Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev participates in Int’l Opera Festival [PHOTOS]

The 33rd International Opera Festival, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the renowned world opera figure Maria Bie?u, has taken place in Chi?inau, Moldova, Azernews reports.

The festival brought together stars from prominent opera stages across various countries. It featured 20 special guests from 12 countries, including France, Germany, Ukraine, Greece, Azerbaijan, Chile, Cuba, Poland, Italy, Romania, the Netherlands, and Spain.

Along with these international conductors and singers, the festival also showcased the leading soloists, symphonic orchestra, choir, and ballet troupe of the National Opera Theater of Moldova, making it one of the country’s major cultural events.

The festival opened with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Un ballo in maschera” and also featured renowned stage works such as “Eugene Onegin”, “L’elisir d’amore”, and “Turandot”, as well as the ballets “Don Quixote” and “Romeo and Juliet”, all of which received special attention.

One of the festival’s most anticipated events was the joint performance of four countries’ artists in Giacomo Puccini’s “Turandot”.

The performance, led by Ayyub Guliyev, Principal Conductor of the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, and Associate Professor at the Baku Music Academy, featured soprano Kristel di Marco from France and tenor Diego Godoy from Chile.

Their performances were met with standing ovations. The opera was further enriched by the participation of the singers, choir, and symphonic orchestra of the National Opera Theater of Moldova.

Special guests in the audience included Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Moldova, Ulvi Bakhshaliyev, the Director of the National Opera Theater of Moldova, Nicolae Dohotaru, the Director of the National Philharmonic, Svetlana Bivol, and the Artistic Director of the Moldova Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Georgi Mustya.

The festival concluded on October 5 with a grand gala concert program.

Unilab celebrates partnership with TikTok via ‘Grand Affiliate Day’

When the leading pharmaceutical company and one of the fastest-growing digital and eCommerce platform today join forces, there are countless reasons to celebrate growth in business.

The Unilab Bayanihan Center in Mandaluyong City was recently filled with positive and exhilarating energy as numerous people trooped to the venue for the first-ever Unilab Grand Affiliate Day. The event was a fitting celebration for the partnership between Unilab and TikTok Shop.

‘It is through TikTok that I discovered how different it is to connect with others today,’ said Jose Antonio Evangelista, operating vice president and head of Unilab Consumer Health, during his opening remarks.

He highlighted the event as an opportunity to recognize and thank the affiliates for their continuous patronage while reintroducing Unilab’s extensive and trusted portfolio of brands.

An affiliate is an individual who promotes products or services of a company using TikTok as their platform. During the Grand Affiliate Day, about a thousand affiliates were invited to access numerous booths with fun-filled games, activities, product giveaways, prizes, overflowing food and engaging talks that made the occasion truly memorable.

In his opening remarks, Evangelista highlighted the company’s values of ‘husay at malasakit’ (excellence and compassion) and its mission to make Filipinos happier and healthier for the last eight decades.

He continued, ‘We see you not just as creators or affiliate marketers, but as people who can share our mission with others. We believe you can embody our values while playing the role of reliable and strong business partners. He concluded with a reassurance of Unilab’s constant support.

Carme Tunguia, digital ecommerce director, corporate digital transformation, echoed the message.

‘We realized we cannot do it alone. We need partners to reach every home, family and community. That’s why we saw the potential in TikTok’s affiliate network,’ she said.

Observing the smiling faces of the attendees, Tunguia explained how the company carefully selects affiliates who produce objective content and can inspire followers to become advocates of Unilab products.

‘You are vital to our mission of delivering trusted healthcare and quality medicine across the Philippines,’ she emphasized.

Tunguia also highlighted TikTok’s role in connecting with the Gen Z demographic. She explained how Unilab’s diverse product range increases online exposure and how TikTok has been instrumental in this effort.

‘The best-seller differs online from offline and across other platforms. TikTok has helped us understand our target markets better,’ Tunguia noted, illustrating how Unilab and TikTok are leveraging each other’s strengths.

Tunguia reiterated her earlier point, ‘You are not just our partners but our advocates, reaching millions to extend the gift of health. One click, one share and one sale at a time.’

She later added, ‘We call this partnership with TikTok as the Impact Duo-that’s influence meeting impact.’

