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P27-B health allowances out soon

PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

HEALTH WORKERS are expected to receive P27 billion in remaining allowances by Friday, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Thursday.

In a statement, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the allowances would be released even if the Department of Health (DoH) had requested their inclusion in the 2025 budget.

“Even if this was requested by the DoH for 2025, we made sure to implement this early because healthcare workers deserve this,” she said in mixed English and Filipino.

Last year, the Health department requested P27.45 billion to pay more than 5 million health emergency allowance claims and 4,283 COVID-19 sickness and death compensation claims. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Farmers not consulted on tariffs

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

SENATOR Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos on Thursday called out the Tariff Commission for failing to consult stakeholders on lowering rice tariffs to 15% from 35%, which farmers said threaten their livelihood.

“As a commission, you need to consult agricultural stakeholders on tariffs,” she said in mixed English and Filipino during a Senate hearing that is looking into the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

“Clearly, no new changes were proposed at this hearing, so where did this 15% come from?”

Groups including the Federation of Free Farmers and Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura had opposed the tariff cut, the senator said, citing transcripts of the public hearings in September and October.

Tariff Commissioner Marissa Maricosa A. Paderon said they had invited 192 representatives from farmers groups, but only Alyansa Agrikultura Chairman Ernesto M. Ordoñez had participated in consultative meetings in March last year. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Abolition of wage boards sought

WORKERS’ groups hold a rally in Manila on May 1, 2023, calling for a wage hike on Labor Day. — PHILSTAR/WALTER BOLLOZOS

AN OPPOSITION lawmaker on Thursday called for the abolition of regional wage boards, citing their alleged failure to rule in favor of workers instead of employers.

“Workers in different regions throughout the country have long earned a minimum wage way below what we call a living wage, that’s why we need to abolish these regional wage boards” Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. France L. Castro told a news briefing in Filipino.

The National Wages and Productivity Commission, which supervises regional wage boards, did not immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment.

The House of Representatives labor committee should also hear bills seeking a P150 to P750 across-the-board wage hike before Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s state of the nation address on July 22, she said.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board last month approved a P35 minimum wage hike to P645 for workers in the National Capital Region (NCR), which will take effect on July 17.

A bill that seeks to do away with regional wage boards is pending at the House labor committee. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Nationals shocker: Huge win over world No. 6 Latvia in Arena Riga

GILAS PILIPINAS

AND shock the world Gilas Pilipinas did.

Not given much of a chance against a high-powered, seemingly unstoppable Latvia backed by a horde of home supporters, the gritty Nationals defied doubters and delivered a hell of a performance that would go down as one of the greatest victories in Philippine basketball history.

Coach Tim Cone and his gutsy Gilas 11 toppled the world No. 6 and heavily favored Latvians in the latter’s own backyard, 89-80, as they set their bid in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament off to a flying start early Thursday at the Arena Riga.

Unlike in the hosts’ previous 83-55 romp over Georgia in the Group A opener where they were untouchable, the fearless Filipinos asserted themselves and got the Latvians in a vice-grip in virtually all of 40 minutes, sending kababayans back home who stayed up in the wee hours for the live broadcast of game in a frenzy.

That massive reversal marked the first time for the Philippines to beat a European opponent in a FIBA tournament after 64 long years. Last time was an 84-82 verdict over Spain in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

In the scheme of things in this ongoing FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the Paris Games, the Pinoy cagers are now in good position to advance to the crossover semifinals either as top seed or second-placed team in the group.

A win against No. 23 Georgia (0-1) last night would make this possible. But a defeat would still suffice provided the losing margin would be 18 points or less; lose by 19 and it would be the Georgians following the Latvians (1-1) to the next stage instead.

“We’re happy about it, we’re proud of it. But it’s just one game and we’re not here to just win one game. We’re here to do what we can to get to the finals and maybe a trip to Paris,” Mr. Cone said in an interview on One Sports.

“This is one step for us but just a baby step. We’ve got more steps ahead of us. We’re not going to get too high with this win (as) we have more to do.”

Justin Brownlee sizzled with 26 big points and went a rebound and an assist shy of a triple-double output in the one-for-the-books takedown of Latvia, a team that defeated Spain, France, Lithuania and Italy en route to fifth place in the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila.

Mr. Brownlee highlighted his superb play with clutch hits from everywhere that helped Gilas create separation and lead by as many as 26 points plus a dagger four-point play that quelled the hosts’ fourth-quarter rally and stunned the predominantly Latvian fans in the 8,835-strong crowd.

