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Team Philippines jumps to Rank 24 in medal table

POC PRESIDENT ABRAHAM TOLENTINO — FACEBOOK.COM/TOLENTINOBAMBOL

PARIS, France — With two golds and two bronzes, Team Philippines was just outside the Top 20 in the medal table with only four days of hostilities to go in the 2024 Olympics.

After Carlos Yulo’s two-gold blitz in gymnastics, the Philippines even ranked as high as No. 19.

“We’ve surpassed our Tokyo performance with two golds and two bronzes here,” said Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

The country had a 1-2-1 gold-silver-bronze breakthrough in Tokyo courtesy of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Eumir Marcial. It was bettered here by the two golds of Mr. Yulo and the bronze feats of Ms. Petecio and Aira Villegas.

Mr. Tolentino is still hoping the medal harvest to jump to five or six with Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina competing in women’s golf and Vanessa Sarno the last Philippine bet to vie in weightlifting Friday. Fighting at 59kg Thursday afternoon (late Thursday in Manila) was Elreen Ando.

“With a bronze we will surpass the four medals in Tokyo,” said Mr. Tolentino, celebrating the great ride of the Philippines in the last two Olympics.

“Counting the silver in Rio (of Hidilyn Diaz), the four medals in Tokyo and the four now here, it’s nine medals after going without a medal in the Olympics for 20 years. Four medals (in Paris) from a 22-strong team with meager funding, that’s excellence,” said Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines Chairman Ricky Vargas.

Mr. Vargas, also former president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, tipped his hats off to the current chief of the country’s Olympic body. “Cong Bambol, thank you,” said Mr. Vargas in their brief chat at the end of the last bout for Philippine boxing here.

Before the start of action Thursday, Team Philippines was at No. 24 in the medal table paced by the USA with a 27-35-32 tally followed by China (25-23-17), Australia (18-12-11), France (13-17-21) and Great Britain (12-17-20) in the Top 5.

China was the leading Asian team followed by South Korea (12-8-7), Japan (12-6-13) and then the Philippines and Hong Kong which were tied with identical 2-0-2 hauls.

The highest finish the Philippines has achieved was 25th with a three-bronze take from eight athletes in 1932 in Los Angeles. Delivering the medals then were Simeon Toribio (high jump), Teofilo Yldefonso (swimming) and Jose Villanueva (boxing).

The Philippines came in 69th in breaking a long medal drought through Ms. Diaz’ silver in 2016 in Rio. The country then moved up to 50th with one gold, two silvers and a bronze in Tokyo. — Nelson Beltran

US brings Nigeria fairytale to an end; France’s gold dream lives on

PARIS — The United States brought Nigeria’s Paris Olympics fairytale to an end with a testy 88-74 quarterfinal win on Wednesday while France’s sweet dreams of women’s basketball gold live on.

The first African team, men or women, to reach the knockout stage of an Olympic basketball tournament, the plucky Nigerian underdogs have been one of the Paris Games feel good stories for their spirited, joyful play and boundless self belief that has embodied the Olympic spirit.

But an Olympic first is one thing, bringing an end to the US 58-match winning streak and run of seven consecutive gold medals would have been a contender for biggest upset in sporting history.

There would be no Hollywood ending on the Bercy Arena hardwood. But Nigeria did not exit meekly, throwing a small fright into the mighty Americans when they rallied in the second quarter to pull within four, 31-27.

France swept past Germany 84-71 and into the semifinals riding the same wave of national pride that carried the men to the final four.

A day after helping lift their men to victory over Canada, another raucous flag-waving crowd poured into Bercy determined to do the same for the women, each basket bringing a rafter rattling roar.

