We are sorry, the requested page does not exist
Gathering of champions
The stars descended on the Okada Grand Ballroom last Sunday as former world boxing champions gathered to celebrate the launch of the 1st Pacquiao-Elorde Awards Night with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman as guest of honor and speaker......»»
PMI, ARQ, ZIP Sanman boxers feted in first Elorde-Pacquiao Boxing Awards
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Central Visayas was well-represented during the inaugural Elorde-Pacquiao Boxing Awards at Okada Manila last Sunday, March 24th. This was after 13 of Central Visayas’ best boxers from Cebu and Bohol were feted for their achievements in 2023. They were headed by none other than former World Boxing Organization (WBO) world minimumweight.....»»
Pacquiao, Sulaiman honor Filipino champs, eye PH-Mexico tiff
Invited by Manny Pacquiao to the Elorde-Pacquiao Boxing Awards, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman announces that he will stage a dual meet involving the Philippines and Mexico.....»»
Blow-By-Blow Okada: Bacosa posts 3rd straight KO victory
Tall and rangy lightweight Eman Bacosa posted a third-round stoppage over Jan Clyde Langahin during a special presentation of Manny Pacquiao Presents: Blow-By-Blow Sunday at the Okada Manila......»»
Bacosa headlines Blow-By-Blow boxing card at Okada
Crowd favorite Eman Bacosa headlines a special presentation of Manny Pacquiao Presents: Blow-By-Blow on Sunday at the Okada Manila......»»
IN MEMORIAM: Archbishop Fernando Capalla: Consistently, he embodied hope
BRISBANE (MindaNews / 08 January) –‘Blessed are the pure in heart…’ Fernando Capalla faced me from across his large desk, his elbows resting on his swivel’s armrests and his gaze softened by empathy. I and my wife Neng were there inside his cavernous study in late 2011, seeking his counsel over a moral dilemma we […].....»»
Karolina Pliskova rallies to oust Naomi Osaka in Brisbane tournament
Czech tennis ace Karolina Pliskova boots returning Naomi Osaka out of the Brisbane International off a high-quality, second-round clash.....»»
Rafael Nadal makes long-awaited comeback in Brisbane doubles defeat
Rafael Nadal returns to action for the first time in more than a year, going down swinging in a doubles loss at the Brisbane International in Australia.....»»
POUND-FOR-POUND — Good guy Gibbons gives Filipino boxers the chance to shine
If you’re a talented fighter nursing dreams of becoming a world champion, there is one guy you need to get in touch with. If you’re a promoter who has got a bevy of promising fighters but with no strong connections to the guys who matter in the world of big-time boxing, you have to meet the fellow who makes things happen. That dude is no other than Sean Gibbons, who heads MP Promotions and a sprinkling of other influential outfits in the United States that gives boxers from all over the opportunity they deserve. Having trouble with your boxer’s stagnant world rating? Call Sean Gibbons. Can’t seem to get the big breaks? Call Sean Gibbons. Being given the run-around by a scammer, give Sean Gibbons a call. You see, Gibbons is a do-it-all boxing man who is a big daddy to just about any major Filipino fighter. He has got a deep knowledge of the fight game since he used to fight during his heyday. But before you start conjuring up images of Gibbons battling it out with boxing’s marquee names, pinch yourself first. Gibbons never achieved greatness as a boxer. He was more of a pretender than a contender, having racked up a 14-7-3 win-loss-draw record with seven knockouts before finally calling it a day in 1996. He never even fought in Las Vegas and instead showcased his wares in obscurity, hopping into one small town and city after another. After spending his first five pro bouts in Oklahoma City, Gibbons brought his act elsewhere and in places he never knew existed: Hugo, Purcell, Waubeek. A year before he retired in 1995, Gibbons, now 56, even traveled to Germany and fought and lost by knockout to local boy Ruediger May. Two more bouts on American soil — the first in Des Moines, Iowa, and the second in Miles City, Montana — paved the way for one final stop in Denmark against Peter Madsen. Gibbons would lose that by stoppage again and decided that enough was enough. Pretty soon, Gibbons got himself doing odd jobs in boxing through a relative — uncle Pat O’ Grady — father to former world lightweight champion Sean O’Grady. “I got the boxing bug from him. I would set up the ring, help sell tickets and train fighters… I started from the bottom,” Gibbons, born in Long Beach, California, said, noting that the first fighter he trained was heavyweight Wimpy Halstead. Oftentimes, Gibbons “would jump in as one of the fighters in the card and I was able to travel the world.” He also got aligned with Top Rank and credits Hall of Fame Bruce Trampler and fight coordinator Pete Susens as his mentors and takes great pride in his close association with eight-division legend Manny Pacquiao. Gibbons actually came to the Pacquiao show rather late. But his seven-year stint working for Pacquiao was the most memorable, saying