Bea Alonzo, Rodjun Cruz, and Andrea Torres to spread love in Davao City this Oct. 27

BY MANILA BULLETIN ENTERTAINMENT

Oct 26, 2023 03:38 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• The romantic drama series “Love Before Sunrise” is the latest collaboration between Philippine broadcast giant GMA Network and leading pan-regional over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service Viu.

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The right kind of love will surely be felt as GMA Regional TV brings the cast of “Love Before Sunrise” — to Davao City this Friday, Oct. 27. 

"Love Before Sunrise" lead actress Bea Alonzo, together with her co-stars – Andrea Torres and Rodjun Cruz – will definitely make hearts flutter and bring one-of-a-kind entertainment through surprises and performances in a love-filled Kapuso Mall Show in Vista Mall Davao, Davao City. The fun starts at 5 PM. 

The romantic drama series “Love Before Sunrise” is the latest collaboration between Philippine broadcast giant GMA Network and leading pan-regional over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service Viu. It tells the story of ex-lovers Atom (Dennis Trillo) and Stella (Bea). They separated after realizing they had found the right love at the wrong time. Years later, their paths cross again, and they regret losing each other after both ended up in unhappy marriages. Things become more complicated as they give in to their rekindled feelings and choose to continue their love at a forbidden time.

“We are grateful for the unwavering support of our Kapusong Dabawenyos to GMA, programs and artists. We’ll continue to come-up with exciting activities and initiatives, and bring our Kapuso stars in the regions. And this Friday, no less than Bea Alonzo, Andrea Torres, and Rodjun Cruz are joining us for a memorable mall show,” said GMA Senior Vice President and Head of Integrated News, Regional TV.

PH bet Nicole Borromeo wins 3rd runner-up at Miss International 2023 pageant in Japan

BY ROBERT REQUINTINA

Oct 26, 2023 08:13 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• During the question and answer portion, Nicole was asked: "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations have targets that are set to be achieved by 2030. What have you done so far in terms of SDGs initiatives?"

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Nicole Borromeo (Facebook)

Cebuana beauty queen Nicole Borromeo won third runner-up at the 61st Miss International beauty pageant held in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday, Oct. 26.

Andrea Rubio of Venezuela was crowned Miss International 2023.

Other winners were: Colombia, 1st runner-up; Peru, 2nd runner-up; and Bolivia, 4th runner-up. 

The winners of 61st Miss International (Youtube)

During the final question and answer, Nicole was asked: "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations have targets that are set to be achieved by 2030. What have you done so far in terms of SDGs initiatives?"

Nicole answered: "As someone who experienced the wrath of natural disasters, home is everything. I've worked tirelessly with Habitat for Humanity under the SDG goals of number 11, sustainable cities and communities. It is through this volunteer work that I can see in the faces of the children, how much they wanted to help, how much they want to be a part of the future. Because when it comes to sustainability, we must keep in mind that it's not only for the next generation but to include them in the process."

Winners of special awards were: 

Best National Costume - Angola

Best In Evening Gown - Indonesia

Miss Fitness - Zimbabwe

Miss Photogenic - New Zealand

Seventy candidates competed for the title of Miss International 2023.

Renten-Erhöhung 2024: Wer profitiert am stärksten?

Stand:26.10.2023, 05:08 Uhr

Von: Amy Walker 

Das neue Jahr 2024 rückt immer näher. Für Erwerbsminderungsrentner gibt es definitiv mehr Geld. Aber auch für Altersrentner könnte es im kommenden Jahr eine deutliche Erhöhung geben.

Berlin – Die Bezüge von Rentnern mit Erwerbsminderung haben in den letzten zehn Jahren einen beachtlichen Anstieg erfahren. Sie sind um fast 60 Prozent auf durchschnittlich 1065 Euro pro Monat angestiegen. Zum Vergleich: 2013 betrug die durchschnittliche Brutto-Erwerbsminderungsrente noch 678 Euro pro Monat.

Neben den jährlichen Rentenanpassungen ist die Erweiterung der Zurechnungszeit seit 2014 ein Grund für diese positive Entwicklung. Diese wurde in den letzten Jahren mehrmals verlängert und gilt nun bis zur Regelaltersgrenze von 65 Jahren und 8 Monaten, die im Jahr 2018 festgelegt wurde. 

Die Rente soll auch 2024 angepasst werden. (Symbolbild) © Rainer Berg/IMAGO

Dadurch werden Erwerbsgeminderte, die zum ersten Mal eine Rente erhalten, so behandelt, als hätten sie bis zum Erreichen der Regelaltersgrenze mit ihrem bisherigen durchschnittlichen Einkommen weitergearbeitet. Zudem haben Einkommensminderungen in den letzten vier Jahren vor der Erwerbsminderung keine rentenmindernde Wirkung mehr, so die Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV).

