Essential goods and services remain open at AyalaMalls Central Bloc
AyalaMalls Central Bloc continues to provide essential goods and services to Cebuanos amidst the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Cebu City. For essentials, Cebuanos can go to Metro Supermarket for groceries, Rose Pharmacy for medicines, and True Value for hardware needs. Metrobank is also open to accommodate banking transactions. Among the restaurants open for take-out and […] The post Essential goods and services remain open at AyalaMalls Central Bloc appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Six ways to celebrate Sinulog at AyalaMalls Central Bloc
The Sinulog festival has always been a highly-anticipated occasion with activities such as processions, novena masses, the mardi gras, and get-togethers. This year, the celebration has been scaled down for health and safety but it remains to be a celebration of Cebuano faith, culture, and tradition. Here are six ways to celebrate Sinulog at AyalaMalls […] The post Six ways to celebrate Sinulog at AyalaMalls Central Bloc appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Unwrap Amazing Presents at AyalaMalls Central Bloc Cebu
This holiday is going to be unlike any other holiday season we’ve had before. With Christmas around the corner and constant changes in quarantine restrictions, an easy and hassle-free way to prepare for the festivities is a must. Get a head start on your holiday preparations with Unwrap Amazing Sale! Purchase Christmas decors, pick out […] The post Unwrap Amazing Presents at AyalaMalls Central Bloc Cebu appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
12 Gifts of Christmas from AyalaMalls Central Bloc
Merry sights, dazzling lights and an air of cheer are the telltale signs that Christmas is just around the corner. AyalaMalls Central Bloc thrills shoppers in this season of shopping and giving with its 12 Gifts of Christmas. From December 1 to 20, present a single receipt worth at least PHP 500 from any AyalaMalls […] The post 12 Gifts of Christmas from AyalaMalls Central Bloc appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Celebrate Halloween with AyalaMalls Central Bloc
Traditional, door-to-door trick or treating may be canceled this year but with today’s modern and digitally connected world, celebrating the spookiest time of the year is still possible. Here are four ways AyalaMalls Central Bloc is treating kids in Cebu: Halloween Wardrobe Get creative and dress the kids up in their favorite BOO-tiful characters. Snap […] The post Celebrate Halloween with AyalaMalls Central Bloc appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Ayala Malls Central Bloc’s DriveBuy let’s you pick up your shopping needs without leaving your car
As the city starts to slowly open its doors again, many are still hesitant to leave their homes. Establishments have undertaken measures to ensure safe and regularly sanitized spaces for their customers while also offering alternatives that will further give a sense of security. AyalaMalls Central Bloc in Cebu I.T. Park offers convenient shopping through […] The post Ayala Malls Central Bloc’s DriveBuy let’s you pick up your shopping needs without leaving your car appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Essential goods and services remain open at AyalaMalls Central Bloc
AyalaMalls Central Bloc continues to provide essential goods and services to Cebuanos amidst the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Cebu City. For essentials, Cebuanos can go to Metro Supermarket for groceries, Rose Pharmacy for medicines, and True Value for hardware needs. Metrobank is also open to accommodate banking transactions. Among the restaurants open for take-out and […] The post Essential goods and services remain open at AyalaMalls Central Bloc appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Davao LGU to meet with vendors after video of goods’ confiscation went viral
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / March 25) – The Ancillary Services Unit (ASU) will meet again with vendors after a viral video of cellphone casing merchandise they confiscated near the new Agdao Public Market went viral on social media. “We’ll have a meeting together with the Davao City officials regarding the viral video. We will also […].....»»
Utzurrum: Multi-awarded Seda Central Bloc
Utzurrum: Multi-awarded Seda Central Bloc.....»»