“The world doesn’t really know much about Justin Brownlee, but for me, he is the Michael Jordan of Philippines basketball. That’s what we expected him to do and that is what he does every night,” Kai Sotto, who had 18 and eight, said of the Gilas naturalized player.

“I appreciate this coming from Kai, but I’m just out there trying to do my best, trying to do whatever I can to help the team win,” said Mr. Brownlee. — Olmin Leyba

The Scores

Philippines 89 — Brownlee 26, Sotto 18, Ramos 12, Fajardo 11, Newsome 10, Perez 6, Quiambao 3, Aguilar 2, Tamayo 1, Oftana 0.

Latvia 80 — Kurucs 18, Dav. Bertans 10, Strelnieks 10, Zoriks 10, Smits 9, Strautins 6, Lomazs 6, Dar. Bertans 5, Timma 3, Cavars 2, Mejeris 1.

Quarterscores: 32-16; 54-38; 67-56; 89-80.

Alas Pilipinas clashes with heavily favored Vietnam at FIVB Challenger Cup

ALAS PILIPINAS — FACEBOOK.COM/PREMIERVOLLEYBALLLEAGUE

ALAS PILIPINAS team captain Jia de Guzman has tempered expectations on their chances against a heavily favored Vietnam and in the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Challenger Cup that came off the wraps at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium Thursday.

But deep inside the soft-spoken and courageous skipper and the rest of Nationals, they all dream of the same big dream — punch a ticket straight to the Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) main group next year.

And it starts Friday when they square off with the Vietnamese, who swept and dominated last month’s AVC Challenge Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum where the Filipinas snatched a historic bronze, at 6:30 p.m. “Well, all we can ask the girls is to do its best while not putting pressure on the team that much,” said the charismatic Alas team leader.

The team lost power spiker Eya Laure and libero Jen Nierva and were replaced by Creamline’s Jema Galanza and National University’s Bella Belen. Ms. Belen’s teammate, Alyssa Solomon, and Ms. Galanza’s fellow Creamline star, Tots Carlos, were enlisted into the pool but will not be able to join due to undisclosed reasons.

“It’s great to have new reinforcements in the pool. Experience-wise,” said Ms. De Guzman of Mmess. Galanza and Belen.

Intriguingly, Ms. Nierva’s last-minute withdrawal left the squad with one legitimate libero in Dawn Catindig.

Cherry Nunag was listed as the team’s second libero but, in essence, she’s a natural middle blocker. The other members of the team are Faith Nisperos, Fifi Sharma, Vannie Gandler, Julia Coronel, Angel Canino, Dell Palomata, Arah Panique, Thea Gagate and Sisi Rondina.

The trek to that VNL dream is long and arduous though as Alas Pilipinas would need to win all its games against Vietnam, the semis and eventually the finals, assuming it could make it that far, to realize it. — Joey Villar

Gilas boys get beating from USA

GILAS PILIPINAS boys absorbed a hapless 141-45 beating at the hands of the reigning champion and world No. 1 USA to bow out of contention in the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup late Wednesday night at the Sinan Erdem Dome, in Istanbul, Turkey.

A forgettable outing it was for the overpowered Nationals, who stared an early 13-43 hole en route to a decimating 96-point defeat in the Round of 16.

It was the fourth straight blowout loss for the undersized and undermanned Filipinos to formally crash out of play in the world youth championships, where they made a return for the first time since 2019.

All but one player barged into the scoring board for the Americans, who won all six editions of the U17 World Cup, led by Koa Peat with 22 points on 11-of-13 clip laced by seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in only 15 minutes of play.

Cameron Boozer (20), Jalen Haralson (16), Caleb Holt (14), Chris Cenac (14), Cayden Boozer (12), Tyran Strokes (12) and Brandon McCoy (11) were also instrumental as USA notched the second biggest output in FIBA U17 history.

USA, which set the mark in a 146-62 win over China in the group phase, also posted the most assists in history with 49.

Joaquin Gabriel Ludovic and CJ Amos with 15 and 10 points, respectively, were the lone twin-digit scorers for the wards of coach Josh Reyes, winless in four one-sided affairs.

The world No. 25 Gilas, which previously bowed to No. 7 Lithuania, 107-48, No. 2 Spain, 96-32, and No. 15 Puerto Rico, 98-53, in Group A, will still play in the classification rounds against No. 16 Argentina at 7:30 p.m. today with hopes of scoring a breakthrough win.