Gleichstellung von Erwerbsgeminderten ab 2024

Eine Gruppe von Rentnern mit Erwerbsminderung war jedoch lange Zeit benachteiligt. Es handelt sich dabei um diejenigen, die als Langzeit-Erwerbsgemindert eingestuft sind, daher eine deutlich kürzere Versicherungszeit haben und infolgedessen deutlich weniger Geld erhalten haben. Aber diese Gruppe kann sich nun auf einen monatlichen Zuschlag freuen. 

Um den Zuschlag zu erhalten, muss der Bezug der Erwerbsminderungsrente zwischen dem 1. Januar 2001 und dem 31. Dezember 2018 begonnen haben. Außerdem muss die Erwerbsminderungsrente dann noch durchgehend bis zum 30. Juni 2024 bezogen werden. Auch Altersrenten, die sich direkt an die Rente wegen Erwerbsminderung anschließen, erhalten den zusätzlichen Betrag, wie das Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS) auf seiner Website erläutert. Laut Ministerium sollen etwa drei Millionen Rentner den Zuschlag erhalten.

Bei der Höhe des Zuschlags wird zwischen zwei Rentenbeginn-Zeiträumen unterschieden:

• Rentenbeginn zwischen 1. Januar 2001 und 30. Juni 2014: Zuschlag in Höhe von 7,5 Prozent der Rente am 30. Juni 2024
• Rentenbeginn zwischen 1. Juli 2014 und 31. Dezember 2018: Zuschlag in Höhe von 4,5 Prozent der Rente am 30. Juni 2024 

Im Durchschnitt bewirkt der Zuschlag laut DRV eine Erhöhung um 70 Euro bei Rentenbeginn bis 30. Juni 2014 und um 40 Euro bei Rentenbeginn nach diesem Stichtag.

Erhöhung 2024: So viel mehr könnte es geben

Doch auch alle anderen Rentner und Rentnerinnen könnten im neuen Jahr eine Erhöhung bekommen. So erwarten Ökonomen eine Erhöhung der Renten im Jahr 2024 um 5,5 oder 6 Prozent. Wir haben für zwei Werte berechnet, wie sich das konkret auf die persönliche Rente auswirken könnte: 

Die Anpassung der Renten richtet sich nach der Lohnentwicklung in Deutschland. Heißt also: Wenn die Löhne steigen, steigen auch die Renten. Im 2. Quartal 2023 lag der Nominallohnindex bei 6,6 Prozent, im ersten noch bei 5,6 Prozent. Mit den Tariferhöhungen in vielen Branchen dürfte sich dieser Trend auch in der zweiten Jahreshälfte fortsetzen. 

Cayetano bids for more cyber security experts to join government

 

PRESS RELEASE

OCT. 25, 2023

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to hire more cybersecurity experts amid the growing threat of hacking and data breaches in the country.

 This after the DICT and a number of government websites such as that of PhilHealth, the House of Representatives, and the Philippine Statistics Authority were defaced back to back by hackers within the month of October.

“Are there enough cyber security experts in the DICT and in government? Baka kasi may fund na ibinibigay for counter attacks, but there are not enough experts in government.” Cayetano posed this question to resource persons during Wednesday’s hearing (October 25, 2023) on cybersecurity and e-governance under the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, which he chairs.

Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center Deputy Executive Director Mary Rose Magsaysay told Cayetano that they currently have 55 experts among their personnel, mostly cyber technologists, who are the best of the best people they know. She however admits that this is not enough manpower.

 “In general, kulang pa rin hindi ba? At kahit may mga ICT expert, it’s another issue of getting them into government dahil maraming nagpupunta abroad at sa private sector,” Cayetano said.

DICT Spokesperson Renato Paraiso responded that such is the case because of a big disparity in pay between government employees and of private sectors.

Cayetano acknowledged that this is a very legitimate concern since there are people who will be pirated for better pay.

“We can’t blame them for wanting to provide for their family. It's not for everyone, but there are really hot career choices na kung hindi tayo makipag agawan sa gobyerno ay mapupunta sila sa private sector o abroad,” he said.

In asking the Philippine National Police about their cybersecurity personnel, Cayetano also discovered that their program budget is far from ideal since their 2024 budget for the Information System Strategic Plan (ISSP) for 2023 to 2025 is at least P100,000 per region only.

 “It’s a good start… pero mas kumplikado rin pala [ang hiring] sa PNP. Ang sweldo kasi nila ay parallel to the rank. Kung may cyber expert sila pero major, hindi naman pwedeng mas mataas ang sweldo niya sa general. That would be a complication for both. Let’s have a separate discussion on this,” the senator said.

Cayetano however emphasized the government’s urgency to look into this investment for PNP and military since “future wars will be fought in cyberspace.”

Wrapping up the discussion, the senator offered the DICT and government agencies to submit their plans, which include hiring more cyber experts in government to address these concerns, before the Senate 2024 budget deliberations in November.

“We can include in our committee report these other resources that you need,” he offered. ###

How do I pass Goethe Institute's B1 German level?