it doesn’t compare with the 35 other years of involvement with boxing. “Seven years I spent with him were better than the other 35 years,” Gibbons, who graduated from Simi Valley High, said. Gibbons revealed that after Australian banger Jeff Horn elbowed and butted and wrestled his way in carving out a controversial points win in Brisbane in July 2018, “Pacquiao had pretty much been left for dead by some people.” It was right at this time when Gibbons entered the scene as Pacquiao’s go-to-guy for meaningful fights while also providing other Filipino boxers the break they need to become successful. Gibbons didn’t disappoint and was instrumental in striking a deal for fights involving Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman that resulted in a “tremendous run.” The victory over Thurman would go down as an epic as it made Pacquiao the oldest to win a world welterweight crown in July 2019 in Las Vegas. Now that Pacquiao has sailed into the sunset, Gibbons is dedicating his time and effort to the betterment of the other talents under MP Promotions, the Pacquiao-owned company that has majority of the country’s top ring talent under contract. And this is where Gibbons wields his expertise and proof of his savvy can be seen on Jerwin Ancajas, Pedro Taduran, Rene Cuarto, Mark Magsayo and current two-belt world super-bantamweight titleholder Marlon Tapales. Also under Gibbons’ care are Jonas Sultan, Vincent Astrolabio, Jade Bornea and Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist and Asian Games silver medalist Eumir Marcial. Though not every one of them managed to win a world title, Gibbons draws utmost satisfaction from the helping hand that he had extended to them. “The most satisfying thing is to change lives of the fighters and take fighters who wouldn’t normally get these opportunities.” Also, Gibbons points to Pacquiao as a reason why he was able to pull it off. “I had the name Manny Pacquiao promotions and Manny Pacquiao was behind me but the biggest, biggest key was Al Haymon and he took my word for guys like Jerwin Ancajas, Mark Magsayo, Jonas Sultan and many, many others.” And there is no stopping Gibbons from doing the same thing especially when his clients’ welfare is on the line. A few months ago, Gibbons earned the ire of a state commission and got slapped with a ban. Still, Gibbons swears it is his way of showing that he always got his clients’ back. So how does he want people to remember him? “I would like to be remembered as someone who gave his all, no regrets. Just you know, when I work with someone, I put all my heart and soul into it. I got suspended for five for screaming at referees but I would like to be remembered for a guy who always had his client, fighters and boxers’ back and that when we went at it, we gave it our all.” If you end up going to war, you’d certainly want somebody like Sean Gibbons right by your side. The post POUND-FOR-POUND — Good guy Gibbons gives Filipino boxers the chance to shine appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UniSQ in Toowoomba
Just recently, the 13th Australian Media Traditions Conference was held on the 20th and 21st of September at the University of Southern Queensland, or UniSQ, in the Garden City of Toowoomba in Brisbane on the theme “Beyond Boundaries.” Thirty-six paper presenters, who were largely PhDs and PhD candidates from various universities on the Australian continent and beyond, each had 20 minutes to share their research and scholarly works in the field of communication in the context of the digital age. Most conferees came from the universities of Southern Queensland, Queensland, Macquarie, La Trobe, RMIT, Monash, James Cook, Swinburne, Deakin, South Australia, Melbourne, Canberra and QUT — all in Australia — while two were from the University of China and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, and one from the University of the Philippines (the only Filipino in the pack). Each day featured a keynote speaker, a morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Everyone received a ring-bound booklet that contained the individual abstracts and biographies of every participant. The various subthemes delved into — literature, journalism, television drama, civic engagement, music industry, radio, cinema, mobile developments, media/politics/issues, technologies and globalization, SVODs in Australia, creation and content production, and archives (i.e., collection of digital/social media at the National Library of Australia) — were all reflective of the contemporary communication and media ecosystem. For one, this author presented his paper titled, “Scoping the reformative and transformative impact of media traditions.” Let me share, dear readers, what my seminal and expository paper was all about. The terms reformative and transformative simply refer to access to news, entertainment, or information in various modalities, while impact, as a term, refers to “hit,” it denoting who are adversely affected in an era of digital media (i.e., print newspapers, periodicals, magazines and other forms of publishing). These social and economic dimensions are on opposite