Sinisiyasat na ngayon ng Department of Tourism (DOT) ang “Love the Philippines” campaign video matapos sitahin ng mga netizens na gumamit ito ng “non-original shots” ng mga lokasyon sa labas ng bansa.
Ayon sa DOT, bilang isa sa maraming iba pang bahagi ng paglulunsad ng pinalawak na kampanya sa turismo, naghanda at naglabas ng audio-visual presentation ang kinontratang ahensya ng DOT, ang DDB Philippines, na kamakailan ay naging paksa ng pagdududa pagtuligsa dahil sa diumano ay paggamit ng non-original shots sa ilang bahagi ng AVP.
Sinabi rin ng DOT na paulit ulit itong humingi ng kumpirmasyon mula sa kinontratang ahensya sa pagiging orihinal ng pagmamay-ari ng lahat ng materyales na ginamit sa video, at siniguro ng DDB sa departamento na maayos ang lahat.
Nauna dito, sinabi ni Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco na gumastos ang DOT ng ₱49 milyon sa “Love the Philippines” campaign at slogan.
“Bagaman walang pampublikong pondo na binayaran para sa AVP na pinag-uusapan dahil ang partikular na bahagi ng paglulunsad na ito ay inilabas sa account ng DDB, hawak ng DOT ang responsibilidad na isulong ang bansa sa pinakamataas na pamantayan,” ayon sa departamento.
“Ang DOT ay kasalukuyang nagsasagawa ng isang kumpletong pagsisiyasat upang matukoy ang katotohanan at upang tipunin ang buong faculty ng mga katotohanan sa mga paratang na ito,” dagdag nito.
Inilunsad ng DOT ang kanilang promotional video at bagong kampanya sa turismo noong Hunyo 27.
SAN FRANCISCO. Twitter owner Elon Musk has limited the number of tweets that users can view each day — restrictions he described as an attempt to prevent unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data from the social media platform.
The site is now requiring people to log on to view tweets and profiles — a change in its longtime practice to allow everyone to peruse the chatter on what Musk has frequently touted as the world’s digital town square since buying it for $44 billion last year.
The restrictions could result in users being locked out of Twitter for the day after scrolling through several hundred tweets. Thousands of users complained Saturday of not being able to access the site.
In a Friday tweet, Musk described the new restrictions as a temporary measure that was taken because “we were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users!”
Musk elaborated on the limits Saturday, saying unverified accounts will temporarily be restricted to reading 600 posts per day, while verified accounts will be able to scroll through up to 6,000.
The crackdown began to have ripple effects, causing more than 7,500 people at one point Saturday to report problems using the social media service, based on complaints registered on Downdetector, a website that tracks online outages.
Although that’s a relatively small number of Twitter’s more than 200 million worldwide users, the trouble was widespread enough to cause the #TwitterDown hashtag to trend in some parts of the world.
The higher threshold allowed on verified accounts is part of an $8-per-month subscription service that Musk rolled out earlier this year in an effort to boost Twitter revenue. It has fallen sharply since the billionaire Tesla CEO took over the company and laid off roughly three-fourths of the workforce to cut costs and stave off bankruptcy.
An Associated Press inquiry about Saturday’s access problems triggered a crude automated reply that Twitter sends to most media queries without addressing the question.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Saturn has a fresh new look thanks to NASA’s Webb Space Telescope.
The gas giant is dark in the latest photo by Webb, released Friday, but its icy rings are glowing.
Webb snapped the picture in the infrared last weekend. At this wavelength, the planet appears dark because sunlight is absorbed by methane in the atmosphere. But the icy rings remain bright.
Three of Saturn’s many moons also got caught on camera.
Scientists are thrilled with this latest shot, which captures Saturn’s atmosphere in detail. They hope to uncover new ring structures as well as any new, faint moons that might be lurking there.
“We look forward to digging into the deep exposures to see what discoveries may await,” Matthew Tiscareno, a senior research scientist at the SETI Institute, said in a statement.
HELSINKI. Network infrastructure and 5G technology provider Nokia has signed a new long-term patent license agreement with Apple to replace the current deal between the two companies that is set to expire at the end of 2023.
