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Negros Oriental under state of calamity amid RSSI infestation

Negros Oriental has been placed under a state of calamity due to the infestation of red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) on sugarcane plantations.

The declaration of a state of calamity was approved on Monday by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan based on the recommendations of the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council, according to Vice Gov. Cezanne Fritz Diaz.

Data from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) showed that about 1,900 of the 48,901 hectares of sugarcane farms in the province have been destroyed by the pest.

The declaration of a state of calamity authorizes the provincial government to tap its quick response fund to assist sugarcane farmers displaced by the infestation and undertake pest containment operations.

An initial amount of P15 million has been allotted to address the problem.

The SRA said the infestation has affected more than 78,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations across Negros Island.

On June 30, the nearby province of Negros Occidental declared a state of calamity after the RSSI ravaged over 32 percent of the province’s sugarcane plantations.

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier said the provincial government ruled out aerial chemical spraying using large aircraft to eradicate the pest.

Lacson said the provincial government opted for biological and eco-friendly pest control methods due to public health and environmental concerns.

But he clarified that the refusal of the provincial government to fund the chemical spraying does not mean an outright ban on the initiative.

Lacson said he would leave it to city and municipal officials to decide which pest containment operation is best for their communities.

He said that entities wishing to finance aerial spraying may do so, provided they first secure the approval of the mayors.

In the meantime, Lacson said the provincial government will proceed with the biological control initiative.

He said that initial spraying of biological and eco-friendly pest control would start tomorrow in some areas in the province.

Earlier, the SRA said that although sustainable, the biological and eco-friendly pest control cannot stop the rapid spread of RSSI.

Titan ultra ends dry spell

This game presented hungry Titan Ultra with an opening to finally end its misery.

The Giant Risers took on TNT at a time when the defending PBA Governors’ Cup champion was dealing with injuries to five key players and still struggling to find its groove with import Darius Days.

And they were quick to jump at this golden opportunity.

Led by Tirrell Brown’s 29-point, 10-rebound, five-assist performance, the Giant Risers secured a 103-87 reversal over the Tropang 5G last night at Ynares Center-Antipolo.

This served as a big confidence booster as Titan stopped not only a 0-3 start marred by back-to-back losing margins of 31 and 35 points in the season-ending conference but also a longer 10-game skid dating back to the previous Commissioner’s Cup.

‘Nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord God na binigyan kami ng panalo today especially against TNT,’ said coach Rensy Bajar, in the pressroom for the winning teams for the first time since Titan’s 102-98 win over Blackwater last April 8 in the mid-season meet.

‘I give credit to all my players, especially Tirrell, they want to win talaga. And I’m happy ‘yung game plan namin, especially on defense, nasunod,’ he added.

As sweetener, the 16-point shocker over TNT marked a new high for Titan’s young franchise in terms of winning margin.

Bajar hopes to build momentum from this upset over TNT (1-1), which lost coach Chot Reyes to ejection early in the third for incurring his second technical foul of the game.

‘Napakahirap nung three straight losses to motivate the players,’ admitted Bajar.

‘But I told them just to enjoy the game. Don’t think about winning right away, treat this game quarter by quarter, minute by minute, possession by possession at baka sakali dun nagkaroon kami ng pag-asa.’

Banking on their defense, the Giant Risers outplayed the Tropang 5G in the middle quarters, 53-33, to seize control.

‘We limited TNT to 48 points in the first half and we played good defense. Then na-duplicate namin ‘yun nung second half with the leadership of our import,’ said Bajar.

Later, San Miguel Beer roared to 3-0 with a 128-122 victory over Converge.

George King banged in 41-11 as CJ Perez rifled in 31 as the Beermen stretched their unbeaten start while dropping the FiberXers to 3-1.

I Was Physically Assaulted On Movie Set – Nana Ama McBrown

Actress and media personality, Nana Ama McBrown has revealed that she was once physically assaulted by a film director during the early years of her acting career.

Speaking in an interview with Anita Akuffo on TV3 on July 20, 2026, McBrown said she was slapped twice on a movie set but decided to continue working because she was determined to succeed in the industry.

According to her, the incident was one of the many sacrifices and challenges she had to endure while building her career.

