Day: July 31, 2024

MANILA: Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa on Wednesday said there is no bird flu outbreak in Tarlac. ‘Good news, negative po lahat ng samples (all of the samples are negative) from Tarlac,’ de Mesa said in a Viber message, dispelling fears of consumers and industry players of a bird flu outbreak. He said this is based on the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)’s confirmatory tests following a supposed ‘bird flu outbreak’ in the province. Three farms from Tarlac have submitted blood samples to BAI, and tests showed samples weren’t infected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). In a

ILOILO CITY: This city will be conferred the first ASEAN Smoke-free Award (ASA) during the opening session of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations health ministers meeting on Aug. 8 in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force (ICAST) Executive Director Iñigo Garingalao said the city is the only recipient of the gold award and also the only local government unit in the Philippines that will be conferred the highest recognition by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), a multi-sectoral alliance based in Thailand, helping ASEAN countries develop and put in place their tobacco control

MANILA: The House of Representatives on Wednesday ordered the arrest and detention of former presidential adviser Michael Yang for repeated failure to appear, despite proper summons, in the House probe on his alleged involvement in a PHP3.6-billion drug bust in Mexico, Pampanga in 2023. House Secretary General Reginald Velasco earlier signed the contempt order issued by the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs against Yang following the latter’s utter disregard of summons served to him by the panel. House Sergeant-at-Arms, Napoleon Taas and his team, served the arrest order for Yang at Fortun-Law Offices on 134 CRM Avenue, BF Homes Almanza,

PUTRAJAYA,, Featuring 15 patriotic songs at the Parade Ceremony for the 2024 Warriors’ Day Celebration, the combined band of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) successfully stirred a sense of patriotism among the security forces and guests present. The band, comprising 120 personnel from MAF and PDRM, began enlivening the patriotic spirit at Dataran Pahlawan here as early as 7.30 am, playing different songs during the arrival of distinguished and royal guests. Music and Arts director for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), Lt Col Mohd Rizal Mohd Noor told Bernama that each guest’s arrival

KUALA LUMPUR,, The ringgit opened firmer against the US dollar, hitting the RM4.61 level for a fresh seven-month high, and economists anticipate a further strengthening as investors await the outcome of the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) two-day meeting later today. At 8.01 am, the ringgit rose to 4.6180/6235 against the greenback from Tuesday’s close of 4.6330/6400. A boost in global market sentiment and strong domestic economic prospects have bolstered the local currency. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the decline in US Treasury yields, which fell four basis points, indicated that more investors