The deal, which enables Apple to use the Finnish company’s technology in its products, covers Nokia’s inventions in 5G and other technologies. The terms of the agreement announced late Friday remain confidential.
Nokia expects to recognize revenue related to the agreement starting January 2024, and the company said the deal is consistent with its long-term outlook disclosed in the first quarter.
“The agreement reflects the strength of Nokia’s patent portfolio, decades-long investments in R&D, and contributions to cellular standards and other technologies,” Nokia Technologies President Jenni Lukander said in a statement.
The previous license agreement between Apple and Nokia was announced in May 2017.
Nokia said its patent portfolio is built on more than €140 billion ($153 billion) invested in research and development since 2000, and is composed of around 20,000 patent families, including over 5,500 patent families declared essential to 5G.
The Espoo, Finland-based Nokia is one of the world’s main suppliers of 5G, the latest generation of broadband technology, along with Sweden’s Ericsson, China’s Huawei and South Korea’s Samsung.
TERNATE, Cavite. Hinuli ng awtoridad sa bayang ito ang apat na dayuhan matapos nilang sirain at bastusin ang watawat ng Pilipinas.
Ayon kay PNP Chief Police General Benjamin Acorda Jr., ang mga suspek ay papunta sana sa Puerto Azul subalit sila ay naipit sa matinding trapiko.
Dahil sa kanilang pagkainis, hinatak ng mga dayuhan ang bandera ng Pilipinas na nakasabit sa flag pole sa Marine Base Gregorio Lim at ito ay kanilang pinagpupunit punit.
Ginawa nila ito sa harap ng mga opisyal ng Philippine Marines, na agad namang nag-ulat sa Philippine National Police.
Mabilis na umaksyon ang mga awtoridad at naaresto ang mga dayuhan na sumira sa watawat ng bansa. Kasalukuyan silang nakakulong at kinasuhan na ng paglabag sa RA8491 o mas kilala bilang The Code of the National Flag. Ito ay isang batas na nagpapahalaga sa dignidad at paggalang sa watawat ng Pilipinas.
Ang paglapastangan sa watawat ay hindi kinukunsinti at dapat managot ang mga nagkasala, ayon kay Acorda.
Ipinapakita ng apat na suspek ang kawalang-respeto sa mga simbolo ng ating bansa at pagmamalabis sa kanilang kalayaan bilang mga dayuhan dito sa Pilipinas.
Ang PNP ay patuloy na nagpapatupad ng mahigpit na seguridad at mananatiling alerto sa mga insidenteng tulad nito.
Hinahamon din ni Acorda ang publiko na maging responsableng mamamayan sa pagpapanatili ng kahalagahan at integridad ng ating mga pambansang simbolo.
SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro. Kalahating milyong piso ang nakalaang pabuya para sa sino mang makapagtuturo sa humalay at pumatay sa isang graduating college student sa bayang ito.
Ayon sa report ng San Jose Municipal Police Station, ang biktima na kinilalang si Eden Joy Villacete, 22 anyos na graduating architecture student sa Occidental Mindoro State College ay natagpuang patay sa isang boarding house sa Brgy. 7 sa nabanggit na bayan.
Batay sa isinagawang imbestigasyon ng pulisya, naalarma ang mga kaklase ni Eden Joy nang hindi ito pumasok sa paaralan ng dalawang araw.
Nag-alala rin ang kanyang mga kapatid at pamilya dahil hindi siya nagpadala ng anumang mensahe sa kanila.
Agad na nagpunta sa tinutuluyang boarding house ng estudyante ang kanyang mga kaklase at magulang at doon natagpuan nila ang masangsang na amoy ng bangkay ng biktima.
Ang bangkay ni Villacete ay puno ng pasa sa katawan, may anim na saksak sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng katawan, walang kasuotang pag ibaba, at may marka ng sakal gamit ang kawad.
May mga palatandaan na naglaban ang biktima laban sa mga suspek dahil nagkalat ang mga gamit sa loob ng kwarto ni Villacete.
Kaugnay nito, naglaan ng halos kalahating milyong piso ang mga opisyal ng Pamahalaang Lokal ng San Jose sa pangunguna ni Mayor Rey Ladaga bilang pabuya sa sinumang makapagtuturo at makapagbibigay ng impormasyon hinggil sa mga salarin na pumatay at sumalaula kay Eden Joy.