‘Some people can’t stand pressure, but in this line of work, there’s a lot of pressure. Our director slapped me twice on set, and I continued working. He shouted at some people, and they never returned to the set again, but I stayed after taking the slap. I knew I wanted to be there, so nothing stopped me,’ she said.

Cyprus Department of Meteorology – Forecast for the Sea Area of Cyprus (?)

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (B)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1200 23/07/2026 UNTIL 1200 24/07/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1003hPa (hectopascal)

Seasonal low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine, but local mist and low cloud are expected, later tonight and early morning.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in mist

Sea surface temperature: 28°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Afternoon West 4, gradually locally 4 to 5 Slight

Night Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, later near the coast North to Northeast 3 Slight, later near the coast Slight to Moderate

Morning Southwest to West 3 to 4, locally South 4 Slight to Moderate, locally Moderate

South Coast

Afternoon Southwest to West 4, gradually locally 4 to 5 Slight

Night Southwest to West 3 to 4, later Northwest to Northeast 2 to 3 Slight, later Smooth to Slight

Morning Southeast to Southwest 3, gradually Southwest to West 4 Smooth to Slight, gradually Slight

East Coast

Afternoon South to Southwest 3 to 4, soon Southwest 4 Smooth to Slight, soon Slight

Night Southwest to West 3 to 4, soon Variable 2 to 3 Slight, soon Smooth to Slight

Morning East to Southeast 3, gradually South to Southwest 4 Smooth to Slight, gradually Slight

North Coast

Afternoon Southwest to Northwest 4, gradually locally West 4 to 5 Slight

Night Southwest to West 3 to 4, later South to Southwest 3 Slight

Morning Southeast to Southwest 3 to 4, locally 4 Slight, locally Slight to Moderate

Time of issue: 1130

Speaker seeks protection for food-producing provinces

Speaker Faustino Dy III has urged the government to protect provinces considered as major food producers to ensure food security.

At a briefing on El Niño preparedness conducted by the House committee on agriculture and food, Dy said food-producing provinces like Isabela are essential in safeguarding the nation’s food security.

He said that his home province of Isabela, one of the country’s top rice-producing provinces, supplies around 45 percent of the National Capital Region’s rice requirement.

Dy said protecting food-producing provinces requires not just emergency assistance, but also long-term investments that will enable farmers and irrigation systems to withstand climate-related disruptions.

He cited Isabela’s experience wherein provincial and national government agencies strengthened coordination, monitored water levels in Magat Dam and planned water releases in anticipation of prolonged dry conditions.

These steps were undertaken while the provincial government assisted farmers and fisherfolk, and pursued long-term water infrastructure projects, Dy said.

He said the country needs to invest in stronger and reliable irrigation systems, water-efficient technologies, community-based water management and climate-resilient agriculture.

These measures, Dy said, are important for agricultural provinces that serve as the country’s food baskets.

He urged government agencies to shift from reactive disaster response to proactive planning before the dry spell worsens.

ATHLETICS-CARIFTA-Guyana to host 2027 CARIFTA Games, Barbados to play host in 2028

Guyana has stepped forward to host the 2027 CARIFTA Games, just one week after St Kitts withdrew its bid to host the Caribbean’s top athletic sporting event.

Guyana’s decision to host the Games was revealed by the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) on Thursday, which also announced that Barbados had taken responsibility to host the Games in 2028.

The news comes exactly one week after St Kitts pulled out of hosting the 2027 Games, with the St. Kitts-Nevis Athletics Association and the St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee citing that it was ‘not the most ideal time’ for the island.

NACAC Athletics said the commitments followed the swift intervention and support of the CARICOM Heads of Government.

‘On behalf of the NACAC Athletics Council, officials, and athletes of the NACAC Athletics family, I wish to thank the CARICOM Heads for their swift and positive response in support of the CARIFTA Games,’ NACAC Athletics President Mike Sands said during a media briefing.

‘I especially thank President Ali of Guyana and Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados for agreeing to host CARIFTA 2027 and 2028. This secures the immediate future of what is arguably the world’s premier junior athletics event.’

NACAC is expected to engage the relevant authorities in Guyana and Barbados to support early planning for both editions while continuing discussions with CARICOM leaders on a more sustainable framework for athletics and major youth sporting events in the Caribbean.