 

Akshay Nayyar

553 followers

67 following

Knows a thing or two about studienkolleg

And how do I come to enjoy and learn German more quickly?

Originally Answered: How do I pass Goethe Institut's B1 German level? And how to enjoy and learn German faster?

Finally, a question to which I may have a suitable answer as I went through the process, myself.
German is a beautiful language. I had my reasons to start learning the language. I wanted to do my Bachelor's in Germany and I was fresh out of 12th standard. I started leaning German in the beginning of May'15. I had no prior knowledge of the language. How I wish I had German instead of French in school! So when I started, I was skeptical if I could pass the exam which was on 25th June'15. Not a lot of time. And keep in mind, it was directly the B1 exam. Not A1 or A2, because I had a very limited time frame and I required B1 for my Studienkolleg course. I had less than 2 months. Nevertheless, I went on with it. Day after day, a little bit of German. Things which we get easily are really not worth it. What requires hard work, actually gives the real joy of having earned something. I was being tutored in a group class for 2 hours, 5 days a week all this while. Then, the exam date came. I went for it. And a few days later the result came out. Their are 4 modules of B1 - Lesen, Schreiben, Sprechen and Hören. I cleared only Schreiben and Sprechen. It was a a major drawback as I missed out on one entire semester i.e. Winter Semester 2015. I had no idea what to do now. It was all very traumatizing. Somehow, I put myself together and searched online for more exam dates in different cities. I found two and they were very close so I couldn't know the result of any one before knowing that I would be required to give the other one as well. So I registered for both for Lesen and Hören. I had about a month and a half. Learning from my past mistakes, I didn't waste much time. I studied everyday, making it a point to learn something useful everyday. Vocabulary is everything. Every single word means a lot in getting where you want to be. It's not difficult but it is not a cake walk either. Work a little everyday. When the two exams came, I went for both. And I cleared Lesen in the first one and Hören in the second. After so much patience, I finally had what I wanted, the complete B1 Certificate by the end of August.

Moral of the story is, you can do whatever you want. Everything takes its good time to happen. People believe clearing the B1 exam starting from scratch is very difficult and that it takes one whole year. I did it in 3 months. This is what I achieved after working my a** off and investing a lot of money with time constraints.

And it doesn't matter if you do it from goethe or a private tutor. What matters is, if you're up for it. And the most enjoyable way of learning the language is working in a group. You learn from not only your teacher but also your fellow students. Then the activities and stuff your teacher makes you do, goes a long way in helping you acquire that knowledge.
German is a very enjoyable and fruitful language. It doesn't require all day, even 1 hour with full concentration every day is enough.
And I highly suggest you go for a group tuition, be it Goethe or anywhere else.

P.S. Till this date nothing makes me happier than my B1 Certificate, not even my university acceptances.

Edit - Read as much as you can everyday. Try to understand the logic, the sentence structuring, the very basis of that sentence. And a very wise person once told me not to translate from German to your language but to start thinking in German itself.

Terrence Romeo moves on from aborted Gilas stint, eyes future call ups

 

By: Denison Rey A. Dalupang - Reporter / @sonrdINQPhilippine Daily Inquirer / 10:43 PM October 24, 2023

MANILA, Philippines–San Miguel Beer playmaker Terrence Romeo has decided to stop wondering how a stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the Hangzhou Asian Games would have panned out.

“There’s a bit of regret, especially since we prepared—the four of us. That will always be the case. But for me, I am glad that we emerged as champions. I’m proud of our teammates because we sacrificed together, we practiced together,” he told reporters in Filipino during the PBA Media Day at One Esplanade in Pasay City.

“I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to play. But that ends there. I know that some things are not meant to happen in certain moments. For me, what’s important is staying ready so that whenever the day (you get called up) comes, you’re good to go,” he said.

Romeo, his teammate Mo Tautuaa, Magnolia’s Calvin Abueva, and Phoenix’s Jason Perkins were Tim Cone and the then-management’s original picks for the Asian Games, but a lapse in names submitted to the event organizers caused confusion that led to the ineligibility of the four veterans.

Taking that quartet’s place were CJ Perez, Arvin Tolentino, Kevin Alas and Chris Ross.

“It would’ve been quite the comeback for me and Calvin. But I keep on putting in my mind that this is not the end,” said the crafty guard, who served various editions of Gilas Pilipinas in the past.

“We never know. Maybe in the next Gilas (campaign), we get called up again,” he added.

Romeo could do exactly just that with several Fiba events lined up for as early as the first quarter of next year.

The qualifying cycle for the next World Cup opens as early as Feb. 19, while the Olympic Qualifying Tournament is also set for July 2.

“I’ll make sure that I’ll be ready to compete for a spot and help out the Gilas program by then,” Romeo said.

Read more: https://sports.inquirer.net/535657/terrence-romeo-moves-on-from-aborted-gilas-stint-eyes-future-call-ups#ixzz8HCrTwUFh

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