ends of a continuum. There’s no need to be an apologist for print newspapers since the notion that the “editor is dead” in this digital age is a myth. Neither is there such a thing as the “golden age of journalism,” as one presenter embraced the view — with some authority based on her research — that it never existed. In fact, if it were any consolation, there had been a common point when the portion who got its news via social media was about equal to the portion who got its news from newspapers and that was in 2017. Therefore, if there was a crucial paradigm shift to the digital or social media platform, it must have been an entirely slow and gradual process where the readership of print newspapers slid down and the readership on social media climbed, not to mention that such transformation was only of recent memory or origin. In the case of Americans, and it may be a universal phenomenon elsewhere in the world, television dominates as a news source followed by news websites, in turn followed by radio then social media, in turn followed by print newspapers — in this pecking order. As well articulated with evidence-based data, two age groups, namely, those between 50-54 and those 65 and over, still preferred print newspapers as their news source with lower percentages in the younger age groups (i.e., 18-29, 30-48). More particularly, while most Americans get their news often from social media rather than print newspapers, there is only a marginal variance of 20 percent and 16 percent, respectively, over the period 2016 to 2018. In other words, we can embrace the view that print newspapers “will never die,” very much so in countries with aging populations to the extent possible that it might even overcome social media at some point as a source for news in this…. “digital divide” as well as “age divide.” This media traditions conference at the UniSQ in Toowoomba was probably the most fulfilling intellectual experience for experts, scholars, and practitioners in the present-day communication and digital landscape. The post UniSQ in Toowoomba appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Native Aussies supporters urge ‘yes’ vote
Thousands of Australians rallied in major cities Sunday for a “yes” vote to the proposed indigenous rights reform that is facing strong opposition from other citizens in the land down under. The “Walk for Yes” marches were four weeks ahead of the 14 October referendum that the minority group and the government hope will address the marginalization of the natives. More than 200 years since British colonization, indigenous people — whose ancestors have lived on the continent for about 60,000 years — have shorter lives than other Australians, poorer education and are far more likely to die in police custody. A favorable referendum result would give them a voice in parliament, which supporters believe is long overdue. Supporters of the Voice, who also gathered in Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart and Alice Springs, say a “yes” vote would help address inequalities. Opponents, however, argue that it would confer special privileges on indigenous peoples while adding an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. In the referendum, voters will be asked: “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognize the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?” Voting is compulsory, with non-voters who don’t have a valid reason liable to a fine of 20 Australian dollars. WITH AFP The post Native Aussies supporters urge ‘yes’ vote appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sharks tear boat, sailors call for rescue
Two Russians and a French sailor were rescued in the Coral Sea on Wednesday after sharks attacked and tore chunks of their inflatable boat. A cargo ship, the vehicle transporter Dugong Ace, detected the distress signal activated by the sailors and approached the damaged catamaran in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Footage shot by a rescue helicopter shows the catamaran bobbing in calm seas some 800 kilometers southeast of Cairns, Australia as the ship plucked the three men from their catamaran. “Both hulls of the vessel have been damaged following several shark attacks,” the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said in a statement. AMSA said the trio were sailing from the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu to the city of Cairns, a distance of more than 2,000 kilometers. The men would be dropped in Brisbane by Thursday, according to AMSA, CNN reported. The post Sharks tear boat, sailors call for rescue appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Edu – worth the wait
It’s been a long wait for AJ Edu to join Gilas at the senior level and now that the FIBA World Cup is 16 days away from reeling off, he’s proving himself deserving of a spot in coach Chot Reyes’ final 12-man roster. Edu, 23, tagged along in Gilas’ recent European trip but never played in six tune-up games. He sprained an ankle on his last day of a two-week training grind in Brisbane before landing in Manila last June and was advised to avoid five-on-five contact......»»