KPA suffers setback in tussle over lucrative forklifts tender

The Court of Appeal has struck out an appeal by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) challenging a High Court decision that quashed the award of a Sh362 million tender for supply and maintenance of 15 forklift trucks.

The court rejected the procurement dispute after finding the appeal was filed one day late, leaving the High Court decision intact. The court reaffirmed that statutory timelines in procurement cases cannot be extended under ordinary appellate procedures.

The court ruled that the authority and its accounting officer failed to invoke the court’s jurisdiction within the mandatory seven-day period prescribed under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act.

The appeal arose from a procurement dispute involving Finnish cargo-handling equipment manufacturer Kalmar Finland Oy, which lost the two-lot tender to Brookwood Technical Limited and Autobikes Ltd early this year. Kalmar was disqualified for failure to file audited accounts for the years 2024 and 2025, though it challenged this, arguing the requirement did not apply to it, as an original equipment manufacturer.

Autobikes Ltd was awarded Lot 2 of the contract for $721,306 (Sh93.2 million) while Brookwood Technical Limited was to get Lot 1 at $2.8 million (Sh362 million) before the Finnish firm lodged a complaint. The tender was for the supply, testing and commissioning of 15 new forklift trucks.

Kalmar Finland Oy successfully challenged Brookwood’s award at the High Court, which quashed the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board’s finding that Brookwood was eligible to participate in the tender.

In the judgment dated May 28, 2026, the court found that Brookwood had not been prequalified to participate in that restricted tender, which had been limited to four firms, whose equipment was already in use at the port. They were identified as XYMA, Hyster, SMV Konecranes and Kalmar.

‘The applicant (Kalmar) was among those prequalified to tender; the interested party (Brookwood) was not,’ said the court. ‘The list of invited bidders is a mandatory requirement, and procuring entities have no legal discretion to waive or deviate from it, and inviting bids from firms that are not in the list would amount to the procuring entity disregarding its own bid conditions, making it illegal,’ it added.

Aggrieved by the High Court judgment, KPA moved to the court of appeal seeking to overturn that decision.

Kalmar separately asked the appellate court to strike out the appeal, arguing that the statutory deadline expired on June 4 but the appeal was lodged and paid for on June 5.

KPA opposed the application, saying it filed a notice of appeal within time and requested typed proceedings from the High Court before attempting to lodge the record of appeal on June 4.

The authority said the court’s Deputy Registrar rejected the filing later that evening because certified proceedings and the High Court judgment had not yet been supplied.

KPA told the court it explained the position the following morning, after which the Deputy Registrar approved the record for filing and payment.

The authority urged the judges not to determine the dispute on procedural grounds, arguing the appeal raised substantial issues deserving consideration.

It argued that “substantive justice, fairness, and equity demand that the appeal be determined on its merits rather than being dismissed for procedural shortcomings.”

KPA also invoked constitutional provisions requiring courts to administer justice without undue regard to procedural technicalities and argued it could not file documents that were unavailable through no fault of its own.

The judges rejected those arguments, holding that procurement appeals occupy a special legal category governed by strict statutory deadlines.

“Section 175(4) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act provides that an appeal against the decision of the High Court must be filed before the Court of Appeal within seven days,” the bench said.

The judges added that the provision forms the basis of the court’s jurisdiction and that “jurisdiction is everything.”

The court found that although KPA requested typed proceedings before expiry of the deadline, the statutory period continued running because procurement appeals are governed by special provisions overriding ordinary appellate rules.

Quoting earlier decisions, the judges reiterated that “these timelines are cast in stone and cannot be varied.”

The bench also rejected KPA’s reliance on equitable principles protecting litigants from court administrative failures.

“It, therefore, means that the appellants ought to have considered all these factors and endeavoured to file an appeal within time,” the judges said.

They added that KPA failed to demonstrate it had taken every possible step, including physically pursuing registry approval before expiry of the statutory period.

PAP reforms boost education, peace in Niger Delta – IYN

The Ijaw Youth Network (IYN) has commended President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for the unprecedented scholarships of the Presidential Amnesty Programme under Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro.

The IYN, which urged the PAP boss to ignore detractors, advised him to sustain the tempo of the positive impact of the programme on the Niger Delta under his leadership.