WASHINGTON. Officials on Thursday approved drugmaker BioMarin’s gene therapy for the most common form of hemophilia, a $2.9 million infused treatment that can significantly reduce dangerous bleeding problems.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Roctavian for adult patients with severe cases of hemophilia A, the inherited blood-clotting disorder that can lead to bleeding after minor injuries or scrapes. It’s the first gene therapy for those patients.
The IV therapy is a long-awaited alternative to current treatments, including weekly doses of a protein needed to help blood clot. Some patients take a newer, longer-acting biotech drug that replaces the protein.
BioMarin said in a statement that the FDA approval was based on a three-year study showing a 50% reduction in annual bleeding incidents among 134 patients who received the treatment. Most patients continued to respond to the treatment beyond three years, without needing regular IV infusions, the company said.
BioMarin said Roctavian’s $2.9 million price tag reflects “the possibility of freedom from years” of infusions, which cost about $800,000 annually for a typical patient. The price is less than the $3.5 million announced last year for a similar gene therapy for hemophilia B, a less common form of the disease.
Like most medicines in the U.S., the new treatment will mainly be paid for by insurers, not patients.
BioMarin said it estimates about 2,500 U.S. patients will be eligible to receive the therapy under the terms of the FDA’s approval. Patients with certain underlying health problems and conditions are excluded under the prescribing information.
Hemophilia is caused by mutations that prevent the production of proteins needed for blood clotting. Hemophilia A is the most severe variant of the condition, and some patients can experience spontaneous bleeding even without any injury. Left untreated, the condition can cause bleeding that seeps into joints and organs, including the brain.
Roctavian uses an inactivated virus, created in a lab, to deliver a replacement gene to the liver cells that produce the clotting protein. When the therapy is successful, patients can then produce the protein themselves. The label warns that rare, severe allergic reactions can occur.
Dr. Margaret Ragni called Roctavian “a major improvement in terms of reducing the burden of disease.” But she notes that many patients are comfortable with their current treatments and may be hesitant to try a new gene therapy.
“I think there’s a group that will want to do this, but patients need to hear what the risks and benefits are,” said Ragni, who treats patients at the Hemophilia Center of Western of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh.
BioMarin was among the first companies to begin testing an experimental gene therapy in patients more than six years ago.
The San Rafael, California-based company excluded patients with certain potentially complicating conditions, including liver disorders and resistance to the standard blood clotting protein, which often develops in some hemophilia patients. BioMarin’s president for research and development, Dr. Henry Fuchs, said the company is conducting studies in some of those excluded groups to see if they can safely receive the therapy.
Another key question is how long the therapy’s benefits last. BioMarin has followed the patients for more than three years and they continue to experience reduced bleeding. But levels of the clotting protein in the bloodstream fall over time, suggesting additional treatments may eventually be needed.
“Let’s make sure the expectation isn’t that this is taken one time, forever and it will work perfectly for the rest of your life,” Fuchs said, adding “at some point we’ll know a lot more about durability.”
Roctavian was approved in Europe last August, but the therapy has faced pushback from government health programs over its cost.
STA. CRUZ, Laguna. Muling nagsagawa ng pagbabago sa hanay ng mga provincial directors ang Region 4A police command kahapon, kung saan humalili sa pwesto ni Laguna Provincial Police Office Director Col. Randy Glenn Silvio si Pol. Col. Jepo Depositar.
Si Col. Silvio, isang nagtapos ng Philippine National Police Academy, ay naglingkod sa Laguna ng sampung buwan at sampung araw, ayon sa mga tala ng pulisya. Siya ay ililipat sa Manila Police Department bilang ika-4 na pinuno ng Directorial Staff.
Si Col. Depositar ay dating hepe ng pulisya sa lungsod ng Santa Rosa at Makati City noong nakaraang taon.
Sa Sa turnover of command ceremony, iniabot ni Police Brigadier General Carlito Gaces, direktor ng Police Regional Office Calabarzon ang watawat na ipinasa kay Silvio na isinalin naman kay Col. Depositar.