US, Australia to cooperate with India to ensure security and stability of Indo-Pacific
Washington DC [US], July 29 (ANI): US and Australia on Saturday agreed to further cooperate with India, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Korea to ensure the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific at the 33rd Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN). Officials from the two countries on Saturday met in Brisbane. The US delegation was led by Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J Austin, and Secretary of State, Antony.....»»
Australian man charged with sex crimes against 91 young girls
An Australian former childcare worker sexually abused 91 young girls in a "chilling" spate of crimes across 15 years, police said Tuesday after charging him with 1,623 separate offenses, including rape. Seasoned detectives have described it as one of Australia's "most horrific" child sex abuse cases, with a scale of offenses "beyond the realms of anyone's imagination". "I know this news will seem unfathomable, and I know there will be many questions," said Assistant Federal Police Commissioner Justine Gough. "There is not much solace I can give to the parents and children who have been identified," she added. Included within the 1,623 charges are 136 counts of rape, 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child younger than 10 -- a charge used instead of rape in some Australian jurisdictions -- and 613 counts of making child pornography. Investigators have been hunting for the 45-year-old man since discovering a cache of child pornography photos and videos being shared on the dark web in 2014. But their efforts had been mostly fruitless until they made an unexpected breakthrough in August last year -- matching visual clues in the background of the material to a childcare center in the city of Brisbane. While the man was initially charged with just three offenses, Gough said the gravity of his "heinous" alleged crimes emerged as police sifted further through his computer and phone. Police believe the man filmed or took pictures of "all" his alleged crimes -- and eventually cataloged more than 4,000 photos and videos of abuse. New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said it was one of the most horrific cases he had ever seen. "It's beyond the realms of anyone's imagination what this person did to these children," he said. "I can only say, you try not to be shocked after a long period of time in the police, but this is a horrific case." Young girls targeted Police said the abuse happened at 10 different childcare centers between 2007 and 2022 and exclusively targeted "prepubescent girls" -- some as young as one year old. While 87 of the 91 victims were from the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales, police believed four other unidentified children were abused while the man worked overseas for a brief spell between 2013 and 2014. Police said they were now working with international crime agencies to find those children, without revealing which country they were targeting. "We have been working tirelessly since August last year to identify the children in the alleged child abuse material," Gough said. Police said the man had passed the stringent series of background checks needed to work at childcare centers in the states of Queensland and New South Wales. Queensland's Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Col Briggs said detectives had first been tipped off in 2021, but had been hamstrung by a lack of evidence. "There was insufficient evidence to take action against any person based on evidence available at the time," he said. Given the sheer volume of child abuse material that needed to be documented, a dedicated task force of about 35 staff was called in to work on the investigation. The man, who has not been named by police, is scheduled to face court in Queensland on August 21. Once those proceedings are finished, he will be extradited to New South Wales to face further charges. The post Australian man charged with sex crimes against 91 young girls appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sydney’s former HIV epicenter close to ending transmission: research
The Inner Sydney district, once the epicenter of Australia's HIV epidemic, is very close to becoming the first place in the world to reach the UN's target for ending transmission of the virus, researchers said on Monday. UNAIDS has set a goal of ending AIDS as a global health threat by 2030, which includes reducing the number of new HIV cases by 90 percent compared to 2010. In inner Sydney, new infections among gay men dropped by 88 percent from 2010 to 2022, researchers announced at the International AIDS Society's HIV science conference being held in the Australian city of Brisbane. Andrew Grulich, an epidemiologist at the University of New South Wales who presented the research, told AFP that "we're very nearly there" some eight years ahead of the 2030 target. Just 11 new HIV cases were recorded in inner Sydney last year, "an extraordinarily small number of infections for what was the heart of the Australian HIV epidemic," Grulich