Teachers Brave Flooded River Just to Get Home After Class in Sarangani A group of teachers braved a flooded river in Malapatan, Sarangani, just to get home after teaching students in the area. A teacher is someone who helps others learn. Teachers guide students by sharing knowledge, explaining ideas, and helping them develop skills. They ... Read more
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Pres. Bongbong Marcos Speaks Anew on Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s Impeachment Process BONGBONG MARCOS – The Chief Executive maintained his stand that the impeachment process of Vice President Sara Duterte is up to the legislative branch. The soured relationship between Marcos Jr. and Duterte is no secret to the Filipino people. The Vice President has ... Read more
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GROWING up in the most nuked place on Earth, Maira Abenova has helplessly watched as cancer spread through her family.
After years of living near the Semipalatinsk Test Site, she told The Sun how the devastating impact of the radiation “did not spare any family“.
Known as the Polygon, the 7,000 square mile nuclear testing site in north east Kazakhstan was nuked by hellish bombs from 1949 to 1989.
Having been hit by a quarter of all nuclear explosions in history, Semipalatinsk Test Site was an atomic playground for Soviet scientists which was kept secret for decades.
Its infamous “Atomic Lake” was blasted into existence 60 years ago by a bomb ten times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima.
And one of the site’s most destructive detonations reportedly caused four times as many instances of severe radiation poisoning as the Chernobyl disaster.
Following 40 years of nuclear explosions which wreaked havoc on nearby communities, the consequences are still felt today.
Kazakh authorities dished out eerie “radiation passports” to help and identify victims of the fallout – but these have failed to fully cover the tragic repercussions.
Local resident Maira Abenova told The Sun: “After more than 30 years have passed, we can now say that for 40 years, an atomic war was waged on our beautiful land.”
Now a mum and grandma, Maira was raised in the neighbouring high-risk town of Semipalatinsk, which is by the Russian border and is today known as Semey.
She is also the founder an advocacy group for victims of the tests called Committee Polygon 21.
Maira detailed the tragic consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site which have scarred her own life.
“In 1971, before turning 60, my mother died of esophageal cancer,” she said.
“At that time, we could not know the cause of this disease.”
After losing her mum, her sister passed away in 2013, nearly 25 years after the last recorded nuclear test.
“In 2013, literally a month after surgery, my older sister passed away from breast cancer,” Maira explained.
Her husband was the next loved one to die as a result of the radioactive fallout.
She said: “My husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer – he lived in agony for only a year and a half before he passed away.”
Maira continued: “Just a few months after my husband’s funeral, my brother was diagnosed with lung cancer.
“He survived only three months.”
The devastating consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site then caught up with Maira herself.
“Last autumn, I was diagnosed with the same disease,” she said.
“I had an operation, but I don’t know how much time I have left.
“Our medical system offers little hope – not because we lack good doctors, but because the healthcare system, especially in our region, is in a deeply deplorable state.”
She added: “The worst thing is when doctors diagnose cancer. It’s like a death sentence.
“A sentence of a painful death. Without proper help and treatment.”
Maira also noted that her local cancer clinic was “always overcrowded”.
Kazakhstan authorities estimate 1.5 million people have been exposed to the test site’s residual fallout.
Nearby populations suffered elevated rates of cancer, heart disease and infertility which were all linked to the tests.
More babies were born with defects, missing limbs, Down syndrome and other disabilities – while the number of suicide rates among young people also rose.
A local city hall official even made the shocking claim that “people in the villages got used to suicides”, according to a UN report.
And grandma-of-two Maira confirmed this epidemic, saying that after the closure of the site, the higher rates of suicide were known as “Kainarsky syndrome”.
Despite the first ever bomb going off on August 29, 1949, four years after the end of World War II, radiation levels are still elevated, and children continue to be born with genetic mutations.
Maira said: “This evil did not spare any family.”
Reflecting on these haunting health impacts, she described the aspect that continues to trouble her most.
“As for the photos showing the aftermath of the tests, I’d say the most frightening consequences aren’t the physical deformities or developmental anomalies,” she said.