The IYN, in a statement signed by Frank Ebikabo, its president, and Federal Ebiaridor, Secretary, on Wednesday, said that Dr Otuaro’s expansion of the programme’s scholarship and vocational schemes had increased educational and training opportunities for delegates and beneficiaries from the region’s communities.

The group lauded Dr Otuaro for awarding scholarships to over 9,000 Niger Deltans to study in Nigerian universities and 273 overseas, since assuming office in March 2024, describing the large-scale deployments as unprecedented.

Ebikabo and Ebiaridor said the IYN is delighted to note that the programme has recorded over 50 first-class and 40 second-class upper divisions in the past two academic years.

They also hailed Dr Otuaro for the successful completion of training by four pilot cadets and two instrument rating trainees in South Africa, 40 aviation cadets in Lagos, and 98 maritime cadets in Delta State.

The group stressed that the training of 360 delegates of the First, Second and Third Phases of the programme, and other stakeholders, on alternative dispute resolution and mediation had strengthened the PAP’s peace-building process in the region.

Ebikabo and Ebiaridor said that Dr Otuaro has gone too far in realizing the President’s vision for the Niger Delta to be distracted.

‘These remarkable achievements highlight Dr Dennis Otuaro’s sincere commitment and passion for human capital development, socio-economic advancement, and peace and stability in the communities of the Niger Delta.

‘The region is experiencing positive development. The people and communities are feeling the positive impact of the Presidential Amnesty Programme under the Administrator’s leadership, despite all the distractions thrown in his direction by those who do not mean well for the region’, the group said.

The IYN further stated that under Dr Otuaro the payment of delegates’ monthly stipends had been largely prompt, transparent and smooth, stressing that ‘it has never been this good for delegates because he also played an active role in the struggle’.

2027: Resort to attacks confirms Tinubu is afraid of election – APM

The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has disclosed that the Presidency’s resort to ‘diatribes and disparagement’ against the Presidential candidate of the party in the 2027 Presidential election, Governor Seyi Makinde, has confirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is nervous about the coming election.

Reacting to an interview by Presidential Spokesman, Daniel Bwala, the opposition party said the Presidency constant attack on Makinde has further confirms that President Tinubu no longer command the support of majority of Nigerians ahead of the elections.

Abubakar Yusuf, National Publicity Secretary of the party in a statement in Abuja said, the 2027 Presidential race would be between Governor Makinde, standing with millions of Nigerians who are determined for a new beginning, adding that President Tinubu ‘only has the feeble support of a handful of sycophantic and arrogant citizens.’

While speaking about the performance of Seyi Makinde in Oyo State, APM said the Presidency is already been ‘intimidated because it has no tangible scorecard of achievements to present to the people.’

APM said because of the prevailing situation, ‘Nigerians across board has reached a consensus to replace President Tinubu with Governor Makinde at the 2027 election given Makinde’s outstanding performance as Governor of Oyo State.

‘President Tinubu should be jittery because Governor Makinde is coming into the contest with an intimidating record of performance including transforming Oyo State to a foremost economically viable state, surpassing the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, according to data from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), a feat Nigerians want him to replicate at the national level.

‘The Tinubu Presidency is edgy because Nigerians are determined and eager to elect Governor Seyi Makinde, so that they can enjoy the benefits of his blueprint to revamp the economy, rejig our security architecture, rebuild collapse infrastructure, revitalize the productive sectors, end corruption and bring a new lease of life to the people.’

APM lamented that for the Presidency to suggest that a Presidential candidate with such army of support is ‘inconsequential’ says more about the anxiety within the corridors of power than it does about the candidate.’

The APM said while it will not be drawn into a war of words, their focus remains on issues, adding that when ‘spokespersons of a government resort to name-calling rather than addressing issues, then they have nothing substantial to offer.

‘We therefore counsel those speaking for the Presidency to engage Nigerians with issues or advice their principal to withdraw from the race if he has nothing to offer.’

Our candidate will be on ballot for 2027 elections, says Turaki PDP camp

The Tanimu Turaki camp of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) on Thursday allayed the fears of candidates sponsored by it on whether or not they will be able to contest the 2027 general elections, insisting that they will be the ones that will fly the party flag in National and state elections.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Abuja, Turaki said emphatically that nobody will be able to kill the PDP, while assuring that the party was on course and will participate in the elections.

