Latest news with #Villegas
GMA Network
16 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Archbishop Villegas slams delay of VP Sara's impeachment trial: ‘It is a sin'
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas called out the delay in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, noting that such a move is a "suppression of truth. It is a sin." 'To delay the trial or even to abort it is to suppress the truth. It is a sin. The opponent, the devil, is rightly called Prince of Lies,' he said in a statement posted on Monday. 'To abort the trial even before its delayed commencement is deplorable. It is a sin against justice,' Villegas added. 'The trial by the Senate is a positive command of the Philippine Constitution. It is a demand of justice. It must be commenced and it must continue to a just verdict. It is wrong to delay or abort it, according to no less than the framers of the Constitution itself. I add- it is sinfully wrong. It offends truth and justice.' The presentation of the articles of impeachment has been moved from June 2 to June 11. In a letter to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Escudero said the Senate and the House of Representatives needed to prioritize the passage of the items in the administration's legislative agenda before the 19th Congress adjourned sine die on June 14. On Monday, Escudero maintained that the Senate will fulfill its constitutional duty but not based on the timeline of others. 'Sino mang pabor sa impeachment o kontra sa impeachment, sinumang pabor kay VP Sara o kontra sa kanya, hindi ko papakinggan. Gagawin ko kung ano ang tama, nararapat, at ayon sa Konstitusyon at batas ayon sa aming tingin. Kung ano ang tama,' he said. (I will not listen to anyone who is in favor or against the impeachment, anyone who is in favor or against VP Sara. I will do what is right, appropriate, and according to the Constitution and the law as we see it. I will do what is right.) Further, Villegas said that such delay is a form of laziness. 'When motivated by selfish ambition and the prioritization of personal desires, gratification and comfort, the delay of the process of pursuing the TRUTH is a sin. It smacks of negligence and laziness. Not to pursue the truth when you have the capacity to know it FORTHWITH is a grave sin of omission. It is morally unacceptable," he said. 'Procrastination is a form of laziness which leads to the neglect of responsibilities, tasks, or opportunities, which can be interpreted as a lack of diligence or commitment,' Villegas added. On Monday evening, Escudero took his oath as presiding officer of the impeachment court in the trial. After the senators take their oaths at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the court would be constituted but not yet convened. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
USA Today
20-05-2025
- USA Today
San Diego flight evacuated over passenger bomb threat
San Diego flight evacuated over passenger bomb threat Show Caption Hide Caption Real ID explained: what it is, why it matters, and how to get yours Real ID requirements: everything you need to know about getting compliant for travel and ID. A Hawaiian Airlines flight was evacuated in San Diego due to a passenger's bomb threat. All passengers and crew were safely deplaned and the aircraft was searched. No bomb was found, and the flight eventually departed after a five-hour delay. A Hawaiian Airlines plane was evacuated Tuesday morning right before takeoff from San Diego International Airport after a passenger reportedly made a "possible bomb threat onboard," according to the Port of San Diego Harbor Police. At 8:46 a.m., Port of San Diego Harbor Police received a call from the captain of HA Flight 15, who was informed by a flight attendant a passenger made a bomb threat. The Airbus A330 had just detached from the jetway and was on the tarmac to depart for Honolulu International Airport. "During pushback from the gate, a guest was overheard making a threat to the safety of our aircraft," said Melissa Villegas, a spokesperson for Hawaiian Airlines. "As a precaution, the captain immediately taxied the Airbus A330 to a safe location on the airfield where it was met with local and federal law enforcement and guests were safely deplaned." All 283 passengers and 10 crew members evacuated from the aircraft and transported by bus to a safe area. Port of San Diego Harbor Police's Maritime Tactical (MARTAC, also known as SWAT) team, K-9 Team, Joint Terrorism Task Force, the San Diego Fire Department, and the FBI responded to the scene to search the aircraft, according to the Harbor Police. "Nothing suspicious was found on the aircraft," the law enforcement agency added. After authorities cleared the plane, guests reboarded and it departed around 2:15 p.m. local time – about five hours after the scheduled departure time. "We appreciate their understanding during this situation and apologize for any concern this may have caused," said Villegas. "We are working to get all guests to Honolulu as quickly as possible. We are grateful for the professionalism and care of our flight attendants and pilots throughout this event." Harbor Police said there is no threat to the public or travelers, and it will continue to investigate the incident. Operations at San Diego International Airport are normal, according to the airport.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Floral shop forced to raise prices due to Trump's tariffs
