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GMA Network
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Fete de la Musique 2025: All you need to know
Fete de la Musique season is almost here. The annual event celebrating World Music Day is once again set to gather rising and renowned artists in cool venues this June to welcome music lovers from all across town to an unforgettable day of non-stop beats and boogie. Mathilde Sejourne, Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of France to the Philippines, said it best at the media launch on Wednesday. 'This is more than a music festival. Fete de la Musique 2025 is a celebration of connection, creativity, culture. It is also a call to embrace our differences, honor our roots, and unite through the rhythms that binds us all.' Read on to know more about this year's exciting edition. The basics Fete will be holding its 31st edition this year and will follow the theme "Un Monde" or "One World." The organizers aim to go back to the root of celebrating World Music Day and to highlight music as a shared language. The Fete de la Musique activities will run from June 1 to 28 in Metro Manila and all over the country. As always, admission is free, although some events require pre-registration. All in all, there will be 30 locations and 151 events nationwide celebrating World Music Day. The festival also launched a new website, where music enthusiasts can check out updates, schedules, blogs, and more information in one space. Liquid brunch, Music Heals, Sonik Sessions, and more Fete de la Musique's got exciting events outside of gigs and performances in store for attendees. There will be a Liquid Brunch or afternoon pool party at Fairmont Hotel in Makati City on June 1, featuring DJ sets from Eva Smalls, Francie Gee, and Marco Pedro. Reservations and walk-ins are accepted. Fete will also hold its annual Music Heals segment on June 8. This is a presentation of how sound and music can be used for healing with activities like sound meditation, workshops, incense sniffing, workshops, and more. The venue and other details have yet to be finalized. There will also be an additional stage at the Edsa Shangri-la in Mandaluyong City on June 13, featuring young Gen Z energy. The lineup has yet to be revealed. The French Stage will happen on June 20 at Long Bar in Raffles Makati, where French jazz trio Emile Londonien is set to take the stage. Sonik Sessions will also be back this year, which is a series of discussions about the business of music. The talks will be held at the Astbury in Makati. Admission is free but registration is required. Main Stage The Fete Main Stage, one of the most anticipated events, will be held on June 21 at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City. There will be a two-stage setup featuring rising and veteran artists, with off-stage acts performing before the main stage acts as early as 3 p.m. The off-stage acts include Filipino musicians Frank Ely and Zsaris, Bolivian Pop artist Bling Bling Papaya, and Singapore-based Pinoy queer artist Marian Carmel. Meanwhile, taking the main stage are James Reid, Brigada, Janine, Brass Pas Pas Pas Pas feat. Leanne & Naara, The Ridleys, and Tarsius x Ena Mori. Following the "Un Monde" theme, the festival will also feature international musicians Ito Kashitaro from Japan and Emile Londonien from France on the main stage. More artists will be announced soon. There will also be a street market featuring Filipino and French businesses. Makati stages One of the best experiences about Fete is the Pocket Stages held all around Makati City. Happening on June 27, the one-day event will feature a full day of music across every genre you can think of like punk, new wave, indie, and over 30 bars and venues. The fun won't start and end in Makati this year because there will also be pocket stages around and outside Metro Manila on June 28, including Escolta, Cubao in Quezon City, Muntinlupa City, Mandaluyong City, and Pasig City. More details will be announced soon. Fete de la Musique will also be celebrated from Northern Luzon to Southern Mindanao on June 28, with stages in Isabela, Cagayan, Baguio, Pangasinan, Baler, Bulacan, Marikina, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Palawan, Masbate, Boracay, Cebu, Dumaguete, Siquijor, Siargao, Cagayan De Oro, Bukidnon, Davao, and South Cotabato.
