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‘Serenade of the Seas’ arrival restarts Subic cruise tourism program
The arrival here of GTS Serenade of the Seas, a 12-decker cruise liner operated by Royal Caribbean International, is expected to resurrect Subic’s cruise tourism program, which had gained momentum before being halted by the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago......»»
Think again before buying bunnies as Easter gifts
SAN DIEGO – With Easter just a week away, animal rescue groups in Southern California are urging people not to buy rabbits as holiday gifts for children. They said that what begins as a well-meaning gesture often leads to abandoned animals when the novelty wears off and families realize they’re not equipped to properly care.....»»
Cebu Pacific receives fuel-efficient A321 aircraft
Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific continues to ramp up its commitment to advance sustainability and strengthen its operational resiliency amid the rising demand in air travel as it received another Airbus A321neo last Thursday......»»
Hong Kong, Philippines work to enhance relations
Filipinos are slowly beginning to travel back to Hong Kong following continued efforts by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office to woo tourists from the Philippines, as well as renew and improve trade and economic ties between the two nations following the COVID-19 pandemic......»»
Laurel begins DA bureaus’ revamp
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has replaced the Bureau of Animal Industry director as bureaus will be revamped amid the ongoing reorganization of the Department of Agriculture.....»»
Palawan still ASF-free
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan – Amid the recent outbreak of African swine fever in an island barangay in Palawan, the province’s veterinary chief said Friday that it is able to maintain its status as a “dark green zone” and can transport swine stocks to other parts of the country. The swift containment efforts of the disease, supported by vigilant surveillance conducted by the Provincial Veterinary Office and various provincial government offices, was the reason for sustaining its status as a free zone. ProVet officer-in-charge Dr. Darius Mangcucang explained that the color code shows that Palawan maintains its status as an “ASF-free zone” according to the national plan for prevention and control zoning established by the Department of Agriculture. “When we say ‘dark green zone,’ it means we are still ASF-free. Although we had an ASF incursion, the good thing is that we were able to contain it immediately. It didn’t spread beyond Barangay Cocoro,” said Mangcucang, adding that even Magsaysay remains free from ASF. His explanation followed the receipt of a letter from the Bureau of Animal Industry within the DA which supported ProVet’s request to retain Magsaysay town and the entire province in the “dark green zone,” given that the ASF case in Barangay Cocoro had been effectively isolated. In addition to reaffirming Palawan’s ASF-free status, Mangcucang highlighted that the BAI had also bestowed Magsaysay and Cuyo with Recognition of Active Surveillance for ASF certificates. The recognition was granted after blood samples collected from the swine populations in these two municipalities between 18 and 19 September tested negative for the disease. He emphasized that this successful testing was the basis for the BAI’s confirmation of Palawan’s ongoing status as ASF-free. The post Palawan still ASF-free appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Department of Agriculture eyes Livestock Animal Registry
The Department of Agriculture is partnering with the livestock industry to establish a Livestock Animal Registry to ensure that legitimate farmers get the benefit from government programs and allow smooth repopulation amid the spread of animal diseases......»»
