saw his village of Moulay Brahim south of Marrakesh hard hit in Morocco’s deadliest quake in over six decades — about 20 residents were killed. “We have received some help... but it’s not enough,” the 29-year-old said. The deadly quake has put a heavy burden on the North African kingdom’s emergency resources and some stranded in shattered communities were angry and shocked over what they say is a lack of a major influx of aid. The violent shaking that flattened whole villages has inflicted a toll that rose on Monday to over 2,800 dead and almost as many injured. WITH AFP The post ‘No one has come to help us’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gov’t, businesses told to adopt AI boom
The government and private sector need to collaboratively launch a nationwide effort to push for the adoption of science-backed artificial intelligence or AI to help communities and businesses keep up with the rapid technological advancement. In an interview with reporters last Friday, Dr. Sanjay Sarma, CEO, president, and dean of the Asia School of Business or ASB, reiterated that AI is developing at an unprecedented pace and will be everywhere soon. “AI can potentially replace jobs so let’s accept that. The Philippines should become the country that leads the world in how to use AI, in call centers, for instance,” Sarma told reporters. “Here in the Philippines, it has to be a national effort. The government needs to be cognizant that this is an epic moment. It's like, you know, climate change is going to damage the environment, it will hurt a lot of people. This is technology change is just like climate change,” he said. Unlike other technologies such as automated teller machines or ATMs, which took about 15 years to be widely accepted, AI is a development that needs urgent adoption. Like ATMs, which previously raised concerns about replacing the job of bank tellers, AI will help industries develop further. “Bank tellers did not lose their jobs. Bank tellers did something more advanced, which is selling mortgages and things like that. The job changed because of technology,” he explained. Thus, in blending in with the changes brought about by AI, Sarma proposed that local industries like the business process outsourcing sector should upgrade more into becoming a technology space. “At this level, you have to go up because the attack comes from below. It's like a tiger, you know, it's chasing you, You climb a tree, and the tiger learns to climb the first 10 feet, well, you have to climb higher. So you have to go higher up in the cognitive stock to go higher,” he said. To complement the benefits of AI, Sarma noted that the local service industry workers, for instance, have to do the things that technology cannot. “For example, this Chat GPT cannot negotiate with you, can't do any planning, can't do dispute resolution. It can't calm an angry customer. So you have to figure out what the technology can do and what humans can do, that the technology can't. And you're to develop human capital in those directions.” Sarma is a professor of mechanical engineering and the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a leading authority in AI, the Internet of Things, and Education. ASB, established in 2015 by Bank Negara Malaysia in collaboration with MIT Sloan School of Management, aims to be a premier business school that develops transformative and principled leaders who will contribute to the advancement of the emerging world, particularly in Asia. Last July, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers asked the Congress and Palace to consider creating an agency that will oversee responsible AI use in the country. Barbers cited that at least 520,000 employees across different industries may be affected by the integration of AI. In March, he filed a bill eyeing to create the Artificial Intelligence Development Authority, which will serve as an AI monitoring body tasked to supervise the “development and deployment of AI technologies.” Primarily, it will ensure compliance with AI ethics principles and guidelines and protect the “rights and welfare of individuals and communities affected by AI technologies.” The post Gov’t, businesses told to adopt AI boom appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rolling Stones album of new songs out next month
The Rolling Stones will release their first album of new music in 18 years next month, lead singer Mick Jagger, fellow founding bandmate Keith Richards and bass guitarist Ronnie Wood announced Wednesday in London. The album, "Hackney Diamonds", is the first since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2019, and the first containing original material since 2005's "A Bigger Bang". "We didn't want to make just any record and put it out," Jagger, 80, told a launch event at the Hackney Empire theatre in east London, hosted by US talk show host Jimmy Fallon and livestreamed on YouTube. "I'm not saying we're big-headed about it but we're pleased with it and we hope you all like it," the octogenarian rocker said. The Stones' 24th studio album, set for release on October 20, has 12 tracks, with the single "Angry" the first to come out. Wood, 76, confirmed during the launch that superstar Lady Gaga features on another, "Sweet Sound of Heaven", adding she "sings really