The event continued with TikTok sharing the platform’s most popular features and exciting opportunities. The platform also outlined new ways for affiliates to boost their reach, engagement and earnings, detailed the most preferred products, provided tips on how to effectively promote health items, reminded the audience about common violations on the app, and shared key contact information for assistance.

The crowd swelled as the day continued with more activities.

‘I can feel that you care for and value each affiliate here. You treat us as partners,’ shared an attendee. He jokingly added, ‘I wish other brands would do the same.’

With a brand partner like Unilab, being an affiliate is a promising journey. As TikTok creator and licensed pharmacist Karenn Casil, popularly known as the Pinay Pharmacist, stated, ‘There is no difficulty in selling Unilab products because the people already trust the brand. When it comes to quality, they opt for Unilab.’

She further noted that even before she started creating content on TikTok, her pharmacy business was already experiencing strong sales of Unilab products.

The first Unilab Grand Affiliates Day in partnership with TikTok proved to be a success. Strengthening this mutually beneficial relationship, more TikTok users are expected to join the community.

Tunguia shared some ideas on what makes a good affiliate, emphasizing, ‘It’s all about your content-how clearly you pass the message, being truthful about what you stand for, and staying objective and factual. Followers trust you because they follow you and are highly engaged.’

She added that to succeed as an affiliate, one must be authentic, genuine and consistent in their messaging.

The event was not only a celebration of the strong partnership between Unilab and TikTok but also a showcase of the promising benefits awaiting their affiliates. These partners left the venue armed with bags filled products and special gifts, but most importantly, with hearts full of hope and gratitude.

WATCH: Where to eat in Singapore’s Sentosa Island

Wondering where to dine in Sentosa Island, Singapore? From Chinese-Peruvian dishes to Japanese favorites and premium steak and seafood, here are three restaurants to check out on your next visit.

Craving something unique? CHIFA! serves Chinese-Peruvian flavors in dishes like Hen “Caldo Criollo” Chimichurri Soup, Saho Fan Salteado con Lomo de Res and churros for dessert.

For those in the mood for Japanese food, KA-MON offers refined dishes, such as Baby Chicken, King Oyster Mushroom and Ice Cream Mochi.

And if you’re looking for both seafood and steak, Osia Steak and Seafood Grill delivers with its Grass-fed Angus Beef Striploin, Mushroom Cream Soup and Signature Hot Chocolate Soup.

HEFAMAA to Patients: Demand respect, know your rights at hospitals

The Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) has called on residents to be more assertive in exercising their rights when accessing healthcare services across the state.

Speaking during a Sensitisation Campaign and Town Hall Meeting on ‘The Roles and Responsibilities of HEFAMAA in Lagos State’ held at the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat on Tuesday, the Permanent Secretary of HEFAMAA, Dr. Abiola Idowu, represented by Mrs Oladunni Omonike Olutola, Deputy Director of Health Education, said patients have the right to ask questions and demand respectful treatment from healthcare providers.

‘Clients and patients have every right to ask questions. It is your individual right to know about the treatment you are receiving, the drugs being administered, and the direction of your care,’ Idowu stated.

‘Nobody should trample on your rights. We are in the 21st century, every individual has a right to be treated with dignity,’ she added.

She encouraged residents not to tolerate disrespect or intimidation in healthcare settings.

‘If anyone shouts at you, politely correct them. Tell them, ‘Please don’t shout at me, I’m here to obtain treatment.’ When you know your rights, people will respect you,’ she said.

Idowu further explained that government facilities exist primarily to serve the public, emphasising that health workers are employed to meet the needs of patients.

‘If patients stop going to these facilities, doctors and nurses will have no work to do. It is because of you that they are there, so you must be respected. Demand for your respect, it is your right,’ she added.

The HEFAMAA boss also noted that the Lagos State Government continued to invest heavily in the health sector to ensure quality service delivery.

However, she acknowledged that some health workers still fall short of expected standards despite continuous training.

‘When government recruits doctors and nurses, we train them for three to six months on proper conduct and patient relations,’ she explained.

‘But people have individual differences. Some forget everything once they get the job. That is why we constantly remind them that their attitude matters, a good attitude attracts patients, while a bad one drives them away.’

Idowu reiterated that HEFAMAA remained committed to promoting accountability, professionalism, and respect within health facilities across Lagos State, urging residents to take full advantage of the state’s health services without fear of mistreatment.