Helmut Lang and Ralph Lauren kick off New York Fashion Week
Amid sweltering heat and jitters over the Hollywood strike, New York kicked off its Spring-Summer 2024 Fashion Week on Friday, with heavyweights Ralph Lauren and Helmut Lang returning to the industry's flagship event with fresh ideas. American luxury brand Coach unveiled its collection of sensual translucent dresses at the New York Public Library in Manhattan on Thursday, but the event was briefly disrupted by animal rights activists. As Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Jennifer Lopez watched the show, two female protesters from the animal rights group PETA -- one covered in body paint that mimicked animal flaying and another holding a poster that read "Coach: Leather Kills" -- joined the models on the runway before security led them away. At another unofficial kick-off event on Wednesday, featuring Naomi Campbell, Doja Cat, Naomi Osaka and Gigi Hadid, the iconic lingerie label Victoria's Secret teased a film meant to showcase the brand's new and more inclusive identity after it was criticized for designing garments that objectify women. The film, entitled "The Victoria's Secret World Tour," to be released on Amazon Prime at the end of September, highlights the work of creators and artists from Lagos, London, Bogota, and Tokyo. Yellow taxi This year, New York Fashion Week will feature young talents and emerging brands, along with heavyweights such as Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Altuzarra, Gabriela Hearst, Carolina Herrera, Tory Burch, and Luar. The city will then pass the baton to London, Milan, and Paris. "New York has always been a cornerstone of Fashion Week," said Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. "It really underscores how strong it is, in terms of presenting creative thinking." Under the humid heat of the New York summer, the six-day marathon kicked off Friday afternoon in Manhattan's Lower East Side with a show by Helmut Lang, who rose to fame in the 1990s and 2000s, thanks to the minimalist aesthetic of the Austrian artist. Helmut Lang, the designer, left fashion in 2005 but Helmut Lang, the brand, lives on, bought by Prada and then by the Japanese group Fast Retailing, which owns Uniqlo. The brand now returns to the runways of the Big Apple with a collection concocted by its new artistic director, Peter Do, widely considered a fashion prodigy. The show had nostalgic undertones, a bow to the 1990s when it became the first fashion brand to advertise on New York yellow taxi signs. Fewer red carpets Another brand to make its return on Friday, albeit in Brooklyn where many of the fashion shows have migrated, was Ralph Lauren, the legendary brand that defined American elegance and embodied preppy US style with an annual turnover of more than $6 billion. The brand, whose founder was born in the Bronx, has not held a show in New York since 2019. This fashion season is marked by the double strike of Hollywood screenwriters and actors seeking better compensation, which has reduced the number of red carpet previews to a minimum, thus depriving brands of a chance to dress stars and promote themselves in the process. "Certainly, the red carpet is a way to speak to the audience," said Kolb, adding that fashion shows were no less important. The "content that they create for social channels will contribute to a very loud, very visible Fashion Week," he added. The post Helmut Lang and Ralph Lauren kick off New York Fashion Week appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Dinagat eyes state of calamity amid ASF rise
BUTUAN CITY — The local government of Libjo in Dinagat Islands is recommended to be placed under a state of calamity as a consequence of the continued increase of African swine fever cases. The recommendation was pushed by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council led by Libjo Mayor Melody Llamera Compasivo to the Sangguniang Bayan a day earlier. “The people in the municipality are alarmed by the rising cases of ASF. A solution to deter the further spread of the ASF is necessary,” said the MDRRMC’s statement. The state of calamity proposal was approved by both the MDRRMC members and the 16 barangay chairpersons of the town. “Based on the data provided by the Municipal Agriculture Office, six barangays in the town are already affected by the ASF,” the statement said. As of 7 August, some 163 heads of hogs were already culled in the affected barangays as a measure to stop the spread of the disease to other villages. The MDRRMC has suggested the installation of footbath checkpoints at the entry points of barangays that have not yet been impacted by ASF. Also, the council proposed that the sale of live hogs and pork by-products should only be permitted in barangays that have not yet been impacted by the disease. The Libjo SB is expected to make the declaration during its regular session this week. In other developments, the ASF has also invaded the Antique Swine Production and Artificial Insemination Center in Sibalom town. Public Health Division of the Provincial Veterinarian chief Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil explained that the ASPAIC is the source of the piglets being dispersed by the provincial government for the sugar migrant workers and other Antiqueños requesting livelihood projects. ASPAIC in Barangay Pangpang used to have 62 hogs but one boar died on 26 July, while 61 others, including eight sows, eight gilts, two boars, 19 weanling pigs and 24 piglets, were depopulated on 2 August. Ardamil said he immediately did a necropsy and submitted a blood sample for testing to the Department of Agriculture Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory after the incident on 26 July. The post Dinagat eyes state of calamity amid ASF rise appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Heat wave in US turns Texas prisons into ‘ovens’
