Author: user user

Criminologist links campus shootings to family, state, school ‘failures’

A cascading ‘collapse’ of family guidance, school security, and government regulation is turning Philippine classrooms into killing fields, a criminology expert said on Wednesday.

Dr. Gerry Caño, president of the Asian Criminology Society and Professional Criminology Associations in the Philippines, criticized the Philippine National Police (PNP) and state agencies for treating recent fatal school shootings ‘as isolated incidents’ rather than symptoms of a deep-seated institutional breakdown.

Caño, who also serves as the national dean of Phinma Education and sits on advisory councils for the PNP Internal Affairs Service and Anti-Cybercrime Group, pointed to the ‘erosion of foundational institutions’ as the root cause of the violence.

‘There is a collapse in the family where parenting skills are substituted by gadgets,’ he stressed. ‘Second is the collapse in the school. The school failed to provide the necessary safety and security for the learning of our students.’

Caño’s remarks came in the wake of three high-profile campus attacks that shocked the country this year.

On June 22, two teenage students launched a fatal attack at a public high school in Tacloban City, killing three students and wounding 20 others. In August, another fatal shooting occurred at a Jesuit-run university campus in Zamboanga, leaving two dead, including the student gunman, and injuring 23 others. The most recent occurred last Friday, Sept. 18, when a Grade 9 student opened fire inside a classroom at Banga National High School in South Cotabato. The rampage left three students dead, including the 16-year-old shooter, and six others wounded.

The criminologist noted that those incidents were also due to ‘a catastrophic regulatory failure,’ specifically highlighting the unchecked proliferation of deadly weapons and unregulated social media access.

‘There is a serious danger with over 600,000 units of loose firearms undocumented by the government,’ Caño warned. ‘These are firearms that (could) possibly end up in violent hands.’

Investigations into the recent school tragedies validate Caño’s concern regarding negligent gun storage by owners.

‘The PNP took no concrete action as they thought this was just an isolated case,’ he said, pointing out that the premier agency mandated to protect lives has failed to address years of escalating school violence.

In the Tacloban attack, one of the teenage shooters used a 9mm Glock 17 service firearm stolen from an aunt who is an active police officer. Similarly, the Zamboanga shooter accessed two guns, including a government-issued Bureau of Customs service firearm, left unattended inside his father’s vehicle. In the Banga incident, the shooter forcibly opened a safety storage vault where the gun owned by his father was kept.

‘The incident in Tacloban should have been the signal for the government and the PNP to be strict in monitoring the implementation of firearms safety requirements, including licenses, testing, safety boxes, safety deposits, or safety vault requirements to ensure that firearms are secured and not accessed daily,’ Caño told the Inquirer.

Ramos falls short of Asiad weightlifting podium

Almost, but not quite.

The Philippines’ Rosegie Ramos missed out on a podium finish in the women’s 53 kilogram weightlifting competition of the Asian Games Wednesday at the Nagoya Trade and Industry Center hall in Japan.

Ramos tallied 93 kilograms in snatch and 110 kilograms in clean and jerk, for a total of 203 kilograms in the competition.

She was actually the top finisher by the end of her clean and jerk attempt, but her turn ended before the podium finishers started their attempts.

North Korea’s Hyon Gyong Kang topped the tournament with a total of 223 kilograms. She tallied 99 kilograms in snatch and 124 kilograms in clean and jerk.

China’s Jinlan Zhao secured the silver medal with 218 total kilograms, off of 94 kilograms in snatch and 124 kilograms in clean and jerk.

Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao finished with the bronze medal with 214 kilograms, off of 95 kilograms snatch and 119 kilograms clean and jerk.

Khambao tried to lift 127 kilograms in her final clean and jerk attempt, but she could not clear.

Ramos, for her part, had clean snatches at 88, 91 and 93 kilograms. She then had good attempts at 105 kilograms and 110 kilograms for clean and jerk.

But as she tried to push for 113 kilograms, she could not raise the bar, ending her afternoon at 203 kilograms.

Ramos finished ahead of Uzbekistan’s Nigora Abdullaeva (201 kilograms), Taipei’s Cheng-jing Lin (198 kilograms), Japan’s Nozomi Abe (196 kilograms), India’s Gyaneshwari Yadav (195 kilograms), Turkmenistan’s Ogulshat Amanova (191 kilograms) and Vietnam’s Hoai Huong Nguyen (177 kilograms).