said. Gay men make up an estimated 20 percent of the male population in inner Sydney, and they represent the large majority of the city's HIV cases. Grulich said that several areas in the UK and Western Europe have also seen rapid drops in new HIV cases. But "I don't think anywhere has gotten close to 90 percent," he added. Since Sydney has "virtually" already reached the target, that shows that it is a feasible goal, he said. - Community was 'completely devastated' - However, Grulich emphasized that this does not mean that HIV is close to being eliminated in the city of more than 5.2 million people. "HIV can only be eliminated if we have a vaccine and a cure," he said. And the drop in new HIV cases was far less precipitous in other parts of Sydney. In the city's outer suburbs, new cases have only fallen by 31 percent since 2010, the researchers found. This disparity was due to a much rate higher of HIV testing and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) -- which reduces the risk of transmitting HIV during sex -- in the inner city, Grulich said. He said another cause for progress was that around 95 percent of HIV-positive people in Australia are now on antiretroviral treatment, which suppresses the level of the virus in the blood. Another study announced at the AIDS conference, which was published in The Lancet journal, said that people on antiretrovirals who have low but detectible levels of HIV have almost zero risk of sexually transmitting the virus to others. The Sydney research, which has not been peer-reviewed, was based on data from the New South Wales health department as well as annual surveys taken by gay men about their use of antiretrovirals, PrEP and testing. Grulich said the progress in inner Sydney was particularly significant because "this was a community that was completely devastated in the 80s and 90s -- a few thousand men died in these areas". dl/pvh The post Sydney’s former HIV epicenter close to ending transmission: research appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Clock ticking on Gilas
There’s only almost a month left before the FIBA Basketball World Cup but Gilas Pilipinas has yet to train with a complete roster. Various problems have hounded the national squad. In fact, barely a few days after the announcement of the 21-man pool, rising star Carl Tamayo pulled out, saying that he needed to rest following a grueling campaign in the Japan B League. Injuries further marred the formation of the squad with Roger Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, Ray Parks, and naturalized player Justin Brownlee begging off from the training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna, while AJ Edu showed up hobbling with an ankle sprain that he sustained in a workout in Brisbane. Still, Gilas, with a depleted roster, left for Estonia and Lithuania. Their training went well where they faced top collegiate, national, and club teams from Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Lithuania. But shortly before flying back to Manila, Scottie Thompson, one the team’s most versatile players, crashed with yet another injury as he hurt his finger in the final stretch of the camp. The injury was so severe that it could take six to eight weeks for him to recover, practically reducing him to a mere spectator when the World Cup unwraps on 25 August. Then, shortly after their return from Europe, gunner Jordan Heading also withdrew due to a nagging back injury that needs therapy in the United States. But coach Chot Reyes never lost hope. After all, Kai Sotto had returned to the country following a two-game stint in the National Basketball Association Summer League, while Jordan Clarkson was scheduled to arrive based on his earlier commitment that he will join Gilas training six weeks before the World Cup fires off. But as of last Friday, both Sotto and Clarkson had yet to play a single minute with Gilas Pilipinas as it heads for a crucial four-nation pocket tournament in China next week. Their continuous absence is not only a major concern for Reyes, but also for their teammates, who are obviously getting impatient and demoralized for training with a crippled roster for over a month now. There is no doubt that Sotto and Clarkson are the best Filipino players in the world right now. But Sotto seems too busy chasing his dream of becoming the first Filipino to play in the NBA, while Clarkson just signed a new contract with the Utah Jazz that would make him richer by more than $50 million in the next four years. When Sotto showed up to Gilas training on Thursday, he just talked to Reyes and asked for a few more days of rest as he sustained a back injury in his final game in the Summer League. Meanwhile, Clarkson’s initial agreement with the federation appears to have fizzled out as Gilas Pilipinas team manager Butch Antonio admitted that they were still in the “middle of negotiations,” something that should have been done three or four months ago. Reyes has to make a decision quickly. The World Cup is coming up and time is no longer on his side. He has to devise a backup plan — a Plan B — before the support of this basketball-crazy