Business Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Temasek sees plant seeds as a game changer to fixing the broken global food system
[SINGAPORE] Pulses, or edible plant seeds such as chickpeas and lentils, could be the transformative answer to a global food system that is under severe strain. However, while demand for pulses is rising, the yield has stagnated in key production regions, indicating a 'failure of investment and of government policies', said Anuj Maheshwari, managing director and head of agri-food at Temasek, during a keynote at Pulses 25 in Singapore on Wednesday (May 21). The conference at Fairmont Hotel in Singapore is organised by the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC), a Dubai-based industry body whose membership includes 20 national associations and over 500 private sector members. During the speech, Temasek's Maheshwari called for breakthroughs across the pulse value chain, from breeding to market infrastructure, to advance production yield of the edible seeds that are not only more environmentally friendly, but climate-change resilient. 'Pulses produce 90 per cent fewer emissions per gram of protein than beef. They use half the water of soy and corn to produce the same amount of calories. They require 20 times less land than animal proteins,' said Maheshwari, adding that these plants also fix atmospheric nitrogen that is responsible for as much as 6 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions. At the farming stage, pulses have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots, allowing them to convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into a usable form for plants. This process of nitrogen fixation not only enriches the soil, making it less reliant on synthetic fertilisers, but also reduces nitrogen compounds in the air that contribute to the greenhouse effect. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 12.30 pm ESG Insights An exclusive weekly report on the latest environmental, social and governance issues. Sign Up Sign Up If beef is Hummer, a type of heavy-duty vehicles, pulses being 'efficient, low impact and built for the future' is like the electric car for food, said Maheshwari. Broken food system 'The (current) food system is not just broken. It is also outdated,' he added. While accounting for a third of the global greenhouse emissions, the food system remains among the slowest sector to decarbonise. Drawing 70 per cent of global fresh water, the sector is also producing huge amounts of calories that are low in nutritional value. 'Let's face it, the global food system is built for volume, not resilience. It's built for efficiency, not sustainability. It's built for yields, not health,' noted Maheshwari. While the global food system is now feeding more people than ever before, one in 10 persons is undernourished. This represents about 735 million people, concentrated in Asia and Africa, highlighted Murad Katib, president and chief executive officer of AGT Food and Ingredients. He added that up to 3 billion people per year are in food-insecure environments. There is arable land loss. The agricultural crops make up 82 per cent of the global calories produced, but occupy less than 25 per cent of total agricultural land, noted AGT's Katib. 'The scarcest resources in the world today are land and water,' Katib noted in his keynote speech, adding that transformation opportunities lie in areas such as preserving soil health and improving productive capacity. Innovation to improve yields Temasek's Maheshwari highlighted that pulses' yields have increased by less than 1 per cent annually in the past 20 years, in key producing regions such as India and Canada. This is contrast to the yields of corn and soy, where biotech breeding, advanced agronomy and mechanisation have unlocked 2 to 3 per cent yield growth. While pulses enable 'regenerative food systems', they remain 'underfunded, under-developed and under-celebrated', said Maheshwari, adding that the industry needs to tell better stories about pulses to gain the world's recognition. He highlighted that Temasek has committed over S$10 billion in the last decade in agri-food sector innovation, an area where it sees profit generation and planetary health improvement. Among the 45 companies of the sector that Temasek has invested in, Impossible Foods develops plant-based substitutes for meat products. Less well-known is Growthwell Foods, a Singapore-based food manufacturer that is working with an Israeli firm to bring chickpea proteins into other foods. 'We need a transformation, and pulses, humble yet powerful, is probably part of a bigger answer,' said Maheshwari. Trump effect might be limited in pulses trade Rabobank's executive director of RaboResearch Lief Chiang noted in his keynote that Canada, Australia and Russia dominate export flows while India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh lead imports in pulses trade. The US, on the other hand, only accounts for 7 per cent of global purchase export and 3 per cent of import in the pulse sector. 'So overall, we believe that the direct impact of the US trade war on global purchase trade appears to be fairly limited,' said Rabobank's Chiang, adding that indirect impacts, such as rising container freight rates as traders rush to flow shipments during the 90-day tariff pause, are visible in free markets. 'Nevertheless, the longer term impacts remain uncertain and will largely depend on the outcome of the ongoing trade negotiations,' he added. Vijay Iyengar, GPC's president, highlighted in his opening address that, in the current context of trade fluctuations, governments should work with pulses trade members to develop predictable and transparent policies that reduce trade risks. 'I would also call on the various national associations to remain committed to the call for free and transparent trade policies in this atmosphere of tariffs and other trade barriers. We all have a role to play in driving growth in our industry,' said GPC's Iyengar.