USA, for its part, will shoot for a Final Four spot on the same day at 8 p.m. with a quarterfinal duel against Canada. — John Bryan Ulanday

Raducanu storms into Wimbledon third round with dominant victory

LONDON — Emma Raducanu powered her way into the third round of Wimbledon on Wednesday with a comfortable 6-1 6-2 victory against Belgian Elise Mertens.

Ms. Raducanu has struggled for fitness since her stunning US Open triumph in 2021 but looked at the top of her game as she pummelled Ms. Mertens into submission from the baseline, shouting and fist-pumping almost every point won. The British wildcard raced into a 5-0 lead against the 28-year-old under the closed roof of Court One which was packed with a passionate home crowd.

Ms. Mertens did get on the scoreboard to avoid a bagel, but that was the only positive for her as Ms. Raducanu clinched the first set.

The Briton then broke in the third game of the second set with a brilliant backhand across court and broke again to go 4-1 up.

Ms. Mertens, ranked 33 in the world, held to love in the next game but could not stop Ms. Raducanu bringing up two match points with an ace and then winning the first of them after the Belgian went long.

It’s the first time Ms. Raducanu has reached a third round of a Grand Slam since her title win at Flushing Meadows and raises tentative hopes of a first British women’s singles triumph at Wimbledon since Virginia Wade in 1977.

“I think I’m playing really good tennis. I’m really happy with the improvements I’ve made,” Ms. Raducanu said on court. “I knew all the hard yards and hard work I was doing this year would lead to something. I’m just so happy I’m able to reap some of the rewards here at Wimbledon.”

She will play ninth seed Maria Sakkari on Friday in the third round. Ms. Raducanu beat the Greek in the semifinals en route to her US Open win, when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open era.

“(The) circumstances are different. Like, in a third round compared to a semifinal,” Raducanu told a press conference. “At the time the dynamics were also different. I was an unknown player pretty much.

“I’m expecting a really tough match. She’s… in the world… top 10 or something. It’s going to be a really difficult one.” — Reuters

Lakers off-season deal

Regardless of whether the glass is seen as half empty or half full, the Lakers’ offseason has made few insiders happy. They began it with promise, with projected lottery pick Dalton Knecht landing in their laps at 17th in the rookie draft. They then applied a full-court press on Splash Brother Klay Thompson; top dog LeBron James put his money where his mouth was, exhibiting a readiness to take a pay cut and personally courting the would-be free agent. As the days passed, however, it slowly became apparent that their efforts to strengthen the roster would be for naught.

True, the dealmaking isn’t done yet. There are still some cogs available in the market for the Lakers, the spurning of Thompson for the Mavericks and the loss of supposed secondary target Jonas Valanciunas notwithstanding. Evidently, they have shifted their sights to the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Jerami Grant, and, yes, Kyle Kuzma. Unfortunately, their flexibility to improve their position has been hampered by the irony of D’Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, and Christian Wood exercising their player options for the coming season.

It bears noting, of course, that the Lakers’ top-heavy situation has already placed a ceiling on their potential to contend for the championship. With or without Thompson, they would still begin their 2024-25 campaign staring at the backsides of such notables as the Celtics, Mavericks, Thunder, Sixers, Timberwolves, and Nuggets. In short, they’re doomed to cast moist eyes on the Larry O’Brien Trophy with internally generated handicaps — including the assimilation of new head coach JJ Redick.

Which is not to say the Lakers don’t have blessings to count. First and foremost, they have James back in the fold. And even as he pushes 40, there can be no counting him — and the jersey he wears — out of any conversation. There is likewise the benefit of not spending megabucks on possibilities that carry significant risk. Thompson, for instance, isn’t worth the $20 million-per-year contract they dangled, not with two major surgeries and two steps lost on defense. The last thing they need is yet another sieve that negates their scoring prowess.

All things considered, the Lakers are actually better off than their immediate-vicinity rivals. The Clippers gave up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two pick swaps for Paul George five years ago, only to see the latter head to the Sixers in pursuit of more money. The Warriors escorted a bitter Thompson to the door, effectively bidding goodbye to a dynasty. For good measure, the purple and gold can likewise find some solace in seeing restrictive provisions of the new collective bargaining agreement victimize the hated Nuggets.