“But rather the lingering fear — the fear of dying from an illness that might not be visible on the outside.
“The fear of a young woman giving birth to a child with disabilities, and so on.”
The campaigner also detailed a closed-off town called Kurchatov which was built as the headquarters for the testing site and was only accessible with an official pass.
Codenamed Semipalatinsk 21, the base was full of nuclear scientists and military officers, and located on the picturesque bank of the Irtysh River.
The top-secret town had 50,000 or so inhabitants who were all supplied with high quality produce sent straight from the capital.
Meanwhile, locals outside the town lived in relative squalor with “empty store shelves”, Maira explained.
“It was built in a short time,” she said of the city, which has been dubbed the Soviet version of Los Alamos.
“Since the city was built by the military, it resembles a military town – strict lines and no frills.”
The activist added that scientists timed each blast to match the wind direction – making sure the deadly fallout always blew away from their own HQ.
And typical Soviet cover-ups meant that even the locals were unaware of the nearby tests for years.
“We didn’t know about it until the late 1980s, when information about the terrible tests conducted near us began to leak out to the public,” she recalled.
by Harvey Geh
Semipalatinsk Test Site, also known as the Polygon, played a central role in the Soviet Union’s push to win the nuclear arms race during the Cold War.
On August 29, 1949, the USSR detonated its first-ever atomic bomb at Semipalatinsk, just four years after the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
That explosion – codenamed RDS-1 or “First Lightning” – ended America’s nuclear monopoly and officially launched the Cold War arms race.
It was a near-copy of the US-made “Fat Man” plutonium bomb, which America dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in August 1945.
Following the landmark explosion, Semipalatinsk became the main site for testing each nuclear development the Soviet Union made, including hydrogen bombs and experimental warheads.
This allowed the USSR to gain data on blast yields and radiation fallout.
From its inception in 1949 to its closure in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, 116 bombs were detonated in the atmosphere, while 240 exploded underground.
A law created in 1992 meant victims could apply for a “radiation passport”, which confirmed their exposure to the fallout and qualified them for certain benefits.
Each person who had their application approved was given a little beige book with a big blue mushroom cloud on its front cover.
Those holding their own document could then receive things like monthly compensation cash and longer holidays.
This system was said to have worked in its initial phases.
But these days, the scheme is ineffective, according to Maira.
She is now part of a renewed push to improve compensation and bring real justice to the lives of many who have been impacted.
Maira said: “The law that was passed in 1992 is effectively defunct today, and its current provisions are discriminatory.”
The passport grants holders £30 per month in benefits – barely enough to cover current medical costs – and those who move to live in a different region are disqualified from getting the money.
Many locals have reportedly found it challenging to get official recognition for their children to also obtain the document.
Emphasising the importance of petitioning for better support, Maira explained: “The hardest thing for us is that we feel doomed and unprotected.”
Maira also heads the human rights organisation DOM, which has also played an important role forming initiatives aimed at protecting the rights of victims of nuclear tests.
She says on social media that for the last three years, the organisation has been working “to shape new ways of addressing victims, to achieve significant change, and to expand dialogue with the state and the international community.”
Maira has won awards for her work supporting victims of the tests and participated in UN meetings calling for the ban of nuclear weapons.
She left Committee Polygon 21 earlier this month but continues to work with victims of nuclear fallout through her leading role at DOM.
It is believed that more than one million people resided in and around Semipalatinsk – but today, only a few thousand people remain.
The International Day against Nuclear Tests occurs every year on August 29, the day the first bomb went off in Semipalatinsk Test Site.
Despite neighbouring locals living through the nuclear fallout of the site, it remains unclear exactly how dangerous living in the region is today.
Scavengers have excavated the site in hopes of selling off scrap metal, while locals are known to use the “Atomic Lake” as a fishing spot.
Maira said she was aware locals like to go fishing there as they “have come to believe that it is safe”.
But since the landscape has been marred by nearly half a century of nuclear bombing, she said the area had partly lost its beauty.
“It is more reminiscent of the surface of the moon,” she said.