Also speaking at the meeting, Mr. Richard Olusanya, Chief Nutrition Officer at HEFAMAA, traced the agency’s origins to its establishment in 2006, with a clear mandate to regulate and monitor hospitals, clinics, maternity homes, and other health facilities across Lagos State.

‘HEFAMAA sets standards in key areas such as equipment, personnel, and environment. If you are running a hospital, the person in charge must be a qualified medical doctor or nurse. We don’t want one person treating eyes, teeth, and every other ailment. That’s how people fall victim to quackery,’ he explained.

Olusanya stressed that only qualified and properly equipped facilities are granted operating certificates, adding that the agency conducts biannual inspections to ensure compliance with established standards.

He also dispelled common misconceptions about health centres, clarifying that clinics are not designed to operate round the clock, unlike hospitals.

Olusanya urged all public and private health facilities to display their registration certificates prominently to assure clients of their legitimacy.

Speaking on HEFAMAA’s QR code verification system, he said, ‘Once you scan the code, you can see the facility’s name, address, and owner. You can also send your feedback-positive or negative-directly to HEFAMAA. We want people to take this information back to their communities, markets, and associations to promote safe healthcare practices.’

Anambra nears zero out-of-school children – Soludo

Anambra governor, Chukwuma Soludo said resuscitation of public school system in the state has yielded remarkable results in literacy, numeracy and school enrolment.

Soludo made the assertion at the 2025 World Teachers’ Day celebration and endorsement march organised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), on Tuesday, in Awka.

The World Teachers Day is held annually on Oct. 5, and the theme for this year’s commemoration is – ‘Together for Teachers, Together for Tomorrow ‘.

‘Literacy and numeracy levels in public schools have increased by over 40 per cent, while public school enrolment have risen by over 45 per cent since the state resuscitated its public school system.

‘Anambra now has almost zero per cent of out-of-school children in Nigeria. This is a testament to our commitment to quality education.

‘Our administration recognises that education and human capital are our greatest assets, and we will do whatever it takes to make our public schools rise again.

Highlighting the pivotal role of teachers in achieving the reforms, the governor emphasised that no education system can thrive without quality teachers.

‘No school system survives without teachers. If you want to evaluated the future of a society, you look at the quality of its teachers,’ he stated.

The governor commended the teachers for their excellent work and for positioning the state’s public schools to win numerous national awards.

‘One of our schools emerged overall best in Nigeria, with eight other awards across various categories at the 2025 President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Awards.

‘You have won an 18-seater bus and laptops, but I want to add a cash prize of N10million for the overall best school and N5million each for the other award categories.

‘Also those who won various awards since 2022 when I assumed office will also get N5 million each.

‘WAEC recently named Community Secondary School, Eziowelle, as the best science school in Nigeria.

‘I’m very happy that our huge investment in education is yielding great results and you deserve to be celebrated,’ he said.

Also speaking, Mrs Chika Chukwudozie, state Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), thanked the governor for his support to the education sector.

‘We appreciate the governor for regular payment of salaries, promotions, continuous teacher training and recruitment of 8,315 teachers.

‘Renovation and upgrade of schools to smart schools, free education policy and payment of long-overdue teachers’ gratuities,’ she said.

In her remarks, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, Commissioner for Education, said the event was to thank and endorse Soludo ahead of the Nov. 8 governorship election, to enable him to continue his remarkable strides in the education sector.

Estrada files 4 counts of perjury vs accuser

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on Tuesday filed four counts of perjury against former Bulacan assistant district engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office over claims that he earned millions of pesos in kickbacks from flood control projects.

Estrada personally filed the complaint against Hernandez, accusing him of perjuring himself during hearings conducted by the House infrastructure committee and the Senate blue ribbon committee.

‘So there are four counts, one regarding the alleged 30 percent kickback of Senator Estrada as to the anomalous flood control projects, the second is with regard to Beng Ramos being an alleged staff of Senator Estrada,’ the senator’s lawyer, Bianca Soriano, said in an ambush interview after the filing.

‘Third is with respect to the fake-issued ID at Okada Manila and other casinos, and fourth is with respect to Brice Hernandez’s statement that he was not involved in the anomalous projects,’ she added.

Estrada again defended himself against allegations made by Hernandez, calling him a ‘habitual liar.’