Mission accomplished, French supporters can now plan for Friday when Les Bleues will face Belgium with a place in the gold medal game on the line. — Reuters

Yulo’s private life

If there’s anything the public’s unhealthy fascination with Carlos Yulo’s private life has underscored once more, it’s that social media doesn’t care about the quality of the information it shares. It believes its raison d’etre lies in the speed with which its churns out particulars, and the degree of interactions it spurs from users and practitioners as a result. Engagement is the end all and be all, never mind the chaos it creates and perpetuates in its wake.

Granted, Yulo’s celebrity status makes him a legitimate news figure. He is rightly looked up to for his extraordinary showing in the Paris Games, with his two trips to the top of the podium just the second and third of any Filipino in the annals of sports. That said, his private life should be off-limits. He may be an Olympic medalist, but he is, first and foremost, a person, complications and all, and far be it for  all and sundry to believe every aspect of his being should be an open book.

Perhaps it’s human nature for observers to want to learn more about their heroes and, in the process, make the latter more relatable. All the same, the obsession with unimportant facets of outsized personalities serves no one and does no good. For instance, it should be enough for Filipinos to celebrate Yulo for winning gold, and twice. Instead, the very feats have been overshadowed as a result of a predatory insistence to focus on the parts of him that hold no glitter.

Yulo deserves to go about his days — and his relationships — in peace. He should be left alone to his devices, not be scrutinized as if he moves in a Petri dish. And it isn’t even that judgments are being made of him and those around him. It’s that they’ve already been made, and every bit and piece of a story digested in the wild serves only to amplify preconceived notions. In this day and age of algorithms in ubiquitous platforms spewing feeds that validate positions and do not promote, even provoke, beneficial discourse, everybody is a victim.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Tense Israel in waiting as attack threat looms

Supporters of bereaved family members and the families of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, protest on a Day of Disruption by anti-government protest groups outside the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament in Jerusalem, May 20, 2024. — REUTERS

RAMLA, Israel — Israel’s ambulance service has stocked blood supplies in a fortified underground center, factories have moved out hazardous materials and municipal authorities are checking bomb shelters and water supplies as the country waits for a threatened attack from Iran and its proxies.

Israel has been fortifying its home front for months and many preparations have been in place since the start of the war in Gaza last October, when thousands of Hamas-led gunmen carried out a devastating cross-border attack on Israeli communities.

But the urgency has risen sharply over the past 10 days as a relatively contained conflict with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon has threatened to spiral into an all-out regional war.

“I know that the citizens of Israel are on alert, and I ask of you one thing — keep patient and cool,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday while meeting new army recruits.

“We are prepared for both defense and attack, we are striking our enemies and are also determined to defend ourselves,” he said.

Israel now finds itself facing the threat of a multifront war, confronting a clutch of militant movements — Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, all backed and funded by its longstanding enemy Iran.

An attack is expected in the coming days following vows from Iran and Hezbollah to retaliate for the assassinations last week of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

After months of alarm and an attack by hundreds of Iranian missiles in April that was thwarted by Israel’s air defenses and the help of international allies, Israelis have become used to the crisis.

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from northern areas in range of Hezbollah rockets at the start of the war and many border areas now have a ghostly, abandoned air.

But a prolonged bombardment from Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal could reach deeper into the country to sensitive targets like the port city of Haifa in northern Israel, which is well in range.

The city’s Rambam Hospital has been on alert since last October and has readied its three-floor, fortified underground facility to treat patients.

“We’re waiting to see what happens,” said David Ratner, a hospital spokesperson.

ALERT SYSTEM
The military is on high alert and last weekend it augmented its nationwide system of air raid sirens and broadcast alerts to include real-time text messages to be sent to residents in targeted areas.

Many local councils have advised residents to reduce non-essential activity, stay near protected areas and avoid large gatherings.

In Haifa, public bomb shelters have been equipped with digital systems so they can be unlocked remotely during an attack, said Yair Zilberman, director of the city’s security and emergency services department. They are also being equipped with generators.

A number of underground parking lots have been approved as makeshift shelters with enough space for thousands of residents if needed, Mr. Zilberman said.