Myanmar nationals ask Philippines to probe alleged war crimes
Five Myanmar nationals asked the Philippines on Wednesday to investigate alleged war crimes committed by 10 serving or former members of Myanmar's military against the mainly Christian Chin minority. Filipino lawyers representing the Myanmar nationals told reporters they lodged the "landmark" criminal complaint against junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and nine others at the Department of Justice in Manila. They asked prosecutors to open an investigation into alleged war crimes under a Philippine law penalising "crimes against international humanitarian law, genocide, and other crimes against humanity". The five Myanmar nationals are from western Chin state, but now live in Australia, Britain, Canada and India. They were at the justice department in Manila. "This is a landmark suit because this is the very first time that such a case is being brought before the Philippines," Romel Bagares, one of the lawyers, told reporters. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said his department would "evaluate" the complaint, which he described as "very novel". "If this is sufficient in form and substance, that's the time when we will require the respondents to answer these complaints," Remulla told reporters. Among the accused is Chin Chief Minister Vung Suan Thang, who is a former military officer. The others are serving members of the military. The complaint alleged that members of Myanmar's military killed a pastor and two church elders in Thantlang town, Chin, in September 2021. It also accused the 10 of "intentionally" directing attacks on churches and the burning of hundreds of houses in the same town between August 2021 and June 2022. They also allegedly blocked relief supplies from reaching people in Chin state in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha in May. 'Truly historic day' Philippine law allows for the prosecution of war crimes committed elsewhere. One of the stipulations of the law is that the accused must be present in the Philippines. According to Gilbert Andres, another Filipino lawyer representing the Myanmar nationals, if the Philippine justice department were to decide to mount a case against the 10 accused, it could issue subpoenas to Myanmar's Central Authority or go through diplomatic channels. The toppling of Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in a 2021 coup sparked a huge backlash and the military junta is now battling opponents across swaths of Myanmar. Some of the bloodiest fighting has been happening in Christian-majority areas, including in Chin state. "This is a truly historic day," Salai Ling, one of the five complainants and also of the Chin Human Rights Organization, told reporters in Manila. "We are really hoping that with the solidarity and support from the Filipino people and people in the ASEAN region, that we will be able to get some form of justice for the atrocities that our people suffered." Myanmar and the Philippines belong to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The regional bloc's efforts to defuse the Myanmar crisis have been fruitless so far. The Philippines is now the subject of an international human rights probe, with the Hague-based International Criminal Court investigating "possible crimes against humanity" during former president Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drugs crackdown. In July, President Ferdinand Marcos said the Philippines was "done talking with the ICC" but would continue to question the tribunal's jurisdiction. The post Myanmar nationals ask Philippines to probe alleged war crimes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Greek fires rage unabated for a week
Greek firefighters struggled on Friday to contain scores of blazes stretching nationwide -- the largest fires in the European Union this year. The biggest fire front was in the Evros region close to the Turkish border, near the northern port city of Alexandroupoli, where a mega blaze that erupted on Saturday raged untamed. "Unfortunately Evros is the most active part of all the fronts we are facing at the moment and perhaps the most difficult section that we will face today," fire department spokesman Yiannis Artopios told state television ERT on Friday. The fire was consuming the Dadia forest, one of the major areas in Europe for birds of prey. The Alexandroupoli wildfires are now the largest in the EU on record for 2023 and the second largest since 2000, according to the bloc. The bodies of 19 people believed to be migrants, two of them children, were found in the area this week. "At the moment there is no big active front on Mount Parnitha," near Athens, Artopios said. A third large fire was still blazing in Boeotia, north of Athens, but the conditions were improved. A shepherd lost his life in the fires in this area on Monday. Authorities blamed arsonists for the multiple fronts that have emerged simultaneously in the country during the past few days. Artopios said investigations into the arsons now involve thed national intelligence service and the fire prevention department. A very high fire risk is forecast on Friday for central Greece and Athens. Fires had scorched more than 120,000 hectares (nearly 30,000 acres) of land across Greece in 2023 until Wednesday, according to estimates from the National Observatory. This year's burned land area is three times larger than the average annually since 2006, according to the European Observatory of Forest Fires. nks/ach © Agence France-Presse Add to cart Print Download The post Greek fires rage unabated for a week appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Mandaue City, USJ-R, UCLM, shine in two separate Esports events
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two Esports events happened in Cebu on Saturday, July 29, 2023, after the Cesafi Esports League (CEL) and the Cebu Esports Arena (CEA) took center stage in different venues. The CEA Invitational tournament happened at the Ayala Malls Central Bloc, while the CEL Pre-Season Tournament was held online. At the Ayala […] The post Mandaue City, USJ-R, UCLM, shine in two separate Esports events appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Bitskwela to Host Web3 Debate in Cebu with Industry Leaders and Influencers
Philippine-based education platform Bitskwela is proud to announce that it will be hosting the grand debate of the “Bull or Bear: Philippine Web3 Debate 2023” on July 15, 2023, at 5 PM, at the Ayala Malls Central Bloc, Cebu IT Park, Cebu City. Themed “Web3: The New Internet – A Debate on Web3 Adoption in […].....»»
Bitskwela brings Web3 to Cebu
Philippine-based education platform Bitskwela is proud to announce that it will host the grand debate of the “Bull or Bear: Philippine Web3 Debate 2023” on July 15 at 5 p.m., at the Ayala Malls Central Bloc, Cebu IT Park, Cebu City......»»