country for this massive and very expensive mission completely erodes. If he has to drop Sotto and Clarkson from his plan, so be it. The important thing is that he comes up with a solid preparation and a game plan that is built around those who have been training regularly. At this point, what Reyes and Gilas Pilipinas need are not the best dribblers, the best passers, or the best defenders. They don’t even need the tallest or the quickest players. What they need are players who are committed. Players who are willing to play for the flag and put the country ahead of their personal goals and ambitions. Players who are armed with big fighting hearts. The clock is ticking on this Gilas squad. Reyes should grab the ball and deliver the dagger before the time expires. The post Clock ticking on Gilas appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Geneva patient’ the latest in long-term remission from HIV
A man dubbed the "Geneva patient" is the latest person with HIV to be declared in long-term remission -- however he did not receive a transplant with a virus-blocking gene mutation like previous cases, researchers said on Thursday. But they stopped short of saying the man was "cured" of HIV, warning there was still a chance the virus could still return. Five people have previously been declared cured of HIV: the Berlin, London, Duesseldorf, New York and City of Hope, California patients. All had bone marrow transplants to treat serious cases of cancer, receiving stem cells from a donor with a mutation of the CCR5 gene. This mutation is known to block HIV from entering the body's cells. In 2018, the Geneva patient similarly received a stem cell transplant to treat a particularly aggressive form of leukaemia. But this time the transplant came from a donor who did not carry the CCR5 mutation, French and Swiss researchers told a press conference in the Australian city of Brisbane as part of an AIDS conference that begins at the weekend. This means that the virus is still able to enter the patient's cells. However, 20 months after the man stopped taking antiretroviral treatment -- which reduces the amount of HIV in the blood -- doctors at Geneva University Hospitals have not found a trace of the virus in his system, the researchers said. While they cannot rule out that the man's HIV will return, the researchers said they consider him to be in long-term remission. 'Magical' "What is happening to me is magnificent, magical," the Geneva patient said in a statement. The patient, a white man who chose not to be named, was diagnosed with HIV in 1990. He had been on antiretrovirals until November 2021, when his doctors advised him to stop taking the treatment after the bone marrow transplant. Two previous cases, known as the Boston patients, had also received normal or "wild type" stem cells during their transplants. But in both cases, HIV returned a few months after they stopped taking antiretrovirals. Asier Saez-Cirion, a scientist at France's Pasteur Institute who presented the Geneva patient case in Brisbane, told AFP that if there was still no sign of the virus after 12 months "the probability that it will be undetectable in the future increases significantly". There were a couple of possible explanations for why the Geneva patient remains HIV free, Saez-Cirion said. "In this specific case, perhaps the transplant eliminated all the infected cells without the need for the famous mutation," he said. "Or maybe his immunosuppressive treatment, which was required after the transplant, played a role." 'Promising' Sharon Lewin, the president of the International AIDS Society holding the HIV science conference in Brisbane, said the case was "promising". "But we learned from the Boston patients that even a single" particle of the virus can lead to HIV rebounding, she cautioned. "This particular individual will need to be watched closely over the next months and years." While these cases of long-term remission raise hopes that one day HIV can truly be cured, the brutal and risky bone marrow transplant procedure is not an option for the millions of people living with the virus around the world. It is instead a last-ditch attempt to treat life-threatening cancer in people who also have HIV. Alexandra Calmy, head of the HIV unit at Geneva University Hospitals, acknowledged that the procedure is not an option for most HIV patients. But the exceptional case of the Geneva patient "opens the door to ways to reach lasting remission in the absence of a transplant carrying a mutation," she told an online press conference on Thursday. Saez-Cirion said the case had also encouraged the researchers to continue studying innate immune cells, which act as the first line of defence against various pathogens, and could help control the virus. For his part, the Geneva patient said he was now "looking to the future". The post ‘Geneva patient’ the latest in long-term remission from HIV appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cash-out