‘He testified in the House that he is not involved in the flood control projects, but in the Senate, he turned out to be the mastermind,’ the senator said.

Hernandez claimed in a House hearing on September 8 that Estrada inserted P355 million worth of flood control projects in the 2025 national budget, adding that the senator received 30 percent of the total amount as a kickback.

QC cancels 4 projects with Discaya firms

The Quezon City government said on Tuesday that it has terminated four infrastructure projects awarded to construction companies linked to the Discayas, who have been tagged in anomalous flood control projects.

The city government said in a statement that the projects were terminated after the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board issued Resolution No. 075 on September 1, which revoked the licenses of companies connected to spouses Pacifico ‘Curlee’ and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya due to violations of licensing requirements and procurement laws.

The same resolution also canceled the memberships of the construction firms owned by the controversial couple in the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System or PhilGEPS.

Terminated

‘After the observance of the periods required by law, or as of September 19, 2025, all four of the said projects involving Discaya-linked companies have been terminated,’ the Quezon City government said.

The proposed projects that were terminated were a six-story building with a multipurpose deck, a reinforced concrete canal at Ermitaño Creek, and Phases 1A and 2 of the Balingasa high-rise housing in Barangay Balingasa.

According to the local government, the four projects accounted for just 0.3 percent of all 1,300 infrastructure projects in the city since July 2019.

It said that it has maintained transparency in all of its procurement processes, including its competitive bidding, publication, and posting.

It added that all infrastructure projects are publicly posted on the city’s website and that it welcomes all examinations of its projects and processes.

‘We condemn any and all malicious insinuations that only seek to distract from the actual schemes and perpetrators that have victimized our city and our country,’ the city government said in the same statement.

‘We remain steadfast and unwavering in upholding the trust of our people, and we will continue to ensure that public funds are used solely for the benefit of our QCitizens,’ it stressed.

In hot water

All companies linked to the Discayas have been in hot water amid an ongoing investigation into billions of pesos worth of infrastructure projects that were found to be nonexistent or substandard.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said last week that his department was set to turn over to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which is conducting the investigation, evidence showing the Discayas were awarded P78 billion worth of government contracts from 2016 to 2025.

The contract value cornered by the couple alone under the Duterte and Marcos administrations is equivalent to 1,214 infrastructure projects, Dizon noted.

The Discayas themselves have admitted that they gave money to several lawmakers and government officials in exchange for bagging billions of pesos worth of contracts for infrastructure projects.

More massive anticorruption protests planned

Plans are ongoing for another massive protest against corruption to be held this month, according to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) chair Teodoro ‘Teddy’ Casiño.

‘There are suggestions that aside from the one on Nov. 30, another big centralized rally should also be held this month. So these are the things that are being discussed now. The various sectors are also preparing their own mass actions, which we are encouraging because of what we are seeing,’ Casiño said in an interview with the Inquirer.

The Bayan chair also urged local communities to hold their own mass actions, highlighting the importance of ‘public pressure’ for the government to continue investigating corruption in infrastructure projects.

‘We are encouraging the various communities, including schools and churches and homeowners associations, to organize their own [mass] actions. Let’s start with local actions, and then let’s make them bigger and bigger,’ Casiño said.

The Church Leaders Council for National Transformation, the organizers of the Sept. 21 ‘Trillion Peso March’ anticorruption protest, announced that it will hold another rally on Nov. 30 in commemoration of Bonifacio Day. According to the religious group, 100 groups are expected to attend the gathering.

Foundation holds STEM hangout for kids

The Kids Technology Empowerment Foundation (KTEF) a non-governmental organization dedicated to equipping young people, especially less privileged students, with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills through practical learning, competitions, and mentorship programs, held the third edition of its STEM hangout recently and the event was acclaimed to be a success

The STEM hangout tagged ‘The Humanoid Robot’ was held at the Oba Akinyele Memorial Secondary School, Basorun Ibadan.

The event had over a 300 children and was an enlightening experience for the students who got exposed to various STEM oriented projects. Also present were 13 teachers, STEM mentors and a private visiting school of 7 students from Living stone college with their teacher.

The event commenced with showcase of different type of humanoid robot; House Cleaning robot, Singer Robot, Food Server Robot, Robot Art Painter, Robot Farmer, A pregnant Humanoid Robot, Care Giver Robot, Customer Service Robot, Barber Robot, Chess Player Robot, Surgeon Robot, Dander Robot, Solder Robot, Industrial Robot and a chef humanoid robot.