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Four Buds Floral Studio is gearing up for a busy Mother's Day weekend. Florist Lauren Villegas told 12 News orders for Saturday and Sunday have been pouring in and their colleagues will be working around the clock on a variety of colorful arrangements. Even though business has been booming, Villegas said the average Mother's Day bouquet costs significantly more than it did last year. 'Currently our minimum is $85, and that's for about the same size that we used to do for $65, if that tells you anything about what kind of prices we're now having to pay on the back end,' they explained. That means the flower shop has raised prices at least 30% in a year's time. Villegas blamed the price hikes on President Donald Trump's tariffs, since 95% of their flowers come from overseas during the fall and spring due to the seasonal change in growing conditions. 'Most of the flowers come through Holland, and all of the roses come from South America,' Villegas said. Thankfully, Villegas said the vast majority of their customers have been understanding. 'For us it hasn't hurt business, but it's changed our business in that we have to shop differently,' Villegas explained. 'We used to be able to buy different products at different times of the year because they were affordable, and now they're simply not.' 'But we have customers who really love what we do and the quality of work we do,' they added. For those seeking last-minute floral arrangements, Villegas said Four Buds Floral Studio will be open Sunday while supplies last. NEXT: East Providence bead shop owner worried about Trump's tariffs Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Al Etihad
01-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Abu Dhabi startup uses fruit flies to revolutionise cancer treatment
2 May 2025 01:21 MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)One Hub71 startup is turning fruit flies into cancer-fighting allies, combining AI and genetic science to personalise cancer treatment in ways never seen before. London-born Vivan Therapeutics is tapping into Abu Dhabi's fast-growing innovation ecosystem to scale its precision oncology model globally. The core of the company's approach is its proprietary TuMatch software, which leverages a unique dataset along with AI and machine learning to help identify the best possible treatments for each cancer platform creates 'avatars' of cancer patients using fruit flies. These tiny organisms, known scientifically as Drosophila melanogaster, are engineered with the same genetic mutations found in a patient's tumour. Once replicated, Vivan breeds hundreds of thousands of these genetically altered flies per patient to test thousands of drug combinations in rapid, high-throughput in vivo of the key advantages of the fruit fly as a model organism is its short life cycle and rapid proliferation, according to Nahuel Villegas, Chief Scientific Officer at Vivan Therapeutics.'In a relatively short period, we can create half a million fruit fly avatars for each patient … this allows us to test a massive number of drugs,' said Villegas in a recent interview with Aletihad. 'Most of these fruit flies will die, except for the ones that receive the right drug or drug combination. That's how we identify the optimal treatment.'The results have already shown promise in clinical settings. In a trial at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Centre, patients with difficult-to-treat cancers responded significantly better to therapies identified by TuMatch than to traditional treatments. 'In some cases, the treatment recommended by the fruit fly model was the only one the patient responded to,' Villegas said. Vivan's competitive edge lies not only in its innovative biological modelling but also in its massive proprietary dataset. The company has created more than 50 million fruit fly avatars and tested thousands of therapies, yielding nearly 600 novel treatment options for specific tumour types, according to explained that this dataset feeds its AI and machine learning models, which are now robust enough to offer instant treatment recommendations for new patients – sometimes without needing to create new fly models at all. 'In healthcare, most available data is biased or based on failed treatments,' Villegas said. 'Our data is fresh, precise, and generated in-house. That's what makes our AI truly effective.' Hub71: A Gateway to Global ScalingVivan Therapeutics' decision to join Abu Dhabi's Hub71 was driven by its ambitions to scale globally and tap into new markets. 'The GCC has always been on our radar because some of our early investors are from the region,' said Villegas. 'But Abu Dhabi stood out, especially because of Hub71.'Since joining the government-backed tech ecosystem, the startup has received support far beyond capital and office space. 'Hub71 helped us understand the local landscape, from regulations to healthcare partnerships, and connected us with key stakeholders like the Department of Health,' said registered in Abu Dhabi, Vivan is gearing up to scale its platform worldwide. 'Abu Dhabi represents for us a place that connects the East and the West,' said Villegas. 'And the work Hub71 is doing is putting Abu Dhabi on the map as a biotech center. From here, we are ready to reach the world.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
APD identifies woman with distinctive tattoos found shot to death in woods
Atlanta police have identified a homicide victim after releasing photos of her distinctive tattoos. Officers said Angela Yajahira Cortes Villegas, 20, was found shot to death in the woods along Marietta Boulevard NW on April 20. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Police said Villegas, who is from Utah, didn't have any identification on her at the time of her death. Investigators released photos of the woman's distinctive tattoos and surveillance video in the hopes it would help identify her. Police said the investigation into Villegas' death remains active. Anyone who may have information can call Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477 and be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000. TRENDING STORIES: Atlanta HVAC technician among 19 arrested in 'child predator' operation Suspects found guilty of killing man walking on Atlanta Beltline Have you received a random package you didn't order? It could all be part of a scam [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