sweet" on it. Two of the tracks were recorded with Watts in 2019. The others feature Steve Jordan, whom Watts recommended to replace him. "Ever since Charlie's gone it's different," said 79-year-old guitarist Keith Richards of recording the new album without one of the band's founders. "He's number four, he's missing, he's up there. Of course he's missed incredibly." Already acclaimed "Hackney diamonds" is English slang for the shards of glass left scattered on the ground after smash-and-grab robberies, and refers to the historically working class east London neighbourhood. "It's like when you get your windscreen broken on a Saturday night in Hackney," Jagger joked. Throngs of people crowded outside the event venue, including those without tickets who came out of curiosity and hoping to spot the band. "I've been following the Stones since I was four years old and I'm from round here -- it's my backyard," said musician and fan Rory McGlinchey. "It's crazy that they're here!" Wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt, he said the new release was "great news". "Can't wait," he told AFP. Critics have already hailed the release as the band's best work in many decades. Will Hodgkinson, rock and pop critic for Britain's The Times newspaper, said it is "unquestionably the best Stones album since 1978's 'Some Girls'". "Variously poignant, irreverent, anarchic and, in one gospel-tinged moment, quite spiritual, it touches on all the aspects we love about the band, glued together by the rambunctious energy they have made their own since the early Sixties," he wrote. The Daily Telegraph's music reviewer Neil McCormick said "Angry" was "their best single in four decades". The Stones also unveiled the single's typically rock'n'roll video. It sees the band playing from Los Angeles' billboards as scantily-dressed, leather-clad "Euphoria" actress Sydney Sweeney writhes to the soundtrack in the back of a convertible red Mercedes driving through the city. Teaser The Rolling Stones' last studio album was 2016's "Blue & Lonesome", which was made up of blues covers. "We've been very lazy," said Jagger. "We've been on the road most of the time." The band teased the release of the new album through a spoof advert in the local Hackney Gazette newspaper. The cryptic ad, which also appeared in sister title the Islington Gazette, referenced several of the band's best-known songs including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Gimme Shelter" and "Shattered". The ad went on: "Opening our new store on Mare Street, September 2023. Our friendly team promises you satisfaction when you say gimme shelter we'll fix your shattered windows." Clues that the ad was not for a bona fide east London glass repair business included a miniature version of the band's famed lips logo to dot the letter i. The ad -- in the same font as the "Some Girls" album -- also says the firm was established in 1962, the same year the band was formed. Last year the Stones travelled through Europe for their 60th anniversary tour which featured stops in cities including Madrid, Milan and Munich, and also a performance at British Summer Time (BST) festival in London. Asked for the secret to their decades-spanning musical marriage, Jagger quipped: "not speaking too often". "How to say shut up politely," added Richards. The post Rolling Stones album of new songs out next month appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Japanese man admits starting deadly anime studio fire: reports
A Japanese man reportedly angry that his ideas had been stolen admitted Tuesday to starting a fire that killed 36 people in an animation studio in 2019, local media said. The blaze that ripped through the studios of Kyoto Animation in July 2019 shocked the anime industry and its fans in Japan and around the world. "It's correct I've done" what is in the charges, Shinji Aoba said at the Kyoto District Court, according to the Jiji Press news agency. "I didn't think so many people would die and now I think I went too far," said the 45-year-old who appeared in a wheelchair. Aoba's lawyers however pleaded not guilty, citing mental incompetence, the reports said. Aoba, who nearly died from burns he himself sustained, faces five charges including murder, attempted murder, and arson, according to local prosecutors. He is accused of breaking into the studio's building, spreading gasoline around the ground floor, and setting it alight before reportedly shouting "drop dead". Many of those killed in the blaze were young staff, including a 21-year-old woman. More than 30 others were injured. Firefighters told reporters at the time that the incident was "unprecedented" and the mission to rescue victims and extinguish the fire was "extremely difficult". Aoba's motives were unclear but there have been claims that he accused the studio of stealing his work, which Kyoto Animation has denied. Its president Hideaki Hatta said he was "heartbroken for the employees who lost their lives and people who were close to them" ahead of the hearing, according to public broadcaster NHK. The charges were made after a psychiatric evaluation, local media said. More than 90 percent of Aoba's skin was burnt and a doctor who treated him told the Yomiuri newspaper this week that he required 12 operations. Aoba regained