The opening speech was delivered by the founder of the KTEF, Adenusi Cecilia, a Certified IT Professional and STEM Educator, who enlightened the students on Artificial Intelligence, a Carton-built humanoid robot and different sensors that make the robot respond to its environment.

The event proceeded with a showcase of the humanoid robot models powered by Arduino micro controllers (the brain), demonstrating how these components form the basis of automated machines. Two Carbon humanoid robots were exhibited, to showcase the movement and speech of a robot.

Another key segment of the hangout featured one of the STEM Mentors, Mr Lifted Olasehinde who gave an in-depth talk on the functions of robot sensors, using a functional robot that could effectively detect motion and touch, as a practical example.

The students got a hands-on introduction to the world of engineering and programming during the event and each level carried out different projects: JS1 students worked on building a robot head, JS2 worked on building a Robot Hand, JS3 worked on building a robot chest, SS1 worked on building robot legs while SS2 and 3 worked on the coding Arduino microcontroller for the robot automation.

Each session classes did their best and they presented what they could achieve within the short period given the organizers by the school. This division of labor ensured that students at every level were engaged with relevant, hands-on tasks and teamwork spirit.

The event was held with the generous support and accommodation of the secondary school teachers and their principal, who recognized the importance of such practical STEM exposure.

To conclude the successful hangout, gifts were distributed to the students, celebrating their participation and inspiring them to desire more as it relates to science and technology.

The event was successful with support from Mrs Funke Oyedun (Founder, Tech the Special) and others like Dr. Sakpere from Lead City University.

‘We appreciate all the effort of our volunteering team including Omosalewa, Bolu, Michael, Bethel Gbenga-Ogundare, Abulsalam, Feranmi, Bunmi, Joel and Michael Akerele as well as Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare and the Nigerian Tribune team for constantly showing support,’ Mrs Adenusi said.

Corps member presents lifesaving supplies to 50 pregnant women

A female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Abuja Halimat Jimoh, has provide lifesaving supplies and medical support to about 50 expectant mothers at a Primary Health Care Centre in Lugbe, Abuja through an outreach she led under The Midwife Next Door Foundation.

The outreach was a pet project to give back to the society through ‘the facilitation of knowledge-sharing sessions’ as a professional mid-wife.

While speaking during the programme, Halimat charged families on the need to help women stay healthy during pregnancy, noting that women are vulnerable during pregnancy and require intensive care, ‘especially first time mothers.’

‘Last week Wednesday when my team staged an outreach tagged MamaSafe Initiative, the idea was to help as many expectant mums as possible to stay healthy. We worked in partnership with the healthcare centre, and it was a success. We simply wanted to contribute our quota to our immediate community. One thing we have discovered is that pregnant women were vulnerable, and they deserved to be supported, especially by their immediate families,’ she explained.

‘Anyone carrying a life is in a critical state, and requires extra monitoring routine to ensure both mother and child is safe. Family support during pregnancy is crucial.’

Speaking further on the outreach, Ms Jimoh noted that the MamaSafe initiative had three components which included distribution of clean-birth kits to expectant mothers, equipping the clinic with an Emergency Maternal Care Kit, and launching a digital health support community.

‘In a plural society like ours, fingers are not equal. Hence, the community and government must always rise up to support this bloc of people in the society. The clean-birth kits we distributed contained essential items such as maternity pads, cord clamps, gloves, and diapers. Our goal is to help reduce infection and complications during childbirth.’

She further noted that a session on ‘Recognising Danger Signs in Pregnancy and Childbirth and What to Do’ was facilitated by Mrs. Cecilia Samuel, a seasoned maternal health educator with participants given an opportunity to ask questions, while learning from actionable steps shared during the session for safer pregnancies.

‘We didn’t just do the talking. We also gave these women opportunity to express their concerns and challenges. We are happy that they benefited from the little initiative, and are hopeful that we can continue the initiative for greater impact. Service to humanity should not wait for tomorrow. It begins with what we can do today,’ she said.

Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries, a husband who had accompanied his wife to the centre described the gesture as timely and expressed gratitude to the foundation.

He said, ‘Fathers also carry a lot of stress during this time, and this initiative is a support for us as well.’