Business Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Pulses MAY offer solutions to broken, outdated global food system: Temasek
[SINGAPORE] Pulses, or edible plant seeds such as chickpeas and lentils, could be the transformative answer to a global food system that is under severe strain. However, while demand for pulses is rising, the yield has stagnated in key production regions, indicating a 'failure of investment and of government policies', said Anuj Maheshwari, managing director and head of agri-food at Temasek, during a keynote at Pulses 25 in Singapore on Wednesday (May 21). The conference at Fairmont Hotel in Singapore is organised by the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC), a Dubai-based industry body whose membership includes 20 national associations and over 500 private sector members. During the speech, Temasek's Maheshwari called for breakthroughs across the pulse value chain, from breeding to market infrastructure, to advance production yield of the edible seeds that are not only more environmentally friendly, but climate-change resilient. 'Pulses produce 90 per cent fewer emissions per gram of protein than beef. They use half the water of soy and corn to produce the same amount of calories. They require 20 times less land than animal proteins,' said Maheshwari, adding that these plants also fix atmospheric nitrogen that is responsible for as much as 6 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions. At the farming stage, pulses have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots, allowing them to convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into a usable form for plants. This process of nitrogen fixation not only enriches the soil, making it less reliant on synthetic fertilisers, but also reduces nitrogen compounds in the air that contribute to the greenhouse effect. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 12.30 pm ESG Insights An exclusive weekly report on the latest environmental, social and governance issues. Sign Up Sign Up If beef is Hummer, a type of heavy-duty vehicles, pulses being 'efficient, low impact and built for the future' is like the electric car for food, said Maheshwari. Broken food system 'The (current) food system is not just broken. It is also outdated,' he added. While accounting for a third of the global greenhouse emissions, the food system remains among the slowest sector to decarbonise. Drawing 70 per cent of global fresh water, the sector is also producing huge amounts of calories that are low in nutritional value. 'Let's face it, the global food system is built for volume, not resilience. It's built for efficiency, not sustainability. It's built for yields, not health,' noted Maheshwari. While the global food system is now feeding more people than ever before, one in 10 persons is undernourished. This represents about 735 million people, concentrated in Asia and Africa, highlighted Murad Katib, president and chief executive officer of AGT Food and Ingredients. He added that up to 3 billion people per year are in food-insecure environments. There is arable land loss. The agricultural crops make up 82 per cent of the global calories produced, but occupy less than 25 per cent of total agricultural land, noted AGT's Katib. 'The scarcest resources in the world today are land and water,' Katib noted in his keynote speech, adding that transformation opportunities lie in areas such as preserving soil health and improving productive capacity. Innovation to improve yields Temasek's Maheshwari highlighted that pulses' yields have increased by less than 1 per cent annually in the past 20 years, in key producing regions such as India and Canada. This is contrast to the yields of corn and soy, where biotech breeding, advanced agronomy and mechanisation have unlocked 2 to 3 per cent yield growth. While pulses enable 'regenerative food systems', they remain 'underfunded, under-developed and under-celebrated', said Maheshwari, adding that the industry needs to tell better stories about pulses to gain the world's recognition. He highlighted that Temasek has committed over S$10 billion in the last decade in agri-food sector innovation, an area where it sees profit generation and planetary health improvement. Among the 45 companies of the sector that Temasek has invested in, Impossible Foods develops plant-based substitutes for meat products. Less well-known is Growthwell Foods, a Singapore-based food manufacturer that is working with an Israeli firm to bring chickpea proteins into other foods. 