“A steppe and granite hills that have crumbled over time… scattered across by the atomic explosions.”
SHE shot to fame with a chart-topping hit back in the ’90s – but nearly three decades on, the pop sensation looks just as fresh-faced at 51.
The singer stunned fans with her youthful appearance in a new social media snap – but would you recognise her?
Jennifer Paige – the voice behind 1998’s chart-topping smash “Crush” – who wowed fans with her age-defying looks in a recent Instagram post.
She wrote: “New music and art projects on the horizon. My hubby’s art will be released on Friday, as well.
“Very happy for him, as it’s been a long time in the making. I’ll share it here so you can let him know what you think! Let’s go, men! 
You were born for greatness.”
Fans took to the comment section shocked to see her looking as ageless as ever, with one writing: “You still look just as beautiful.”
Another added: “Wow! You were the soundtrack to my 5 year old self & you haven’t aged a day! 
thank you for sharing your talent with the world.”
A third penned: “You look exactly like you did in 1998!”
Jennifer’s song “Crush” shot to No 1 in 16 countries and sold 11 million copies.
It then went on to become the station’s most requested song of the summer.
Crush was also the top three Billboard chart hit in the US, while in the UK it listed in the top 10.
Her debut album was released the same year and Jennifer went on to record three more – although they failed to gain the same traction as her first.
She even recorded a duet with Backstreet Boy Nick Carter called “Beautiful Lie”, featured on the deluxe edition of her 2008 album Best Kept Secret.
Once dropped into semi-retirement after chart success, Jennifer faced childhood heartbreak, melanoma and the loss of both parents in 2008.
She later retreated from fame, moved into song writing for commercials, charity music and podcasts.
She then eventually crowdfunded a comeback album, Starflower, in 2017.
Jennifer is married to artist Jason ‘Hawk’ Carter.
The couple tied the knot in 2010 and have a daughter named Stella Rose, born on October 5, 2014.
Jason made a surprise cameo in Jennifer’s 2017 music video for “The Devil’s in the Details.”
The original actor dropped out, meaning he had to step in last minute.
The American star still has her blonde hair and regular posts on her Instagram account.
THE mastermind behind anti-tourist protests in Majorca targeting Brits has been unmasked as a 16-year-old boy inspired by Greta Thunberg.
Mass anti-tourism demonstrators began to erupt across Spain last year, amid concerns holidaymakers were driving rising costs and job insecurity.
Using Greta Thungburg as his inspiration, he confessed, Jaume Pujol is slowly becoming the fresh face of the movement – despite only just finishing the Spanish equivalent of GCSEs.
Last weekend, anti-tourist protests swept across holiday hotspot towns and cities from the Balearic and Canary Islands to northern Spain, Portugal and Italy.
They were organised and executed by the Southern European Network Against Tourism.
In Palma on Sunday afternoon, anti-tourist demonstrators swarmed a table of dining Brits and chanted “go home” and “go to hell”.
One protester was even caught wielding an axe amid the deafening jeers.
Jaume was in Palma on this day, being an organiser of the Majorcan group Menys Turisme, Mes Vida.
Last Saturday he gave a live YouTube commentary as he and his fellow protesters stopped a sightseeing bus, hung banners over it and set off yellow smoke-bombs as terrified passengers watched on in horror.
And on Sunday, Jaume stood on a platform to read out the group’s three-page “manifesto”.
He said as thousands of supporters cheered: “The tourism model, whether luxury or mass, chokes us year after year, grabs economic and residential resources, destroys the territory, exploits the working class, contributes to climate crisis, and shatters our communities.”
He added how young people couldn’t afford to live on their own island anymore due to foreigners buying properties.
Jaume’s interest in protesting began at a young age when his trade unionist granddad took him on marches.
And while his parents are “proud,” Jaume revealed to Diario de Mallorca how they’re also scared for him.
He said: “I’ve received death threats, and they painted ‘We’re going to kill you’ on the door of my school.”
As tourists continue to fear of chaos unravelling on their holidays with protests, Jaume told the Daily Mail that they have nothing to fear as he and his comrades’ actions are directed towards the Balearic Islands’ government.