On the afternoon of 4 July, as Americans were celebrating the country's independence with elaborate fireworks displays, a prisoner named Joseph Martire passed out in his cell in Texas, amid the excessive heat that has been swamping much of the southern United States in recent days. In concrete, brick, and metal penitentiaries, industrial fans churn warm vapor without really cooling the air. And with no air conditioning in most prisons, when outside temperatures exceed 40ºC (104 Fahrenheit), it can feel even hotter inside the cells. Some prisoners sabotage the toilets in their cells to make the water overflow and wet the floor, which they then sleep on. Others wet their clothes to try to stay cool, according to convicts, ex-convicts and family members who spoke to AFP. In recent weeks, 35-year-old Martire had four heat-related health episodes at Estelle Prison in Huntsville, where he has served 16 years. "I just passed out, the medical (staff) refused to see me and I don't know what to do," he told his family by phone. They called the prison administration to seek help. When other inmates sense that someone has passed out in a nearby cell, they yell to attract a guard's attention, but staff shortages often mean delays, Martire said. The stricken inmate is then taken to an administrative area of the jail that does have air conditioning for so-called "respite." Prisoners try to linger as long as possible. "I've already had too many issues with my health before from the heat," Martire said. Asked what the heat in the cells is like, Amite Dominick of the NGO Advocates for Texas Community Prisons replied: "The fastest way I can explain that is, go sit in your car on a triple-digit day. Bring a blow dryer with you. Crack your window a little bit." Brick oven The Texas Tribune news site reported that at least nine people had died in state prisons in June from heart attacks or other possibly heat-related causes. But Amanda Hernandez, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), which is in charge of prisons, said the last heat death occurred in 2012. In June, the department treated seven cases of people affected "beyond first aid," but there were no fatalities, she said. The department, which oversees 126,000 prisoners, said that 32 people died in June, from a variety of causes. Dominick took issue with that breakdown. "The coroner will usually report something like 'cardiac arrest' because heat stroke is highly correlated with cardiac arrest," she said. "We're seeing the same reports. We're seeing medical evidence for what happens to the body. "You know, during these types of temperatures, these are heat-related deaths," Dominick added. Sean Adams, 36, served time in a prison called the Clemens Unit, in the Texas city of Brazoria, but which inmates call "Burns Like Hell." "It's one of the older units that was made out of, you know, red bricks," Adams said. "And so red bricks are essentially what ovens are made out of." The prisons agency said inmates have access to ice and water and can go to air-conditioned rest areas when necessary. So inhumane Samantha, whose daughter is a 25-year-old inmate at the Lane Murray prison, said three prisoners died there in June from heat-related causes. "The way that they're treated is so inhumane," she said. "In the summer months, when you're inside, you see multiple heat-induced seizures every day," said Marci Marie Simmons, a 44-year-old ex-convict and activist. She said that in late June, a 36-year-old inmate died in the Estelle prison hours after speaking with her mother and complaining about the heat. "If we go and leave a kid or a human being or an animal in a vehicle, we're going to prison. But the state of Texas wants to cook our Texans," said Michelle Lively, whose partner Shawn McMahon, 49, is in Wynne prison. "And some of them are dying, and they have short, like, stupid drug charges and they have a death sentence because they can't handle the heat," she said. In leaks to the media, prison workers have also complained about their working conditions, including the heat. Dominick said legislative efforts to do something about the heat have fallen short, with bills demanding air conditioning in prisons withering in the conservative-majority Texas Senate. Meanwhile, the state recently spent over $750,000 to purchase several air-cooled units for a large swine breeding operation run partly by inmates, Dominick said. "And they don't have it for human beings." The post Heat wave in US turns Texas prisons into ‘ovens’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BAI to roll out guidelines for bird flu vaccines by September
The Bureau of Animal Industry is targeting to roll out new guidelines for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza or bird flu vaccines by September amid calls from the poultry industry to speed up inoculation of infected bird population......»»