In the city of Ramla in central Israel, national ambulance service Magen David Adom (MDA) has been collecting blood donations in a subterranean service center, shielded with extra-thick concrete walls, blast doors and airlocks.

“We’ve got the threats from Iran, we’ve got threats from Hezbollah,” said MDA’s Aryeh Myers. “Massive rocket attacks, massive threats to the state of Israel and we want to make sure that we are ready for anything.”

Last Thursday, the Environmental Protection Ministry held a situational assessment to decide how best to protect factories with inventories that could be dangerous if targeted in a missile strike, or how to deal with an attack on a building that contains asbestos.

The military said the Home Front Command keeps in constant contact with factories and local authorities to maintain a “complete picture of the inventory levels of hazardous materials.”

The Bazan Group, which operates in Haifa one of the largest oil refineries in the eastern Mediterranean, told Reuters it was “working to maintain energy security and the continuity of fuel supply to the economy.”

Mass cash withdrawals are another scenario for which authorities are preparing.

“The stock of banknotes and coins in the Bank of Israel and the banking system will, according to every visible forecast, be sufficient,” the Bank of Israel said. — Reuters

Paris mayor wants Olympic flame balloon to stay near Louvre after games end

THE OLYMPIC CAULDRON and the Arc de Triomphe after sunset in Paris, France, July 30, 2024. — REUTERS

PARIS — Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said she hopes the Olympic flame suspended below its balloon can remain in central Paris near the Louvre museum after the games end.

The flame — which is not a flame but an illusion of fire created with lights — has become a fixture of the Paris Olympics, with hundreds of Parisians and tourists coming to watch it every evening when it goes up at sundown in the Jardin des Tuileries park near the Louvre.

Ms. Hidalgo said it was not her decision to make, as the Louvre and Tuileries are state property, but added she had written to President Emmanuel Macron, asking for the flame to remain in place and not be moved to another location.

“I would very much like to keep this symbol of the games at this very spot because elsewhere it would not have the same significance,” Ms. Hidalgo said in an interview with France 2 television on Wednesday.

“Our heritage has been magnified by these games, and I think we need to add to it. Everybody is in love with Paris today, so let’s continue,” she said.

The designer of France’s Olympic cauldron, Mathieu Lehanneur, has said it would be an honor if the attraction were to become a permanent feature of the Paris skyline, much like the Eiffel Tower did after the 1889 World Fair.

Every day since the games opened, thousands have booked free tickets to get a close-up view of the cauldron in the daytime, before it rises above the French capital suspended below a hot-air balloon.

The balloon and its cauldron were unveiled on July 26, when French three-time Olympic gold medalists Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner lit the flame at the end of the opening ceremony.

The Eiffel Tower, Paris’ best-known landmark, was built for the 1889 World Fair and meant to be destroyed. That never happened.

For now, the flame is set to be dismantled after the Olympic and Paralympic Games are over. Some have suggested it be moved to Parc de la Villette in northeast Paris, where several countries including host nation France have built national centers for their delegations.

French state-owned electric utility EDF, which is in charge of the flame, has said the flame is based on the simultaneous and controlled projection of a spray of mist and a powerful beam of light. — Reuters

Investors feel the pinch of thriftier consumers on company profits

A SHOPPER carries shopping bags as she walks on a street in Paris, France, June 10, 2022. — REUTERS/SARAH MEYSSONNIER/FILE PHOTO

MILAN — Investors in large consumer-goods companies are having to up their stock-picking game, as a post-pandemic spending splurge dries up and increasingly price-sensitive shoppers start to erode corporate pricing power.

Profit warnings in sectors ranging from luxury to food and airlines have fed into worries about a slowdown in the United States and other major economies.

These growth concerns were one of the factors behind a selloff that stripped around $4.8 trillion off global equities in just three days this month.