He said, ‘I want to say, without fear of contradiction, that PDP, your party is on course. The essence of every political party is to legitimately capture power in a given polity. You cannot capture power unless you are on the ballot. I want to tell you that PDP shall be on the ballot for all rounds of the 2027 elections, from the presidential down to the states houses of assembly election PDP, this PDP shall be on the ballot’.

He commended those who have kept fate with the group for their tenacity, for your loyalty, for your conviction, for your belief in democracy, and for your resoluteness in working towards ensuring that democracy that believes in a multi-party system survives in our country.

Turaki said ‘there comes a time in the life of a human being when challenges, ups and downs become the order of the day. But as the saying goes, when the going gets tough, it’s only the tough that ultimately gets going.

‘For us in PDP, we’ve seen all seasons. We’ve seen the good times. We’ve also seen the bad times. We’ve seen days of prosperity, just as we’ve also seen days of adversity. We’ve seen successes, and we’ve seen challenges. For us, the kind of challenge that the People’s Democratic Party is facing today is not something that is new to us.

‘People may recall a time in the past when attempts were made by some charlatans to take the leadership of our party and then give it in the hands of some impostors, and when the party and the party leadership rose in unison and said, ‘We will not allow anybody to run away with our party’, a caretaker committee was set up under the leadership of His Excellency Senator Ahmed Mohamed Makarfi.

‘Those who were there and those who are conversant with what happened during that period of serious challenge, will appreciate that what we are now witnessing in our party is even a child’s play. By the special grace of God, we shall overcome. We will overcome. Indeed, we are overcoming.

‘Today we are witnessing in Nigeria, a time that is different from what we all are used to seeing. There are a lot of tension. There are a lot of crises. There are a lot of upheavals in the domain of most of the opposition political parties. It’s regrettable, indeed very sad and unfortunate, that when you begin to trace the genesis of those crises, that they will take you back to the footsteps of the party in government.

‘We used to think that more than any other person, that people in government, people who are on the surgeon of leadership, should prefer peace to reign than crisis in their domain. But for us in PDP, while other political parties are having existential threat, while their existence is threatened and their lives is shaking, nobody, and I dare say, nobody can kill the PDP.

‘PDP will continue to live. There may be challenges here and there regarding the leadership of our party. Again, for us in PDP, this is nothing new. We will overcome. We shall overcome. We are overcoming.

He said the party intend to discuss the judgement of the Federal High Court on the suit instituted by its Board of Trustees against the Independent National Electoral Commission on the leadership of the party and ‘agree on where we need to get to, for the purpose of taking our people and our nation out of the woods, and then we will maybe when we get into the private session, discuss exhaustively what our strategies would be’.

Former Niger state Governor, Babandiga Aliyu regretted that the crisis rocking the party came from within the party, regretting that those he called fugitives and nomadic politicians have been using the party for their own selfish.

He said however that those who thought they could kill PDP by running away to another party, are the ones who suffering more, and don’t even know what is there on the ground for them.

He said, ‘It is unfortunate that people are not patient enough. It is unfortunate that some people try to play god by taking decisions that really belongs to God. We have seen many of them jumping from one party to the other, for every election that has been conducted, but they forgot the success is not only in their effort.

‘Success is also in the way your heart functions, because our creator judges you by what is in your heart, not what is in your pocket or what is in your mouth. So, if you have clean heart, He knows it, and He will reward you at the end of the day. Believe me, we will be rewarded, and we will be surprised by our creator on the way and manner He is going to reward those of us who have stayed tenaciously to ensure that there is justice in our country.

‘Whatever is happening now, let us see it as a temporary way of making people understand that we messed up as we were coming along. If I will borrow from our creator, whatever you do, you will reap it, you will get it back. We will get yourselves back. You will get our party back, and we will succeed in the final analysis. We want people to be alive to see when we succeed. We will not laugh at them, but at least they will also learn some lessons as we go along.

‘You might think you are cheating me if you collect bribe to get me down. For you, you think you have made something, but believe me, you will pay both here and in the in the hereafter. So please let us continue patiently, and let us try to continue to at least organize properly.’