Solon urges DoH mitigates ASF, avian virus
Senator Francis Tolentino on Saturday urged the Department of Health to assist the Bureau of Animal Industry to mitigate the outbreak of the African Swine Fever and Avian Influenza Flu in the country. In a radio interview, Tolentino asked new Health Secretary, Ted Herbosa to provide ASF and avian flu vaccines access to hog and fowl farmers, highly affected by the viruses. Tolentino lamented that the current policy only allows a limited number of doses for livestock and poultry. The senator asked the DoH to collaborate with BAI to address the limited vaccine stocks. “We have many farmers enduring the high prices of swine flu doses as pronounced by the Bureau of Animal Industry from P400 to P600. Can DoH link the farmers to the Bureau of Animal Industry so we can help them?” Tolentino asked Herbosa. In response, Herbosa said he will immediately reach out to the Department of Agriculture to sort things out. Tolentino recently filed Senate Resolution 580 which seeks to determine the appropriate government actions in preventing and controlling another possible outbreak of the avian influenza virus in the country. The national government should declare a state of national calamity amid the severe impact of ASF, he added. Reports submitted by the BAI showed that at least nine regions remained affected by avian flu as of 9 February, with more than 300,000 poultry mortalities have been recorded since the bird flu outbreak in 2022. In Negros Occidental, ASF has spread in hog farms with nine new cases reported in Victorias City, of the number, seven were brought to the Victorias Food Corp. slaughterhouse have tested positive for the virus. Earlier this month, the DA-BAI asked the Food and Drug Administration to certify a Vietnam-made African swine fever vaccine so it can immediately distribute doses nationwide. BAI assistant director Arlene Vytiaco previously said they are pushing for the avian flu vaccine after its trial has recorded positive results on pigs by producing antibodies. The vaccine was already endorsed to the FDA for the issuance of a Certificate of Product Registration. Vytico said the vaccine manufacturer is ready to supply 600,000 vaccines to the Philippines, however, it still requires a certification for commercial release of the vaccine in the country. The post Solon urges DoH mitigates ASF, avian virus appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BAI: Field trial of ASF vaccine 100 percent successful
An official of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) announced the 100 percent success of the field trial on the vaccine against African swine fever amid the continuous spread of the disease......»»
Egypt unveils ancient mummification workshops and tombs
Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed two human and animal embalming workshops, as well as two tombs, discovered in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, the government said on Saturday. The vast burial site, at the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to more than a dozen pyramids, animal graves, and old Coptic Christian monasteries. Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters the embalming workshops, where humans and animals were mummified, "date back to the 30th dynasty" which reigned around 2,400 years ago. Researchers "found several rooms equipped with stony beds where the deceased lay down for mummification", Egypt's tourism and antiquities ministry said. Each bed ended in gutters to facilitate the mummification process, with a collection of clay pots nearby to hold entrails and organs, as well as a collection of instruments and ritual vessels. Early studies of the other workshop suggest it was used for the "mummification of sacred animals". The discovery also includes the tombs of two priests dating back to the 24th and 14th centuries BC, respectively. The first belonged to Ne Hesut Ba, who served the fifth dynasty as the head of scribes and priest of the gods Horus and Maat. The tomb walls are decorated with depictions of "daily life, agriculture, and hunting scenes", said Mohamed Youssef, director of the Saqqara archaeological site. The second tomb, that of a priest named Men Kheber, was carved in rock and features depictions of the deceased himself on the tomb walls, as well as in a one-meter-long (three-foot) alabaster statue, Youssef told reporters. Egypt has unveiled a string of major archaeological discoveries in recent years. Critics say the flurry of excavations has prioritized finds shown to grab media attention over hard academic research. The discoveries have been a key component of Egypt's attempts to revive its vital tourism industry amid a severe economic crisis. The government recently launched a strategy "aiming for a rapid increase in inbound tourism" at a rate of 25-30 percent a year, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Ahmed Issa said at the site on Saturday. Egypt aims to draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028, up from 13 million before the Covid pandemic. The crowning jewel of the government's strategy is the long-delayed inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum at the foot of the pyramids in Giza. The post Egypt unveils ancient mummification workshops and tombs appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
AFP journalist Arman Soldin killed in eastern Ukraine