consciousness weeks later and apparently sobbed with relief after undergoing a procedure that restored his ability to speak. The doctor, Takahiro Ueda, said he was not allowed by police to talk about the incident, but he told Aoba that "taking someone's life is not acceptable for any reason". "I want him to explain everything at the court, and express sincere regret and apologize" to the victims and their families, the doctor said on Sunday. Kyoto Animation, known by its fans as KyoAni, is well known domestically and abroad for its role in producing popular TV anime series including "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and "K-ON!" While many animation studios are based in Tokyo, the firm reportedly felt strongly about remaining in the ancient western city of Kyoto. The post Japanese man admits starting deadly anime studio fire: reports appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘India key to taming China’
Only India has the muscle to flex against China in Asia amid overlapping territorial claims by several nations in the South China Sea, political analyst and University of Santo Tomas professor Marlon Villarin told Daily Tribune and Dyaryo Tirada. Guesting on the digital show “Hot Patatas,” Villarin pointed out that India has an ace up its sleeve when it comes to dealing with China, one that is more economic in nature despite the fact that both New Delhi and Beijing are nuclear powers. Villarin cited India’s nearly adversarial reaction to China’s release of a new map that expanded its discredited nine-dash line claim with an extra dash covering the east of Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province. He explained that while China is using military might to assume the role of an overlord in the South China Sea, India holds weight when it comes to another critical trade route, the Indian Ocean. “Within Asia, India has the capability to strong-arm China because of the Indian Ocean and the other important trade routes in India that are crucial to China’s economy,” the political science professor said. [caption id="attachment_179490" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Fostering cooperation Before President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. flew to Jakarta, Indonesia for the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, he said he plans to promote ‘a rules-based international order — including in the South China Sea,’ among other Philippine priorities. | PHOTOGRAPH BY YUMMIE DINGDING FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE @tribunephl_yumi[/caption] Rules-based look He noted that India and China have a long history of trade-relation tension between them. “To cut a long story short, China whimpers when it comes to India,” he said. “India has leverage against China, while if it’s the European Union speaking out against Beijing, nothing happens.” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. left yesterday for Jakarta, Indonesia for the 43rd ASEAN Summit, saying he’ll bring to the table a rules-based look at the irritants among nations in the South China Sea. Mr. Marcos said the government was still cementing its response to China’s expanded 10-dash line claim, although several high-ranking Filipino officials have joined their Indian and Malaysian counterparts in denouncing China. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China’s nine-dash line claim had no legal leg to stand on as no one country can control international bodies of water. It also affirmed the Philippines’ maritime entitlement in the West Philippine Sea. “What’s sad is that while America is angry over China’s intrusion, here comes the United Kingdom mumbling that ‘it’s not really good to escalate [the situation] with China,’” professor Villarin said. He averred that India protesting China’s new map was just another instance of Beijing intruding into Indian territory. Previously, India had protested Beijing’s claim that the whole of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region were part of China. Rational view Arunachal Pradesh is a northeastern state in India while the Aksai Chin region is part of Jammu and Kashmir at the center of the long-standing tug-of-war between the two countries. “Taking Indian territories has been an old habit of China’s,” according to an official New Delhi response published by the news website Anadolu Agency. Earlier, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called on countries to “view this map in an objective and rational manner.” “Updating and releasing various types of standard maps each year is a routine job for competent authorities in China, which aims to provide standard map services for all sectors of society and raise the public’s awareness of the standardized use of maps,” Wang told Beijing-based Global Times. Taiwan, meanwhile, has also protested China’s new map with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu saying, “Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent country that is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China.” “The PRoC has never ruled Taiwan. These are universally recognized facts and the status quo in the international community,” Liu said. The post ‘India key to taming China’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»