Bottom line, the Lakers remain in control of their fate. They may not be in the upper echelon of contenders, but they cannot be counted out, either. They have James and Anthony Davis, after all, and the onus is now on them to make hay while the sun shines.

 

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.

Unregistered vehicles, colorum PUVs apprehended for road safety

Motorists are stuck in traffic along ESDA in Cubao, Quezon City, Nov. 7, 2023. — PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

Transport authorities, led by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), have been aggressive in apprehending colorum and unregistered vehicles, saying that the campaign helps ensure safety for all road users. 

“Hindi lang obligasyon sa gobyerno…para sa kaligtasan ng lahat dahil kasama sa pagpaparehistro ang pag-inspect [ng] roadworthiness [Not just an obligation to government…also for everyone’s safety because part of vehicle registration is the inspection for roadworthiness],” Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chief and DOTr Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II said in a press release. 

More than 10,000 unregistered motor vehicles were apprehended in June according to Mr. Mendoza. 

The 6,824 cases of apprehended motorcycles led the list of unregistered vehicles, followed by 1,787 tricycles, 954 private vans, 451 private sedans, and 230 trucks. 

Mr. Mendoza said that 9,212 of the apprehended motor vehicles were issued traffic violation tickets. 

“Ito ay alinsunod sa patuloy na pagsusulong ng DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista na maging ligtas ang lahat ng road user sa ating bansa [This coincides with DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista’s goal of ensuring the safety of road users in the country],” he said. 

 

‘No Plate, No Travel’  

In compliance with promoting road safety, the LTO launched its “No Plate, No Travel” policy in Quezon City last Monday. 

Around 23 tricycles plying their routes received apprehensions due to lack of registration, missing license plates, and driving without driver’s licenses. 

According to the policy’s memorandum, tricycles plying their routes must have valid and authorized license plates clearly visible and properly attached to their vehicle. Violation of this will result in apprehension with appropriate legal action and penalties following existing laws and regulations.  

Mr. Mendoza added that the policy adhered to DOTr’s instruction to ensure safer roads for everyone, especially commuters who rely on tricycles as their main mode of transport going to offices and schools. 

“Tuloy-tuloy na ang implementation nito sa buong Quezon City and soon, this will be replicated nationwide, [The policy will continuously be implemented in Quezon City, and will soon be implemented nationwide,”] he said. 

 

Colorum Crackdown 

In less than a year, the Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation of the DOTr (DOTr-SAICT) have collected P135 million in fines imposed upon colorum transport vehicles. 

Colorum crackdown from November 2023 to June 2024 has apprehended 364 violators according to the DOTr-SAICT 

In a Facebook post, the DOTr-SAICT said that the Anti-Colorum campaign “has played a pivotal role in cracking down on illegal transport activities that jeopardize the safety of commuters and road users.” 

Further, the campaign aims to ensure public safety by halting illegal transport activities with a P200,000 fine for unauthorized vans and P1 million for illegal buses. 

“Let’s see to it that we enforce our regulations…that road safety and regulations are continuously implemented,” Transport Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said in a conference with regional directors of the LTO last June 6. – Almira Louise S. Martinez

Not politics, not interest rates: India’s rising economy at risk from water shortage

FREEPIK

NEW DELHI — In the Vivekananda Camp slum, adjacent to the US embassy in New Delhi, communal taps supply brackish water for about two hours a day. Water delivered by tankers provides one additional bucket to each of its 1,000 residents for drinking and cooking.

In parts of the arid state of Rajasthan, southwest of the Indian capital, tap water is available once every four days for an hour. In rural areas near Mumbai, women and children travel more than a mile to get water.

Bengaluru, India’s tech hub of 14 million people, reeled under a water shortage this year and had to rely on tanker deliveries.

“We don’t wash the floor or do the laundry for days sometimes,” said Sampa Rai, a 38-year-old in Delhi’s Vivekananda Camp, who scrambles before dawn every day to meet the first tanker delivering water. “Not even the dishes. We have to manage with what we have.”

The world’s most populous nation has suffered from water shortages for decades, but crises are coming around with increasing frequency. This year, for example, the summer has been one of the hottest on record and the crunch has worsened with rivers and lakes drying up and the water table falling.

The shortages are affecting rural and urban Indians alike, disrupting agriculture and industry, stoking food inflation and risking social unrest. Contaminated water kills about 200,000 Indians each year, according to the government. People and the economy are suffering.