Sa mensahe na ibinahagi ni Gaces sa harap ng mga mamamahayag at mga opisyal ng local government units, partikular niyang binigyang-pagkilala ang husay at katapangan ni Col. Silvio sa mga kontrobersyal na mga kaso sa buong probinsya na naiulat sa telebisyon, radyo, at pahayagan sa mga kasong mabilis na nahuli ang mga sangkot na kriminal.
Kinakailangan ng bansa ang isang maayos at tahimik na kapaligiran kung saan laging nasa unahan ang kaligtasan ng mga mamamayan, ayon kay Gaces.
Nagpasalamat naman si Col. Silvio sa lahat ng mga hepe ng mga istasyon ng pulisya sa Laguna at sa kanilang mga tauhan sa pagsunod sa kanyang mga direktiba bilang tagapagpatupad ng batas.
Dumalo sa ginanap turnover ceremony sina Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez, mga alkalde ng lalawigan kasama sina Mayor Patrick Go ng Siniloan, Mayor Rolando Ubatay ng Lumban, at walong iba pa.
MILAN. A still-life fresco discovered recently in the Pompeii archaeological site looks like a pizza, but it’s not, experts at the archaeological site said Tuesday.
They noted that key ingredients needed to make Italy’s iconic dish — tomatoes and mozzarella — were not available when the fresco was painted some 2,000 years ago.
Tomatoes were only introduced to Europe from the Americas a few centuries ago, and some histories have it that the discovery of mozzarella led directly to the invention of pizza in nearby Naples in the 1700s.
The image is instead believed to be a focaccia covered with fruit, including pomegranate and possibly dates, finished with spices or a type of pesto, experts said. In the fresco, it is served on a silver plate and a wine chalice stands next to it.
The contrast of the frugal meal served in a luxurious setting, denoted by the silver tray, is not unlike modern-day pizza, “born as a poor-man’s dish in southern Italy, which has won over the world and is served even in starred restaurants,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii archaeological site.
The ancient Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed in the eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The sudden and deadly event left much of the structure intact, embalmed in volcanic ash, and the site is now a major archaeological project and tourist attraction.
The Coldiretti ag lobby immediately seized on the discovery of the fresco to promote pizza — invented as a quick meal for the working poor — as a national treasure. Today, pizza represents one-third of the food budget of foreign visitors and generates total annual revenues of 15 billion euros ($16.4 billion) in Italy.
The art of the Neapolitan pizzamaker was put on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2017, recognized for its four phases of dough preparation and for being baked exclusively in a wood oven at 485 degrees Celsius (905 degrees Fahrenheit.)
NANTERRE, France. Violent clashes and widespread looting continued for a fourth consecutive day in France as young rioters expressed their anger over the fatal police shooting of a teenager. President Emmanuel Macron, facing mounting pressure, appealed to parents to keep their children off the streets and blamed social media for exacerbating the unrest.
Despite government calls for calm and increased police presence, Friday witnessed bold acts of violence during daylight hours. An Apple store was looted in the city of Strasbourg in eastern France, prompting police to deploy tear gas. In a Paris-area shopping mall, the windows of a fast-food outlet were smashed as officers repelled individuals attempting to break into a closed store, according to authorities.
The southern port city of Marseille, which had initially been spared from the violence that erupted in the Paris region, experienced a second night of upheaval. Even before nightfall, young people were throwing projectiles, setting fires, and looting shops, resulting in nearly 90 arrests. On Friday evening, looters targeted a gun shop in Marseille, stealing weapons. Subsequently, a man was apprehended with a hunting rifle. The previous night, two off-duty officers were seriously injured, including one who was stabbed, when they were attacked by around 20 individuals.
Rioters in Lyon, another major city in France, continued to set fires and pelt police with projectiles in the suburbs. In the city center, 31 arrests were made to prevent the looting of shops after an unauthorized protest against police violence, which attracted around 1,300 people on Friday evening.
The violence also spread to some of France’s overseas territories. In French Guiana, a 54-year-old individual was killed by a stray bullet on Thursday night when rioters opened fire on police in the capital city of Cayenne. On the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, protesters set fire to garbage bins, threw projectiles at police, and damaged cars and buildings. Approximately 150 officers were deployed there on Friday night.