'We need a transformation, and pulses, humble yet powerful, is probably part of a bigger answer,' said Maheshwari. Trump effect might be limited in pulses trade Rabobank's executive director of RaboResearch Lief Chiang noted in his keynote that Canada, Australia and Russia dominate export flows while India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh lead imports in pulses trade. The US, on the other hand, only accounts for 7 per cent of global purchase export and 3 per cent of import in the pulse sector. 'So overall, we believe that the direct impact of the US trade war on global purchase trade appears to be fairly limited,' said Rabobank's Chiang, adding that indirect impacts, such as rising container freight rates as traders rush to flow shipments during the 90-day tariff pause, are visible in free markets. 'Nevertheless, the longer term impacts remain uncertain and will largely depend on the outcome of the ongoing trade negotiations,' he added. Vijay Iyengar, GPC's president, highlighted in his opening address that, in the current context of trade fluctuations, governments should work with pulses trade members to develop predictable and transparent policies that reduce trade risks. 'I would also call on the various national associations to remain committed to the call for free and transparent trade policies in this atmosphere of tariffs and other trade barriers. We all have a role to play in driving growth in our industry,' said GPC's Iyengar.
Calgary Herald
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
B.C. Sports Hall of Fame postpones induction gala to fall due to slow ticket sales, escalating costs
Article content Christine Sinclair, Ray Ferraro, Jim Hughson and the other members of the 2025 B.C. Sports Hall of Fame induction class will have to wait a little longer for their official salute. Article content The BCSHOF announced Thursday in a press release that the induction gala slated for June 4 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver has been postponed until the fall, citing 'slower than anticipated ticket sales,' as well as 'escalating costs.' Article content 'We are disappointed to have to move this important event but know this is the right decision given the circumstances,' the press release stated. Article content Soccer great Sinclair and Ferraro, who is fifth all-time among B.C. born players in NHL regular season goals with 408, are being inducted in the athlete category, along with mountain biking's Cindy Devine, rugby's Nathan Hirayama and para swimming's Walter Wu. Article content Article content Hughson, who was the longtime voice of Hockey Night in Canada, goes into the hall in the media category. For builder-coach, it's Saul Miller (sports psychology), Wes Woo (weightlifting) and the late Chandra Madhosingh (table tennis). The 2000 B.C. Lions (team), the Meraloma Club founders (pioneers) and Robert Wright (W.A.C. Bennett Award) are also being inducted. Article content Article content
Vancouver Sun
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. Sports Hall of Fame postpones induction gala due to slow ticket sales, escalating costs
Christine Sinclair, Ray Ferraro, Jim Hughson and the other members of the 2025 B.C. Sports Hall of Fame induction class will have to wait a little longer for their official salute. The BCSHOF announced Thursday in a press release that the induction gala slated for June 4 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver has been postponed until the fall, citing 'slower than anticipated ticket sales,' as well as 'escalating costs.' The plan is to have an induction ceremony in October. A date and venue hasn't been finalized yet. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'We are disappointed to have to move this important event but know this is the right decision given the circumstances,' the press release stated. Soccer great Sinclair and Ferraro, who is fifth all-time among B.C. born players in NHL regular season goals with 408, are being inducted in the athlete category, along with mountain biking's Cindy Devine, rugby's Nathan Hirayama and para swimming's Walter Wu. Hughson, who was the longtime voice of Hockey Night in Canada, goes into the hall in the media category. For builder-coach, it's Saul Miller (sports psychology), Wes Woo (weightlifting) and the late Chandra Madhosingh (table tennis). The 2000 B.C. Lions (team), the Meraloma Club founders (pioneers) and Robert Wright (W.A.C. Bennett Award) are also being inducted. This year's class was unveiled in October. The BCSHOF has inducted 452 individuals and 69 teams since its first class in 1966. The hall is located at B.C. Place and is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