Cashless transactions are now prevalent with the use of e-wallets on mobile phones and smart cards. But this proved to be challenging for an ANZ bank depositor in Brisbane, Australia when she needed money to renovate her house. Taryn Compton recently went to a local branch of the bank to withdraw A$3,500 but she forgot to bring her automated teller machine card. Compton decided to withdraw the amount from her account over the counter. Still, it was not possible. The teller told Compton that the bank was a cashless branch and the only way depositors could withdraw their money was through the ATM, 9 Now reported. The teller helped Compton download and install an app on her phone so she could transfer money from her bank account to her e-wallet without the need for an ATM card. This also didn’t work, however, leaving her with one last option. “The teller told me that if I wanted to get my cash out if I needed it that day, to transfer it to another bank and try somewhere else so that’s what I did,” she said, according to 9 Now. “If you can’t get your own money from a branch, what’s the point of a bank?” she exasperatedly asked. Meanwhile, a Filipino money collector was faced with a somewhat similar dilemma when he also could not get his cash. The collector was on a motorcycle on the Cebu South Coastal Road in Cebu City last 4 July heading to Mandaue City to remit the cash payments he had collected from kiosks at the South Road Properties when a motorist signaled to him that he had dropped something, the TV news show 24 Oras reported. On turning around, he was shocked to see money flying all over the road and people scrambling to pick up all that cash. He looked at his money bag and quickly realized that the money had flown out of it after the zipper broke. He then called the police for help in recovering the money. While he got back P2,083,000 on the spot, this was far less than the total he had collected that day which was about P4 million. The collector faced the prospect of having to replace the lost money himself. He then aired an appeal to the people who had snatched up some of the money he had dropped to return it. The post Cash-out appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards: Why it’s significant
Last 28 March I was invited by the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards chairman Jayr Villaruel of District 3850 to be the opening plenary speaker of RYLA, which was held on Boracay Island from 28-39 March at the Pinnacle Hotel. Upon receiving the invitation, I immediately confirmed my attendance as I am a great supporter and mentor of the Rotaractors. When I arrived in Boracay, Jayr met me at the airport and we rode a tricycle to the wharf to reach the mainland. We proceeded to the Pinnacle Hotel, where we were served with a glass of cool fruit juice — a perfect foil to the relentless summer heat. During this convention, I was able to interact, discuss and observe the many Rotaractors from three Districts, namely 3850, 3810 and 3820. I was impressed by their commitment, dedication and dreams for their Rotaract Clubs that create and transform the communities they live in and work with in their various activities. These youth, with ages ranging from 14-30, prepared a challenging program of leadership training, forums and social interaction. The program was designed to enhance their personal development, leadership skills, communication and good citizenship. [caption id="attachment_137039" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Photograph Courtesy of BING CARRION | These young people, aged 14-30, prepared a challenging program of leadership training, forums and social interaction.[/caption] The RYLA program started in Australia in 1959 when young people throughout the state of Queensland were selected to meet with Princess Alexandra, the young cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The Brisbane Rotarians who hosted the participants were so impressed with the young people and decided to bring youth leaders together each year for a week of social, cultural and educational activities. In 1971, the Rotary International Board adopted RYLA to be part of the official Rotary program during the Rotary International Convention — their program scheduled a day before the official opening. What is particularly significant about my interaction with the Rotaractors in Boracay were their honest sharings of their dreams, aspirations and angst with me. One particular Rotaractor from Kalibo, named Mark Anthony Dolinog from the indigenous tribe of Libacao, strongly expressed his appreciation and thanks for the speech I delivered because he said it inspired him to do even more than what he has achieved so far in his life. My challenge of “Yes we can change the world” resonated with him and all the Rotaractors in the ballroom as they broke into thunderous applause to my great joy. What a most uplifting weekend it was. My interaction with the young Rotaractors validates my belief that there is HOPE in the world because the youth affirm “yes they can” change their mindsets and their willingness to serve the marginalized — thus creating a kinder, peaceful, safe, loving, happy and better world for us all. The post Rotary Youth Leadership Awards: Why it’s significant appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»