That is adding urgency to public and private-sector efforts to conserve the resource, find ways to recycle wastewater and reduce the country’s over-reliance on the annual monsoon, especially in the agricultural sector.

Ratings agency Moody’s warned last week that India’s growing water stress could affect its growth, which at a projected 7.2% this April-March fiscal year is the highest among major economies.

“Decreases in water supply can disrupt agricultural production and industrial operations, resulting in inflation in food prices and declines in income for affected businesses and workers, especially farmers, while sparking social unrest,” Moody’s said.

The government plans to more than triple wastewater recycling by the end of the decade to 70%, according to a federal government policy document dated Oct. 21, 2023 that listed priorities for the next five years.

Krishna S. Vatsa, a senior official at the state-run National Disaster Management Authority, confirmed the targets in an interview last week.

Authorities also plan to cut the extraction of fresh water — ground water and surface water from rivers and lakes — to less than 50% by the end of the decade from 66%, the highest rate in the world, said the document, which has not been made public and was reviewed by Reuters.

It will also launch a national village-level program this year to recommend crops to farmers based on local water availability, Mr. Vatsa said.

Details of plans to address the water crisis have not been previously reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already ordered authorities to build or refurbish at least 75 lakes in each of the 785 districts of the country. The government says work has been started or completed on more than 83,000 lakes. Experts say such lakes can help recharge the water table.

Mr. Modi launched a near $50-billion program in 2019 to provide all rural households with tap water. The government says it has now covered 77% of more than 193 million such families, up from 17% five years ago, but residents and experts say not all pipes have water.

“It makes the issue of conservation far more urgent,” Vatsa said. “You cannot sustain such a national pipeline without the availability of water. The pipes will run dry.”

He agreed some taps could already be dry.

WATER STRESSED
India relies substantially on the annual monsoon for its 1.42 billion people and its largely rural-based economy, where water-intensive crops like rice, wheat and sugarcane take up more than 80% of the overall supply.

The monsoon itself is prone to severe and extreme weather conditions. Catchment areas are getting scarce because of rapid urbanization, so even in a good monsoon, much of the rainwater drains off into the sea.

India’s annual per capita water availability, at about 1,486 cubic meters, is set to fall to 1,367 cubic meters by 2031 as its population grows, government projections show. The country has been “water stressed,” defined as per capita availability of less than 1,700 cubic meters, since 2011.

“We have a crisis now every year,” said Depinder Singh Kapur at Indian research body Centre for Science and Environment.

“Earlier it used to be drought years versus normal years, now a water crisis is happening every year and with more intensity.” There are pockets where private enterprises are addressing the crisis.

In Nagpur, a city of 3 million people, the Vishvaraj Group said it helped build a $100-million plant in 2020 that treats 200 million liters of sewage per day, extracting 190 million liters of treated water that it sells to two thermal power plants.

Founder Arun Lakhani said the freed up fresh water will be enough to take care of the expected population growth of the city for the next 35 years.

Some industries are investing in waste water recycling and rain harvesting to cut their dependence on fresh water.

Tata Steel plans to cut its fresh water consumption to less than 1.5 cubic meters per ton of crude steel produced at its Indian operations by 2030, from about 2.5 cubic metres now. JSW Steel also has similar plans.

“At least to plug the gaps in urban areas, treated waste water is going to be one important resource that we need to start acknowledging,” said Nitin Bassi at Indian think-tank The Council on Energy, Environment and Water.

Experts say nearly 90% of water supplied to homes can be recycled, but infrastructure for water distribution and sewage treatment has failed to match the growth of major cities and untreated waste ultimately flows into rivers.

Mr. Modi’s administration is adding sewage treatment capacity to lift the current rate of 44% in urban areas so more water can be recycled and used in industries, agriculture and other areas.

Between 2021 and 2026, it plans to invest about $36 billion to ensure equitable water distribution, reuse of wastewater and mapping of water bodies, the government has said.

THIRSTY FARMS
The cultivation of crops like rice in semi-arid states has led to rampant extraction of groundwater through borewells and steep falls in water tables, according to government and industry officials.

“The elephant in the room is agriculture,” said Lakhani of Vishvaraj. “We still use flood irrigation, we are not on drip or sprinkler irrigation. If we save just 10% water used in agriculture, it will take care of water problems of all the Indian cities.”

The government plans to implement a nationwide rural program on water use this year, said Mr. Vatsa, the disaster management official.