UNBS seizes 79 tonnes of underweight cement in Kampala market crackdown

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has seized approximately 79 tonnes of underweight cement-equivalent to 1,077 bags-during a targeted market surveillance operation at Goodshed-Biwologoma along Entebbe Road in Kampala.

The standardisation watchdog revealed in a media statement on Wednesday that its surveillance team inspected 29 cement stores and outlets during the operation.

Inspectors discovered multiple batches of cement weighing below the declared package amounts, alongside over four tonnes of empty cement bags and packaging materials suspected to be used for illegal repackaging.

Ms. Sarah Nantongo, a UNBS Senior Surveillance Officer, emphasized that the bureau is committed to protecting consumers from unfair trade practices.

“Consumers have a right to receive the accurate product quantity as declared on a product,” Ms. Nantongo said. “Any practice that deliberately compromises the quantity of a product, including the repackaging and sale of underweight commodities, is unacceptable. UNBS will continue to undertake market surveillance and take appropriate enforcement action against products and businesses that do not comply with mandatory standards.”

According to UNBS, the operation targeted numerous outlets and hardware businesses in the Goodshed area, including Alizahad Ventures, Walusimbi Store, Kateregga’s Store, Hajji Kababba Stores, Bosco’s Shop, Nambooze Lime Stores, and several unnamed outlets and trucks operating in the Goodshed and Clock Tower areas.

The bureau stated that suspects apprehended during the exercise have been handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Uganda Police Force for further action, while investigations continue.

New Content Item (1)

The enforcement action was carried out under the provisions of the UNBS Act Cap 210, the UNBS Market Surveillance Regulations (2022), standard US EAS 18-1:2017 regarding cement composition and specification, and US 1028:2013 on pre-packaged product labelling requirements.

UNBS warned traders against selling non-conforming or underweight commodities and urged members of the public to report suspected cases of substandard products via its toll-free lines.

She Cranes complete unbeaten group run, turn focus to semis

The She Cranes completed an unbeaten Pool 2 campaign at the Africa Netball Cup after overcoming Malawi 54-49 in their final group fixture at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, yesterday.

Uganda had earlier defeated Nigeria and Zambia before edging hosts Kenya to maintain their perfect start to the tournament.

The result secured Uganda a place in tomorrow’s semi-finals, where they will face the runners-up from Pool 1.

Pool 1 comprises South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Tanzania. By press time, South Africa and Namibia were the leading contenders, with their final group fixture scheduled for later yesterday.

The She Cranes will now turn their attention to the knockout stage, where the margin for error becomes smaller and consistency across all four quarters will be crucial.

Uganda’s unbeaten run has provided a strong platform heading into the semi-finals, but the next challenge will demand another disciplined performance as they bid to advance to the final.

The Africa Netball Cup has grown into one of the continent’s most important stages for national teams, combining the fight for continental supremacy with a pathway to the global competitions.

This year’s championship, being held at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, in Nairobi has brought together 10 women’s teams, including Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Tanzania and debutants Nigeria.

Beyond the battle for the African crown, the women’s competition doubles as the African qualification pathway for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

George Russell expects strong Mercedes performance in Baku

Mercedes driver George Russell said at a press conference in Baku ahead of the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix that he enjoys the circuit and believes its high-speed corners suit his car well.

Russell also noted that weather conditions could have an impact on the weekend, while describing the Baku City Circuit as a challenging track that he enjoys racing on.

The Mercedes driver said he has been more satisfied with the team’s recent performances. He pointed to the Madrid race as an example, where Mercedes showed strong race pace and performance before a technical issue ended its hopes of a podium finish.

Russell believes the Baku circuit should suit Mercedes better than the Madrid track and is therefore expecting a stronger result. He also said the team has faced challenges this season because of changes to the car and tyres, but has made progress in understanding what works and is confident Mercedes can fight for victory in Baku.

The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held at the Baku City Circuit from September 24 to 26 as the 15th round of the Formula 1 season.