AFP's Ukraine video coordinator Arman Soldin was killed on Tuesday by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine, AFP journalists who witnessed the incident said. The attack happened at around 4:30 pm (1330 GMT) on the outskirts of the town close to Bakhmut, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine for several months. The AFP team came under fire from Grad rockets while they were with a group of Ukrainian soldiers. Soldin, 32, was killed when a rocket struck close to where he was lying. The rest of the team was uninjured. "The whole agency is devastated by the loss of Arman," AFP chairman Fabrice Fries said. "His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine." French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Soldin on Twitter, hailing his "bravery". "With bravery, from the first hours of the conflict he was at the front to establish the facts. To inform us," Macron wrote, saying he shared "the pain of his relatives and all his colleagues". Ukraine's defense ministry offered its "heartfelt condolences" to Soldin's family and coworkers in a statement on Twitter, saying he was killed in a Russian missile attack on Chasiv Yar in the eastern region of Donetsk. "He dedicated his life to informing the world about the truth. His legacy, as well as his cause, will live on," it said. Born in Sarajevo, Soldin was a French national who began working for AFP as an intern in its Rome bureau in 2015 and was later hired in London. He was part of the first AFP team to be sent to Ukraine following the start of Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022, arriving on the following day. Soldin had been living in Ukraine since September, leading the team's video coverage and traveling regularly to the front lines in the east and south. Soldin's death means at least 11 journalists or fixers and drivers for media teams have been killed covering the war in Ukraine, according to the media advocacy groups Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In Washington, the White House also paid tribute to Soldin, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying the world was "indebted" to the journalists who lost their lives covering the conflict. "Journalism is fundamental to a free society," she said in a statement. "Arman's brilliant work encapsulated everything that has made us so proud of AFP's journalism in Ukraine," the agency's Global News Director Phil Chetwynd said. "Arman's death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers of covering this war. Our thoughts tonight are with his family and friends, and with all our people on the ground in Ukraine." AFP's Europe Director Christine Buhagiar remembered Soldin as "a real on-the-ground reporter, always ready to work even in the most difficult places," she said. "He was totally devoted to his craft." Colleagues said Soldin knew in particular how to recount the lives of ordinary people caught up in the Ukraine conflict, desperately trying to survive amid the chaos. In Kyiv, he found a tender moment between a conscripted father and his young son who had fled abroad, bonding over a strategy game online. Earlier this month, he even rescued an injured hedgehog from a trench and nursed it back to health. He named it Lucky. The founder of the Ukrainian animal rights organization UAnimals, Oleksandr Todorchuk, spoke of Soldin's "absolute kindness" when he came to the hedgehog's aid. UAnimals was setting up a grant for volunteers and shelters that rescue hedgehogs "in memory of Soldin and his great heart", Todorchuk wrote on Facebook. The post AFP journalist Arman Soldin killed in eastern Ukraine appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Senator seeks probe into gov t plans to prevent bigger bird flu outbreak
Sen. Francis Tolentino filed Senate Resolution 580 on Thursday calling for a probe to determine what kind of government measures can “ward off any possible outbreak of transboundary animal diseases in the country” amid the "unabated" importation of poultry products......»»
Pork shortage looms due to ASF
A possible shortage of local pork supply looms in June amid the spread of African swine fever in the country, the Bureau of Animal Industry warned yesterday......»»
BAI conducts pig blood testing training vs. ASF in Negros
DUMAGUETE CITY - A team of specialists from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) is in Negros Oriental province to conduct training on surveillance and blood sample collection of pigs amid the ongoing African swine fever (ASF) scare in some parts of the country.Marlon Mapula, Assistant Focal.....»»
Pop patrol
Canada is one of the most animal-friendly countries in the world. Amid the pandemic, local authorities allow dogs more than people outside homes as a contingency against the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Quebec, one of the provinces of Canada, imposed a curfew in the next four weeks to minimize the number of […] The post Pop patrol appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Turks turn to pets to beat isolation
ISTANBUL, Turkey (Xinhua) — Animal adoptions have surged amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people are turning to pets as a source of companionship, some Turkish animal lovers and veterinarians said. “We witnessed an increase in adoptions since this summer, especially when the first lockdown restrictions were lifted at the beginning of June, as people […] The post Turks turn to pets to beat isolation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»