The march in Palma followed a similar string of incidents in Barcelona, where an anti-tourist mob surrounded a hotel and shot at holidaymakers with water pistols.
Congregating outside the hotel, the group launched flares and held placards claiming tourism was robbing them of their futures.
Staff at a nearby hotel were seen trying to break up the crowds and shouting at protesters to move away.
Police stepped in before protesters could reach the famous tourist hot-spot la Sagrada Familia, avoiding potential clashes between holidaymakers and locals.
Shouts of ‘Tourists Go Home’ and ‘One More Tourist, One Less Local’ could be heard as activists marched through the streets.
They were also heard shouting: ‘This tourism is terrorism.’
City police said only 600 people had taken part, far less than the 8,000 who took part in the protest in Palma.
Other marches took place in the Basque city of San Sebastian, several cities in Italy and in Lisbon as part of a co-ordinated series of street protests in southern Europe.
Overtourism refers to the phenomenon where a destination experiences a volume of tourists that exceeds its manageable capacity
The term is often used to describe the negative consequences of mass tourism, which includes overcrowding and environmental issues
As a result, popular destinations have become less enjoyable for both visitors and locals
Local communities, in particular, bear the brunt, facing rising costs and a depletion of resources
In response, national and local governments have started to implement measures to reduce overtourism
Some solutions include:
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FORMER EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy has slammed a “disgusting and disgraceful” fake rumour suggesting she is battling breast cancer.
The popular soap star took to her Instagram Stories for a fiery rant over the “terrible and made up” allegations.
The EastEnders alum, 42, who told of her decision to quit her EastEnders role as Sonia Fowler earlier this year, screen-grabbed the article image and concerning headline, which read: “Natalie Cassidy Breaks Down as She Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis.”
It then allegedly featured a quote from the TV star which read: “I Didn’t Want Anyone to Know…”
Images showed her in-character on the show as well as smiling in a cheery headshot.
Yet Natalie, who this year quit EastEnders after 32 years on the soap, categorically slammed the suggestions of her illness.
She furiously wrote in her caption: “THIS IS DISGUSTING AND DISGRACEFUL.
“So many people are going through this and I have had messages asking if I’m ok.
“It is completely made up and a terrible story.
“Take this down whoever you are.”
The fake news came after the mum of two opened up on a huge pop star who used to bully her at school.
The shock story also came just weeks after Natalie’s podcast with Joanna Page was scrapped by the BBC in a huge career change.
Yet she still has her own podcast, Life With Nat.
The podcast scrap came after we reported how Natalie had landed a new TV show with the broadcaster.
BBC Daytime have commissioned a new series – under the working title Natalie Cassidy Learning to Care – for BBC One and iPlayer.
MICHELLE Collins has seen her second EastEnders stint boost her bank balance. Yet what stars have quit this year?
The Sun exclusively reported how Michelle, 62, was down to £20,000 in her company accounts when she agreed to a shock back-from-the-dead return to Albert Square last year.
Her character, Cindy Beale, was presumed dead off-camera in 1998.
Yet what about the 2024 exits?
Earlier this summer, loyal soap fans appeared to note how Stevie Mitchell had “quit” the long-running series.
It came after Alan Ford enjoyed just six-months on-screen.
Bobby Beale actor Clay Milner Russell also left this year after five years in Walford.
Fans also feared Martin Fowler actor James Bye would “quit out of boredom” over recent storylines.
Additionally, a host of stars have quit the BBC soap for Hollywood fame.
One of the most successful stars to come from the BBC One soap is Rob Kazinsky.
He played Stacey Slater’s brother Sean Slater from 2006 to 2009, he has starred in Hollywood blockbusters Pacific Rim and Captain Marvel.
Ben Hardy, who quit EastEnders as Bobby Beale almost a decade ago, went on to break Hollywood the following year, when he starred as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Since then, he has played Roger Taylor in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and he starred in Michael Bay’s Netflix movie 6 Underground.