The weekend will follow an adjusted schedule, with both practice sessions taking place on Thursday, September 24, followed by final practice and qualifying on Friday. The 51-lap Grand Prix will be held on Saturday, September 26, starting at 15:00 local time.

The 6.003-kilometre Baku City Circuit features 20 corners and a race distance of 306.049 kilometres. The street circuit combines long, fast sections with the narrow and technical Old City section, where the track is only 7.6 metres wide at its narrowest point.

The circuit hosted its first Formula 1 race in 2016 as the European Grand Prix before becoming the Azerbaijan Grand Prix venue from 2017.

Ruto: Africa must make talent portable across borders

African countries need trusted systems that allow skills, qualifications and work experience to move across borders, Kenyan President William Ruto has said, as Kenya takes the lead in implementing the digital skills mobility, or Masterkey, corridor under the Accra Reset.

Speaking in New York on September 22, 2026, during the Accra Reset’s Full Circle gathering, President Ruto said: ‘Kenya is honoured to lead the digital skills mobility or Masterkey corridor under the Accra Reset. Today we take Masterkey from design into delivery with Kenya leading its first national implementation,’ he said.

The Accra Reset Presidential Council describes Masterkey as an initiative that seeks to remove barriers preventing talent from moving to where it is most needed. President Ruto said the initiative would provide digital infrastructure for people to securely hold and share verified records of skills, qualifications and work experience across borders.

‘The principle is simple. Talent should be portable. Skills should be trusted and opportunity should cross borders,’ he said.

He said qualifications issued in one African country should be verifiable in another, allowing workers to compete using trusted evidence.

‘A qualification or work record issued in Nairobi should be verified in Kigali and ultimately wherever opportunity exists,’ he said.

He said privacy and cyber security must be protected, with records coming from authorised institutions. Citizens should control access to their records and correct errors, while workers should also be protected against fraud, exploitation and discrimination.

‘Workers must also be protected against fraud, exploitation and discrimination,’ he said.

President Ruto clarified that Masterkey would not itself award jobs, visas or professional recognition, as those decisions would remain with employers and competent authorities.

‘Its purpose is to provide trusted evidence that allows those decisions to be made on credible information,’ he said.

He linked the initiative to Africa’s wider technological ambitions, including access to computing power, trusted data, reliable energy and research capability.

‘No country will build every layer alone,’ he said, calling for cooperation among governments, companies and institutions.

He said Africa should also play a greater role in technology development and governance.

‘Africans are not merely consumers of technology. We are workers, researchers, entrepreneurs, innovators and creators whose talent, data and ideas contribute to the global technology economy,’ he said.

A French Government representative thanked those guiding the process and called for continued cooperation.

The New York gathering marked one year since the Accra Reset was launched on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

President Ruto said Masterkey’s practical test would be whether records issued in one country were recognised in another and created opportunities for African citizens.

‘If we can answer those questions with evidence, we will have moved from dialogue to delivery,’ he said.

President Ilham Aliyev received newly appointed Ambassador of Sweden to Azerbaijan [PHOTOS/VIDEO]

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Azerbaijan Louise Morsing on September 23.

The Ambassador presented her credentials to the head of state.

President Ilham Aliyev held a conversation with the Ambassador.

Expressing hope that the successful development of bilateral relations will continue and new areas of cooperation will be identified in the coming years, the head of state highlighted the importance of mutual visits and meetings at various levels in this regard and noted good opportunities for partnership in the investment, trade, and business sectors.

President Ilham Aliyev wished the Ambassador success in her diplomatic activity.

Expressing gratitude to the head of state for the reception, the Ambassador emphasized that she would make every effort to further expand bilateral relations.

The Ambassador conveyed her congratulations to President Ilham Aliyev on the progress achieved in the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia. She also noted that she welcomes the steps taken toward building trust between the two countries.

Stating that a large number of Azerbaijani students study in Sweden and that their academic level is highly appreciated, the Ambassador expressed hope that these students will contribute to the development of Azerbaijan-Sweden relations during their future careers.

Louise Morsing also touched upon the positive dynamics in relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union, emphasizing in this context that negotiations on the bilateral agreement have resumed.

The Ambassador highly appreciated the humanitarian assistance provided by Azerbaijan to Ukraine.