Stock pickers now need to identify those businesses that won’t suffer from a normalisation of spending patterns, let alone from an economic recession.

“Consumers have been able to absorb price increases thanks also to the exceptionally high level of savings accumulated (during the pandemic). It seems that now this is coming to an end,” Chiara Robba, head of LDI equity at Generali Asset Management in Paris, said.

“The second-quarter reporting season is showing some signs of consumer slowdown with consequent attempts from companies to reduce prices to boost consumption,” she said.

S&P Global’s business activity surveys in July suggested firms in the United States and the euro zone weren’t able to pass on higher costs quite as easily as before.

There’s now a long list of company earnings that point to a softening of pricing power or weakness in consumer spending.

Notable examples include Nestle and Ryanair in Europe and McDonald’s in the U.S., along with payment firms such as Visa and Worldline. In many cases, share prices have tumbled.

Forty companies have cut guidance so far this season in Europe, BofA said on Tuesday, the most in over a year, with a majority citing weak demand, including, surprisingly, in the U.S..

“Signs of consumer weakness have caused concern,” it said.

SOBERING-UP LUXURY SPENDING
The high-margin luxury industry hasn’t escaped and while companies point to the long downturn in China, investors are also paying close attention to spending patterns elsewhere.

Kering’s Saint Laurent cut prices of its Loulou bag in France, the UK, U.S. and China by 10-15% in May in a “very rare” move for the sector which Barclays said could reflect the brand acknowledging its earlier price hikes had been too aggressive.

Following three years of above-average increases, luxury price inflation is showing signs of returning to its long-term range of 5-7%, or below, said Luca Solca, an analyst at Bernstein in London.

“Weak brands that had been jumping on the bandwagon and increased prices materially are forced now to correct through discounts and promotions,” he said. “This is happening because middle-class consumers in the West are sobering up from the post-pandemic euphoria.”

Burberry, which sacked its CEO and warned on profit in July, has been cited as one example. Its shares erased almost one fifth of their value on earnings day.

Swatch and Hugo Boss have become the two most shorted stocks on the pan-Europe STOXX 600 index following disappointing numbers, data from Mediobanca shows.

Even sector leader LVMH, Europe’s second-largest listed company behind Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk NOVO isn’t immune.

“There is certainly a sense of consumer resistance to higher prices, given the ongoing cost of living crisis,” Sanjiv Tumkur, head of equities at Rathbones Investment Management, said.

“This appears to be felt across all income segments – for example the luxury goods companies are seeing more challenging and volatile consumer conditions in many geographies, notably China, in all but the top end of the market.”

CONSUMER POLARISATION
Gillian Diesen, senior client portfolio manager at Pictet Asset Management, believes the latest earnings releases point more to consumer polarization than a generalized loss of pricing power.

“At the highest end, most premium brands… are raising pricing again this year, although at more normalized levels,” she said, adding that the trend extended beyond the luxury sector.

Carmaker Ferrari beat expectations thanks to sales of its pricier models, even though consumer demand in the auto sector has been variable.

Differentiation is a big factor too – sectors with low levels of differentiation, such as personal care and food and beverages, could be most at risk, said Generali’s Robba.

In sporting goods, Diesen said higher-end innovative brands like On and Deckers’ Hoka continue to benefit from pricing and sales growth, in contrast to mainstream names like Nike and Puma, which cut its profit outlook on Wednesday, sinking its shares to a six-year low.

In airlines, Rathbones’ Tumkur cautioned against extrapolating Ryanair’s warning to the rest of the industry, citing better demand at rivals Easyjet and Jet2.

“Ryanair is also more of a pure low-cost carrier, whereas its rivals have more exposure to package holidays, which seems to be currently prioritized more highly by customers,” he said. “As ever stock selection will be key.” — Reuters

PH team eyes 2025 Olympic Esports Games

Stock photo of a gamer man with headphones playing a video game in front of the tv | Adobe Stock

The Philippine team is bolstering its rosters as it seeks to bag multiple medals at the upcoming Olympic esports games in 2025, according to a member of the board of trustees from the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO).  