In the face of the escalating crisis, which has seen hundreds of arrests and massive police deployments, Macron has refrained from declaring a state of emergency, an option that was used in similar circumstances in 2005. Instead, the government has intensified its law enforcement response. The already bolstered police forces have been further augmented by an additional 5,000 officers for Friday night, bringing the total number to 45,000, as announced by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. Some officers were called back from their vacations. Darmanin stated that 917 arrests were made on Thursday alone and highlighted the young age of the detainees, with an average age of 17. He also noted that more than 300 police officers and firefighters have been injured.
Darmanin ordered a nationwide nighttime shutdown of all public buses and trams, which have been targeted by the rioters. He also issued a warning to social media platforms, stating that they cannot allow themselves to be used as channels for inciting violence. While the platforms initially cooperated, the minister emphasized that their true cooperation would be tested that night. He further stated that the French authorities would provide the platforms with as much information as possible to identify those inciting violence, and those who use social media for violent acts would be pursued and face necessary consequences if the platforms fail to comply with the law.
Macron also focused on social media platforms that have been disseminating dramatic images of vandalism, arson, and violence, stating that they play a significant role in fueling the unrest. He specifically mentioned Snapchat and TikTok, highlighting their use in organizing and promoting copycat violence. Macron announced that the government would collaborate with technology companies to establish procedures for removing sensitive content and expressed his expectation of a responsible attitude from the platforms.
Snapchat spokesperson Rachel Racusen confirmed that the company has increased moderation efforts since Tuesday to detect and take action against content related to the riots.
The ongoing violence comes just over a year before Paris and other French cities are set to host the Summer Olympic Games, with thousands of athletes and millions of visitors expected. Organizers of Paris 2024 stated that they are closely monitoring the situation, and preparations for the Olympics are continuing.
The fatal shooting of the 17-year-old, identified only by his first name Nahel, was captured on video, shocking France and intensifying long-standing tensions between police and young people in underprivileged neighborhoods. Macron revealed that one-third of the individuals arrested on Thursday night were young people, emphasizing that parents bear the responsibility of keeping their children at home.
According to Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache, officers attempted to pull Nahel over due to his young appearance and the fact that he was driving a Mercedes with Polish license plates in a bus lane. Nahel allegedly ran a red light in an attempt to evade the police but became stuck in traffic.
The police officer responsible for the shooting has been preliminarily charged with voluntary homicide after the prosecutor’s initial investigation led to the conclusion that the officer’s use of his weapon was not legally justified. Preliminary charges indicate that investigating magistrates strongly suspect wrongdoing but require further investigation before sending the case to trial.
The officer claimed that he feared he, his colleague, or others could be hit by the car as Nahel attempted to flee, according to the prosecutor.
Nahel’s mother, identified as Mounia M., expressed anger towards the officer but not towards the police in general. She stated in an interview with France 5 television that the officer “saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life.” She called for firm justice and emphasized that a police officer should not use a gun to take the lives of children.
Although deadly use of firearms is less common in France compared to the United States, 13 people who did not comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by French police last year. This year, three more individuals, including Nahel, have died under similar circumstances. These incidents have sparked demands for greater accountability in France, with racial justice protests occurring following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota.
Nahel’s burial is scheduled for Saturday, according to Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry, who stated that France must push for changes in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Race has been a taboo topic in France for decades, as the country officially adheres to a doctrine of colorblind universalism. However, following Nahel’s killing, anti-racism activists in France have renewed their complaints about police behavior in general.
This week’s protests bear resemblance to the three weeks of riots in 2005 that followed the deaths of 15-year-old Bouna Traoré and 17-year-old Zyed Benna, who were electrocuted while hiding from the police in a power substation in Clichy-sous-Bois.
A woman holds a placard reading “Police are racist and kill children” during a protest in Paris, France, Friday, June 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)Police clear a street on the third night of protests sparked by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, France, Friday, June 30, 2023. The June 27 shooting of the teen, identified as Nahel, triggered urban violence and stirred up tensions between police and young people in housing projects and other neighborhoods.(AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
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