Touching upon the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan was the initiator and author of the peace agenda, characterizing the peace achieved between the two countries as unprecedented in the world.

Noting that Azerbaijan-European Union relations are currently very good, the head of state recalled the visits to Azerbaijan this year by President of the European Council António Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas, as well as his meetings with them on the sidelines of international events.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the current state of and prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Sweden, and discussed matters of mutual interest.

Why being profitable does not always create shareholder value

A company that earns billions of pesos every year is usually considered successful. If its profits remain positive and return on equity (ROE) is respectable, we may assume that management is creating value for shareholders.

But ROE can sometimes be misleading. Two companies may generate similar ROEs, yet shareholders may demand different returns because the risks of owning their shares are not the same.

Shareholders provide capital and accept the risks of ownership, so they expect a certain minimum return. Is the return that the company generates high enough to compensate them for that risk?

In a 1995 study, University of British Columbia professor Gerald Feltham and Columbia University professor James Ohlson showed the market value of a company could be represented as book value plus the present value of its expected future abnormal earnings. They defined abnormal earnings as accounting earnings after deducting a charge on the book value of shareholders’ capital.

More recently, Columbia Business School professor Stephen Penman and Francesco Reggiani showed how accounting fundamentals can help investors differentiate between expected growth and the risk associated with that growth. Their research shows why returns need to be evaluated together with risk.

These studies suggest that earning a profit alone is not enough because shareholders’ capital comes at a cost. So, one way to apply this principle is to compare a company’s ROE with the return investors require.

To measure this, we can use Value-Added ROE, which is ROE minus the required return. A positive Value-Added ROE means that a company earns more on shareholders’ equity than investors require for the risk. A negative figure means that its return fails to clear that hurdle.

For example, Meralco generated a trailing ROE of 24.9 percent, while its estimated required return was only 10.5 percent. This gave the company a Value-Added ROE of about 14.4 percentage points.

DigiPlus generated an even higher ROE of about 27.4 percent. But because its estimated required return was much higher at 15.6 percent, its Value-Added ROE was lower at about 11.8 percentage points.

DigiPlus generated the higher accounting return, but after the level of risk was considered, Meralco generated the higher Value-Added ROE.

Now, if we apply this framework to all 30 constituents of the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi), we find that only 13 companies, or 43 percent, generated positive Value-Added ROE. The remaining 17 companies, or 57 percent, generated ROEs below their estimated required returns.

Across the 30 PSEi companies, the median Value-Added ROE was negative by about 0.5 percentage points. This shows that the typical PSEi company earns slightly less than the return investors require for the risks they take.

Among those with the largest shortfalls was ACEN Corp., which generated an ROE of about 4.2 percent compared with an estimated required return of 12.4 percent. Its Value-Added ROE was negative by about 8.2 percentage points.

JG Summit Holdings generated an ROE of about 6.2 percent against a required return of 14.2 percent, while Ayala Corp. generated an ROE of about 7.3 percent against a required return of 15.2 percent. Their Value-Added ROEs were negative by about 8.0 and 7.9 percentage points, respectively.

These companies remained profitable, but their returns on shareholders’ equity were not high enough to clear their estimated hurdle rates.

At the other end of the spectrum, several PSEi companies generated returns well above their required rates.

The strongest result came from International Container Terminal Services, Inc. or ICTSI. It generated a trailing ROE of about 46.8 percent against an estimated required return of 13.8 percent. This produced a Value-Added ROE of roughly 33 percentage points, which is by far the highest among the PSEi companies in the study.

PLDT posted Value-Added ROE of about 12.2 percentage points, followed by Semirara Mining at 11.2 percentage points and Century Pacific Food at about 6.3 percentage points.

The magnitude of the results also reveals an interesting pattern. Of the 13 companies with positive Value-Added ROE, six generated double-digit returns above their required rates. In contrast, none of the 17 companies with negative Value-Added ROE had a double-digit shortfall.

So, while more PSEi companies failed to clear their required returns, their shortfalls were relatively limited compared with the value created by some of the strongest companies.

Interestingly, some of the country’s largest banks sat almost exactly at the dividing line between positive and negative Value-Added ROE.