German far-right party notches up another win
Germany's far-right AfD notched up another first Sunday when its candidate was elected a full-time town mayor, in a further boost for the anti-immigration party. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to record highs in opinion polls, and the latest result comes just a week after they won their first district election. Hannes Loth was elected mayor of the small town of Raguhn-Jessnitz, in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, in a run-off against independent candidate Nils Naumann, according to results on the town's Facebook page. Loth, reportedly a 42-year-old farmer who was already a member of the local parliament, won 51.1 percent of the vote against 48.9 percent for Naumann in the town of about 9,000 inhabitants. It marks the first time the party has won an election race for a full-time mayor's position, German media reported. AfD members have held positions as voluntary, or part-time, mayors in smaller places. An AfD member was a full-time mayor of a town in southwest Germany from 2018 to 2020 but was not elected under the party's banner -- he joined the outfit during his term. Loth thanked his supporters for the "wonderful result." "I will be mayor for everyone in Raguhn-Jessnitz," he wrote on social media. In last week's election, Robert Sesselmann, a lawyer and regional lawmaker, won a runoff for district administrator in Sonneberg in the central state of Thuringia, near the border with Bavaria. Recent surveys have put support for the AfD at a record 18 to 20 percent, neck-and-neck with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats and behind only the conservative CDU/CSU bloc. Thomas Krueger, head of the federal agency for civic education, warned this weekend the party should not be dismissed as a "mere protest movement". "Voters want this party... the situation is serious," he told the RND media group. Created in 2013 as an anti-euro outfit before morphing into an anti-Islam, anti-immigration party, the AfD has benefited from growing discontent with Scholz's three-party coalition amid concerns about inflation and the affordability of the government's climate plans. High immigration also remains a key voter concern. The AfD stunned the political establishment when it took around 13 percent of votes in the 2017 general elections, catapulting its lawmakers into the German parliament. It slid to around 10 percent in the 2021 federal election. sr/gw © Agence France-Presse The post German far-right party notches up another win appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
EU moves closer to launching digital euro
The European Union (EU) on Wednesday took its first significant step towards launching a digital version of the euro, a controversial project that has been questioned by politicians and banks. From China to the United States, Jamaica to Japan, more than 100 central banks worldwide are exploring or preparing to put in place digital currencies as electronic payments grow, changing the way people spend their money. The move to create a digital version of the single currency began in 2020 when European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde suggested the idea and her Frankfurt-based body launched a public consultation. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, published a proposal on Wednesday that will be the legal foundation on which the ECB could launch a digital euro. The currency would be available to individuals living in the euro area and for visitors. It would offer an additional payment option for citizens to use online and offline with their digital wallets, thus ensuring as much anonymity as coins and banknotes. The final law must be backed by the EU's 27 member states and the European Parliament. Digital euro enthusiasts say it will complement cash and ensure the ECB does not leave a gap later filled by private -- usually non-EU -- players and other central banks. "Given that the euro is already the world's second most-traded currency, it is not an area where can afford to stay behind the curve. We need to move ahead with a digital currency," commission vice president Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters. Critics question the need for a digital euro and banks warn of major risks, while the ECB's own study found the public was concerned over payment privacy. The ECB and the commission "have yet to make a compelling case of why we need the digital euro and what added value it will deliver," German MEP Markus Ferber said. Benefits 'outweigh' costs The commission's proposal argued that the digital euro's "long-term benefits... outweigh its costs" and warned, "the costs of no action can potentially be very large". Lagarde said in March that the digital currency was important for resilience and to "safeguard European payment autonomy". Many means of payment are "not necessarily European", she noted, adding it was "very unhealthy to rely on one single source of payment". US giants Visa and Mastercard currently dominate the global card payment market. Others argue, however, that the bloc's plans spell trouble unless the EU takes necessary other steps. Banks have warned of the risk of bank runs as customers could hold their funds in digital euro accounts and wallets, moving them away from the banks' balance sheets. "To shield banks from the risk of deposit flight and to limit the negative impact on banks' ability to finance the economy, it is important to set appropriate and firm limits in holdings and transactions," the European Banking Federation said on Wednesday. The proposal indicates there will be a limit to how much money people can keep in digital euros. ECB officials have suggested a cap of 3,000 euros ($3,300). The digital currency will be granted "legal tender" status, meaning it must be accepted as payment. But there would be exceptions, including for small businesses that do not accept any form of digital payment. The ECB is set to give the formal green light to a digital euro in October and the expectation is it would be available from 2027 onwards. The ECB welcomed the commission's proposal, which it said offered "private intermediaries appropriate economic incentives to distribute the digital euro as they do other digital means of payment while preventing excessive fees for merchants". Privacy concerns The ECB has a difficult battle to win over Europeans. A public consultation showed that the number one priority when it comes to the digital euro is privacy. To calm people's fears, the ECB has stressed it would not attempt to control how people can spend digital currency or use it for surveillance, as critics claim is the case in China. "This is not a Big Brother project for online payments," the EU's financial services commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, said during a press conference in Brussels. "With the digital euro, the data privacy will be the same as for existing private digital means of payment. For offline payments, the data privacy will be even higher." The commission's proposal said the digital euro "will be designed so as to minimize the processing of personal data by payment services providers" and the ECB. The post EU moves closer to launching digital euro appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Humans must stay in control of AI, European trade union chief warns