“We are currently very much focused on bridging the gaps of grassroots, finding the next talent of tomorrow, the next national team (Team Sibol),” Ronald Robins, Trustee and Vice President for PESO, said.  

The inaugural event of the Olympic esports games is set to be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2025, following the unanimous vote at the 142nd International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Paris.  

The IOC’s partnership with Saudi Arabia lasts a 12-year term, reflecting the country’s commitment to becoming a leading hub for sports and entertainment by 2030. 

This long-term partnership marks a transformative era for esports as it finally makes it presence felt in the global stage.  

Mr. Robins expressed his confidence in the Philippine team ‘s chances at the Olympic esports games, noting that the country has bagged multiple championships in big esports competitions, especially in mobile games.  

Notable victories include MLBB World Championships (2021 to 2023) and VALORANT Champions Tour 2021: Southeast Asia Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs, among others.  

“It will definitely be one of the sports that will bring home the most number of medals and trophies (for the Philippines) from the Olympics,” Mr. Robins said. “Yan na yung pinaka-position natin na sureball na yan [That is what we believe, it is a sure thing for us].”  

He highlighted the Philippines’ culture of unity will be its competitive edge at the upcoming Olympic event.  

“It’s a combination of multiple managers and team coaches from different teams in the country, helping each other, to coach and manage one time for the country to win,” Mr. Robins said. “The culture has unity so that’s why as we send our national team out, ang lakas [It’s strong].” 

In pursuit of the country’s Olympic dream, PESO continues to craft programs designed to ensure sustainable growth in the community and benefit future generations of esports enthusiasts.Edg Adrian A. Eva

Top recycling facility in Mexico, Pampanga opens its doors to solons

One of the top recycling companies in the country welcomed House Speaker Martin Romualdez and a team of legislators from the House of Representatives (HOR) to their Mexico, Pampanga facility last Monday to clarify the nature of its operations and to express their support for Congress’ campaign against POGOs and illegal drugs.
Infinity Eight Trading and Marketing Corp. (Infinity Eight) legal counsel Atty. Stephen Jaromay said the company “is fully supportive of the efforts of Congress to shut down POGOs and to combat illegal drugs.”
“We likewise welcome the opportunity to clarify any misconceptions or misunderstandings about the nature of Infinity Eight’s operations.”
The lawyer, accompanied by officers and staff of Infinity Eight, welcomed the House delegation to their company headquarters. In a short briefing, the legislators were provided with a background of the company and its plastic recycling operations.
Atty. Jaromay informed lawmakers that the original facilities of Infinity Eight are located in Plastic City in Valenzuela.
Showing photos of the damage caused by Typhoon Carina to its equipment in their Valenzuela facility, Atty. Jaromay said “the company decided to move its main base of operations here due to the threats posed by chronic flooding in Valenzuela.”
“So this facility houses all the major components of their operations, such as junk reception and processing, recycling facilities, and company headquarters,” explained Atty. Jaromay, who added that the residence of the family that owns the compound is also located inside the same.
The company profile on the Infinity Eight website says its reputation is “built upon technological advancement in processing scrap materials for recycling purposes” such as carton, plastics, and steel. Established in Valenzuela City three decades ago, the company at present recycles more than 3,000 tons of PET bottles monthly, and has the capacity to recycle more than 1,000 tons of Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP) plastic pellets monthly.
The profile further states that it has serviced customers in China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, and the United States for years, proof of “the high standard and quality of PET bottle flakes produced by Infinity Eight Trading and Marketing Corp. Over the past years, the plastic pellets the company produced have already been widely recognized by both local and overseas customers due to its high degree of purities.”
Among the lawmakers with the Speaker during the briefing and site visit were Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzalez, Jr., Deputy Speaker and Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin, Transportation Committee Chair and Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop, Dangerous Drugs Committee Chair and Surigao Del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Public Order and Safety and Chair and Santa Rosa Lone District Rep. Dan Fernandez, Games and Amusements Chair and Cavite 6th District Rep. Antonio Ferrer, Accounts Chair and Abang Lingkod Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano, and Surigao Del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel.
The legislators had earlier visited and inspected the Zun Yuan POGO facilities in Bamban, Tarlac, and the Lucky South 99 site in Porac, Pampanga. They later inspected the Empire 999 Realty Corp. warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga where P3.6 billion worth of shabu was seized by law enforcement authorities last year.
Mr. Romualdez said the site visits would allow legislators to see how the POGO and drug operations were conducted up close, and guide them in taking the steps necessary to hold the POGO and illegal drug syndicates accountable.