Metrobank’s ROE of about 11.8 percent was only 0.5 percentage points below its estimated required return. BDO’s Value-Added ROE was also negative by about 0.5 percentage points, while BPI was similarly short by roughly 0.5 percentage points.

This suggests that these banks currently generate returns close to what investors theoretically require for their level of market risk.

Looking ahead, the picture could become more challenging if economic and market uncertainties increase. Higher interest rates and greater uncertainty can increase the returns investors require. If corporate ROEs fail to improve, more companies could end up destroying shareholder value.

2027: Atiku orders Jigawa ADC factions to withdraw court cases

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has directed the two factions of the party in Jigawa to withdraw the court cases instituted against each other over the party’s governorship candidacy.

The directive followed a reconciliation meeting between the two factions, where the parties reportedly agreed to maintain the status quo and accept the list of candidates submitted to and published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the interest of the unity and progress of the party.

Speaking with TRIBUNE ONLINE, a member of the ADC National Executive Committee and Northwest Organising Secretary, Hon. Ali Tukur, confirmed the development.

Tukur said the meeting was presided over by Atiku, alongside the National Chairman of the party, Senator David Mark, and other national leaders of the ADC.

He explained that the two leaders of the opposing groups in Jigawa, Senator Sabo Muhammad Nakudu and Hon. Bashir Adamu Jimbo, agreed to the terms of the reconciliation and signed an agreement to end the legal disputes.

According to him, one of the cases was instituted by Nakudu’s camp against the Jimbo-led faction over the list of candidates uploaded to the INEC portal, including the governorship running mate and some National and State Assembly candidates.

He added that the Jimbo camp had also instituted a case challenging the eligibility of Senator Nakudu to contest the governorship election, alleging irregularities in the primary election that produced him as the party’s governorship candidate.

Tukur said the intervention of Atiku and other national leaders had helped to resolve the disagreement between the two camps and paved the way for reconciliation within the Jigawa chapter of the party.

Speaking after the meeting, Atiku expressed satisfaction with the reconciliation between Nakudu and Jimbo.

He said: ‘I am pleased to share this moment with two leading members of our ADC family in Jigawa State-our governorship candidate, Senator Muhammad Sabo Nakudu, and Hon. Bashir Adamu Jimbo.

‘Elections and internal contests are an inevitable part of every democratic process. They may produce differences, but the strength of a political family is ultimately measured by its capacity to rise above those differences, reconcile competing interests and unite around a common purpose.

‘Today, we have chosen unity over division and cooperation over acrimony.

‘The contest is behind us. The task ahead is greater than any individual ambition, and it demands that every member of our party bring their strength, experience and commitment to the collective cause.

‘We reaffirm that we are one ADC family in Jigawa State, across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

‘With mutual respect, renewed trust and a shared determination to work together, we move forward as one-united in purpose, focused on the task ahead and committed to building a stronger party for the challenges before us.’

BICCA inducts Kollington as Grand Patron, Backs Tinubu’s 2027 Bid

The Bilateral Intercultural Carnival Association (BICCA), a non-governmental organization, has inducted Fuji music legend, Alhaji Ayinla Kollington, as one of its grand patrons as the organisation begins preparations for its maiden cultural carnival, which it says will be held in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for re-election in 2027.

The induction, according to BICCA Executive Director, Wale Adeyinka, recognises Kollington’s contributions to the Nigerian music industry and his role in promoting peace and national unity.

Adeyinka said BICCA was established to promote unity, peace and security while highlighting what it described as the positive impact of the Tinubu administration’s reforms.

‘BICCA is out to promote unity, peace, security and the positive impacts of the reform of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,’ Adeyinka said.

He added that the organisation intended to deploy Nigeria’s cultural diversity in support of Tinubu’s re-election bid.

‘We believe that the president means well for Nigeria and he is already positioning Nigeria in the right direction, and we want to use the diversity of our culture as a people to support him come 2027,’ he said.

The maiden edition of the carnival, scheduled for later this year, will feature cultural displays from different parts of Nigeria as well as performances by leading music artistes.

Adeyinka said the carnival would be dedicated to Tinubu as a demonstration of BICCA’s support for his re-election.

He said the organisation would also induct more prominent Nigerians, entertainers and traditional rulers into its ‘vision’ as preparations for the carnival gather momentum.