No employee should be "subject to the will of a machine", European trade union chief Esther Lynch has warned, calling for regulation to ensure humans remain in control as artificial intelligence technology advances at breakneck speed. In the same way that European Union treaties protect health and safety in the workplace, rules are needed to guarantee "the human-in-control principle" when it comes to AI, Lynch said in an interview ahead of a major gathering of union representatives in Berlin. "We need to be guaranteed that no worker is subject to the will of a machine," Lynch told AFP, a scenario she said would be "dystopian". Lynch, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation since last December, will head the four-day ETUC Congress that kicks off in the German capital on Tuesday. The event, held every four years, brings together hundreds of union officials from more than 40 countries to discuss topics ranging from workers' rights to the future of work, environmental protection, inequality and cross-border union cooperation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are among the speakers scheduled to address the congress. 'Not just the 1 percent' Ever since the wildly popular AI chatbot ChatGPT burst onto the scene late last year, debate has been swirling about how the technology will upend the world of work, potentially transforming many jobs along the way. While supporters point out that AI tools can take over automated or repetitive tasks and free up staff to do more creative work, sceptics worry about job cuts, data protection and losing a human element in some decision-making processes. Lynch, 60, said AI regulation was one of the topics she would be discussing with the EU's Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit during the congress. With every technology there's "a positive side and a negative side, and the same will be true of AI," the Irish woman said. "What we have seen is that whenever you involve workers and their unions in the introduction of technology... the outcomes are better." The EU is currently debating a draft text calling for curbs on how artificial intelligence can be used in Europe, bringing the bloc a step closer to an AI law. It is "critically important" that AI is introduced "in a way that works for working people rather than against them", Lynch said. "It can't be the case that only the top one percent take all of the benefits of AI, and leave everybody else not benefiting from the productivity gains that will come from AI," she went on. "We need to make sure that where parts of jobs or whole jobs or whole industries are displaced, that there are other quality jobs created." Inflation costs Division of wealth will be a key theme at the congress as employees across Europe feel the pain from a cost-of-living squeeze as a result of high inflation. Lynch said while workers were struggling to make ends meet, many companies had benefited from rising prices and enjoyed higher profits and dividend payouts. "Europe's top 1,200 companies' dividends increased by 14 percent" last year, she said, whereas wages only rose by four percent on average. "So it's quite clear who's driving inflation. It's not working people," Lynch said. The European Central Bank's series of interest rate hikes, aimed at cooling inflation, were only worsening the inequality, she added. Higher borrowing costs "aren't the solution for treating dividends in a fairer way," according to Lynch. "The solution for that is: tax those dividends and then redistribute the wealth," she said. The post Humans must stay in control of AI, European trade union chief warns appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pastry Pub Serves Sweet and Intense Dessert Cocktails at the Entrep Fair 2023
Student-owned business, Pastry Pub serves one-of-a-kind dessert cocktails at the Entrep Fair 2023 held at Ayala Malls Central Bloc. Rum-infused Brownies Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship students Stella Deiparine, Gem Japitana and Zoe Oville created their own version of brownies by infusing it with rum. They introduced three flavors namely Mad Batter, Lemon Drops and […] The post Pastry Pub Serves Sweet and Intense Dessert Cocktails at the Entrep Fair 2023 appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Buckle up because ITF 2023 is here!
Revenge travel is real! Cebu’s biggest consumer travel show, the International Travel Festival (ITF), is back and is now on its 8th year—even bigger and better this time. During its media launch last March 2, 2023 at Seda Central Bloc, it was revealed that this year’s edition of the most anticipated travel show is taking […] The post Buckle up because ITF 2023 is here! appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Free Parking Pass for Easy Carwash Customers at Ayala Malls Central Bloc
The best things in life are free; hugs, kisses, and parking. Free parking means one less thing to worry about when going out to run any errand. It means less change to take out of pockets and more cash for items on your grocery list. Easy Carwash customers at Ayala Malls Central Bloc get a […] The post Free Parking Pass for Easy Carwash Customers at Ayala Malls Central Bloc appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Three Effortless Ways to Practice Sustainable Sundays at Ayala Malls Central Bloc
Every single person is responsible for the environment, but it should not feel like the weight of the world is on one’s shoulders because reducing, reusing, and recycling is as easy as 1-2-3. There’s just a need to be more conscious, consistent, and collective in efforts to save the planet. Ayala Malls Central Bloc shares […] The post Three Effortless Ways to Practice Sustainable Sundays at Ayala Malls Central Bloc appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»