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One-stop shop for parents: Edamama’s omnichannel strategy in the Philippines

The parenting market in the Philippines is underserved, according to parenting platform Edamama, which has been building an online-to-offline retail experience for its target market since its inception in May 2020.

“We really want to be where the customer is, and 90% of retail in the Philippines today is still offline, so our goal is really to build the leading omnichannel in the country,” said Bela Gupta D’Souza, one of Edamama’s founders, in an August 1 interview.

Interview by Patricia Mirasol
Video editing by Jayson Mariñas

Bangladesh awaits installation of interim government after weeks of strife

STOCK PHOTO | Image by Mohammad Rahmatullah from Pixabay

 – Bangladesh is set to get a new, interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus on Thursday, after weeks of tumultuous student protests forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.

Mr. Yunus, 84, Bangladesh’s only Nobel laureate and a harsh critic of Mr. Hasina, was recommended for the job by the student protesters who led the campaign against Mr. Hasina.

He was expected to be sworn in as chief adviser along with a team of advisers later on Thursday in an interim government which the army chief said may include 15 members, although discussions on the names continued till late on Wednesday.

Ms. Hasina’s Awami League party was not involved in all-party discussions led by army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, who announced Ms. Hasina’s resignation on Monday.

Her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said in a Facebook post late on Wednesday that the party had not given up yet and was ready to hold talks with opponents and the administration.

“I had said my family will no longer be involved in politics but the way our party leaders and workers are being attacked, we cannot give up,” Ms. Joy said.

Mr. Yunus is known as the ‘banker to the poor’ and was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for founding a bank that pioneered fighting poverty with small loans to needy borrowers.

He is due to arrive in the capital Dhaka from Paris on Thursday, where he had been receiving medical treatment.

“I’m looking forward to going back home and see what’s happening there and how we can organise ourselves to get out of the trouble that we’re in,” Yunus said before he boarded a flight on Wednesday evening.

Ms. Hasina’s dramatic exit on Monday from the country she ruled for four terms – and was reelected to a fifth in January – triggered jubilation and violence across Bangladesh, as crowds stormed and ransacked her official residence unopposed.

She fled to neighboring India where she is taking shelter at an air base near the capital New Delhi.

Student protests against quotas for government jobs spiraled in July, killing about 300 people and injuring thousands, as demonstrations were met with a violent crackdown that was criticized internationally although the government denied using excessive force.

The protests were fueled by tough economic conditions and political repression as well.

After years of strong growth as the garment industry expanded, the $450 billion economy struggled with costly imports, inflation and unemployment and the government had sought a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

Yunus and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Ms. Hasina’s main political opponent, called for calm and an end to violence on Wednesday.

“No destruction, revenge or vengeance,” said Ms. Hasina’s arch rival and BNP leader Khaleda Zia, 78, in a video address from her hospital bed to hundreds of her supporters at a rally in Dhaka on Wednesday.

Ms. Zia, who was released from house arrest on Tuesday, and her exiled son Tarique Rahman, addressed the rally and called for national elections to be held within three months.