Michelle Ryan played Zoe Slater until 2005.
She starred as the lead in short-lived American series Bionic Woman from 2007 to 2008.
The actress will fulfil her longtime ambition of wanting to train as carer.
This means enrolling at one of the UK’s top Health & Social Care colleges – alongside the next generation of carers.
In recent years, Natalie has cared for family members and volunteered in local groups.
The show follows her journey across classroom to community care services – as she’s there for life’s toughest moments.
While to make things official, the actress will have to pass her final exam.
Natalie said: “I’m thrilled to be embarking on a new adventure with BBC Daytime.
“In a series exploring social care, I will be going back to college and learning for the first time since leaving school at 16.
“Caring has always been a huge part of my life, from watching my mum care for my nan, to being a mother to caring for my dad, this series is close to my heart and I can’t wait for you to see it.”
A HEAVILY-inked Brit has vowed to never return to Dubai after claiming he got kicked out for plastering his face in tattoos.
Jordan Howman, 34, said he had his passport confiscated and was held by airport workers for six hours before being given the boot – ruining his £3,000 holiday.
The plasterer, from Crewe, Cheshire, covered his face in tattoos of geometric cubes and words including “blessed” and “crazy life” almost a decade ago.
Jordan said his ink addiction hadn’t caused him any issues during his previous two trips to his “favourite country in the world”, the UAE.
The dad told The Sun: “My missus has been crying her eyes out.
“It has absolutely devastated me. I feel like I’ve been massively discriminated against.
“There’s no law against face tattoos – there’s nothing like that.
“I’m a lovely lad, I get on with anyone. It’s made me feel absolutely rubbish. I’m not allowed in a country because of the way I look. It’s properly, massively affected me.
“It was my favourite country, but this has absolutely ruined it. Now I’ll never go again. I’ve lost all of my money because of a pattern on my face.”
Jordan landed at Dubai International Airport on Wednesday for a dream week-long holiday with his fiancée Theresa, 38, and daughter Kaic, 16.
But he said as he ventured through passport control he was pulled to one side.
After taking Jordan aside, the worker asked if he’d had his passport stamped before taking it from him.
“Then he snatched my passport out of my hand,” Jordan said.
“There had been nowhere to stamp it – we’d used the electronic gates. It was just an excuse to get the passport out of my hand.”
After being held in a waiting room for more than four hours, Jordan was transferred to immigration at around midday, he said.
By this time, his family had reached their five-star Anantara hotel.
He called his partner and she got a taxi to the airport – but Jordan said airport staff refused to let her go to him and so she got a cab back, costing a total of £250.
Jordan said he was “terrified” as he was not given his passport back for some time.
“A woman came and took me upstairs to immigration, where they said: ‘He’s not coming in because of his face tattoos – you’re not coming in because of the way you look’,” he claimed.
“One of the staff behind the desk said a more senior immigration officer made the decision, saying I was not to enter Dubai and that I must leave the country immediately.”
At 2.30pm – six hours after arriving – Jordan was put on another Emirates flight heading back to the UK.
“They sent me on a flight back to Manchester,” he said.
“It was only when I landed that I got my passport back.
“Friday morning was the first time I got to see my daughter, over Facetime.”
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai have been approached for comment.
Dubai Airports was also contacted for a response.
LAWS for tourists in Dubai are largely centred around respect for local customs and traditions.
Swearing, loud music and public displays of affection are banned.
Tourists must also observe Ramadan rules by refraining from eating or drinking publicly during fasting hours.
Holidaymakers must also be careful when taking photos of individuals or sensitive sites.
Visa regulations require a valid passport with six months minimum before it expires.
Tourists must also have a return ticket, proof of accommodation, and sufficient funds.
Overstaying your visa can lead to fines or deportation.
Drinking alcohol is restricted in licensed venues and public intoxication is illegal.
Dubai has strict drug laws, and certain medications require prior approval from UAE authorities.
Unmarried couples sharing a room may face restrictions, although enforcement is relaxed in private hotels.
Public indecency, such as inappropriate behaviour or clothing, is punishable.