On Wednesday, a court overturned Yunus’ conviction in a labour case in which he was handed a six-month jail sentence in January. Mr. Yunus had called his prosecution political, part of a campaign by Ms. Hasina to quash dissent.

“Let us make the best use of our new victory,” Mr. Yunus said. – Reuters

 

Hottest oceans in 400 years endanger Great Barrier Reef, scientists say

 – Water temperatures in and around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have risen to their warmest in 400 years over the past decade, placing the world’s largest reef under threat, according to research published on Thursday.

The reef, the world’s largest living ecosystem, stretches for some 1,500 miles (2,400 km) off the coast of the northern state of Queensland. The research is rare in putting the effects of man-made climate change into historical context, as other surveys on damage to the reef have a shorter time frame.

A group of scientists at universities across Australia drilled cores into the coral and, much like counting the rings on a tree, analyzed the samples to measure summer ocean temperatures going back to 1618.

Combined with ship and satellite data going back around a hundred years, the results show ocean temperatures that were stable for hundreds of years begin to rise from 1900 onwards as a result of human influence, the research concluded.

From 1960 to 2024, the study’s authors observed an average annual warming for January to March of 0.12°C (0.22°F) per decade.

Since 2016, the reef has experienced five summers of mass coral bleaching, when large sections of the reef turn white due to heat stress, putting them at greater risk of death.

These summers were during five of the six warmest years in the last four centuries, the study showed.

“The world is losing one of its icons,” said Benjamin Henley, an academic at the University of Melbourne and one of the study’s co-authors.

“I find that to be an absolute tragedy. It’s hard to understand how that can happen on our watch in our lifetime. So it’s very, very sad.”

The last temperature data point, from January to March of this year, was the highest on record and “head and shoulders” above any other year, Mr. Henley said.

Coral reefs protect shorelines from erosion, are home to thousands of species of fish, and are an important source of tourism revenue in many countries.

At least 54 countries and regions have experienced mass bleaching of their reefs since February 2023 as climate change warms the ocean’s surface waters, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said.

The Great Barrier Reef is not currently on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites that are in danger, though the UN recommends it should be added.

Australia has lobbied for years to keep the reef – which contributes A$6.4 billion ($4.2 billion) to the economy annually – off the endangered list, as it could damage tourism.

Lissa Schindler, Great Barrier Reef campaign manager at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said the research showed Australia needed to do more to reduce its emissions.

“Australia must increase its ambition, action and commitments to battle climate change and protect our greatest natural asset,” she said. – Reuters

China urges ITA to intensify testing of US athletes

 – China’s anti-doping agency (CHINADA) on Thursday urged the International Testing Agency (ITA) to intensify testing of US track and field athletes, after American sprinter Erriyon Knighton tested positive for the banned substance trenbolone.

CHINADA accused the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) earlier this week of double standards, saying its U.S. counterpart had been “trying its best” to clear U.S. athletes while accusing CHINADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of cover-ups.

Mr. Knighton tested positive for trenbolone this year but was not suspended for the Paris Games after an arbitrator found the result was likely caused by contaminated meat. The USADA chief has been outspoken about 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but were allowed to compete.

CHINADA said on Thursday that trenbolone was a common contaminant in the United States, and athletes everywhere including US athletes should pay close attention to meat contamination. Citing a recent WADA statement, it said that 31% of US athletes were inadequately tested in the 12 months prior to the Tokyo Games.

“In light of the above, we strongly call on the International Testing Agency (ITA) to intensify testing on the U.S. track and field athletes,” CHINADA said in a statement on its WeChat account.

“We also strongly recommend that the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) strengthen anti-doping supervision of the US track and field, prevent the doping risks and strictly investigate relevant cases, in an endeavor to truly protect the legitimate rights and interests of the clean athletes around the world, and to rebuild the trust of global athletes in fair play.” – Reuters