“For every village we need to have water budgeting,” he said. “How much water is available? How much should be used for irrigation? How much should be used for your domestic purpose? That would determine what kind of crops you are going to plant.”

Asked about possible resistance from farmers, who are a powerful voting bloc, he said: “There’s no other choice. The water table is just going down and at some point it becomes completely unviable. The borewells fail.” — Reuters

As France votes, the rest of Europe holds its breath

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

BRUSSELS/PARIS — When President Emmanuel Macron shocked France last month by calling a snap election, he was gambling with the future of Europe as well as his own country.

While much depends on the second round of voting on Sunday, it already seems clear that Mr. Macron’s role as a driver of European integration will be significantly diminished.

The two most likely scenarios — a government led by the far-right National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen or a hung parliament — would present unprecedented challenges for the European Union (EU).

The big fear for the EU’s traditional political mainstream is an outright RN victory, forcing Mr. Macron to “co-habit” with a government hostile to his vision of European sovereignty.

Even a parliament with no overall majority, resulting in an unwieldy coalition or parties cooperating case-by-case, would deprive Mr. Macron of a government committed to his policies.

In either case, a heavy question mark would hang over some of his boldest initiatives – from joint EU borrowing to fund defense spending by doubling the EU budget to deploying French troops inside Ukraine to train Kyiv’s forces.

As France and Germany traditionally form the engine that drives the 27-nation European Union, the bloc could face a double dose of political paralysis as its two most important pro-EU leaders would be on the back foot. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saw his party crushed in European Parliament elections last month, is struggling to hold his coalition together and is braced for strong far-right showings in upcoming regional polls.

“Macron is severely weakened at home, which will have consequences for his position in Brussels as well as for the Franco-German relationship,” said Elizabeth Kuiper, associate director at the European Policy Centre think tank.

While Europe’s far-right parties are still far from their goal of taking over the EU and repatriating powers back to the national level, they have wind in their sails. They made gains in the European Parliament elections, where Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s party was a big winner.

A new Dutch government with far-right participation has just taken office. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken over the EU’s rotating presidency and announced the formation of a new pan-European “patriotic alliance”.

“A weaker France and Germany coupled with a stronger Italy and Hungary clearly will shape the future of the EU,” said Ms. Kuiper.

MACRON PUSHBACK
Mr. Macron has told EU counterparts France will continue to play a leading role in the bloc, with a big share of the votes in the European Council of EU leaders and his party at the heart of the pro-EU coalition in the European Parliament, French officials say.

“France remains France, with its weight,” said one.

But diplomats say much of the nitty-gritty of EU policy work is done in meetings of government ministers — and the next French government looks certain to be at the very least less Macron-friendly than the current one.

Should the RN’s candidate for prime minister, 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, form a government, some diplomats wonder if he may try to adopt an at least semi-cooperative stance with EU bodies — taking a page from Ms. Meloni’s playbook.

But the party’s policies and statements suggest clashes with both Mr. Macron and Brussels would be inevitable.

Ms. Le Pen has said an RN-led government would nominate France’s next European commissioner — a key role in the EU executive. But that is traditionally the president’s prerogative — and Mr. Macron has already signaled he wants to keep incumbent Thierry Breton.

The RN also wants France to get a rebate from the EU budget, something the EU is highly unlikely to provide. And while the RN’s economic policies have changed repeatedly in recent weeks, they may fall foul of the EU’s fiscal rules.

Karel Lannoo, chief executive of the Centre for European Policy Studies think tank, said initiatives to boost European economic competitiveness such as an EU capital markets union would also be at risk.

“The problem for the EU is that if it doesn’t have member states strongly supporting it, then it’s very hard (to move forward),” he said.

Among diplomats in EU hub Brussels, some are in “wait-and-see” mode, given the outcome of the second round is uncertain.

One described the mood as “nervous but calm.” But some Eastern Europeans expressed more anxiety — and concern that Macron had unnecessarily put Europe’s future at risk in reaction to a defeat in the European Parliament elections.

Eastern European leaders have been encouraged over the past year as Mr. Macron became bolder in support for Ukraine and more willing to question the West’s “red lines” with Russia.

“His words were music to our ears … That was so recent and now it is gone,” lamented one senior official from the region.

“It is looking very serious,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“My fear is that President Macron has definitely overplayed his hand.” — Reuters

OMEGA marks the 55th anniversary of the first moon landing

OMEGA Speedmaster

55 years ago, the astronauts of Apollo 11 took humankind’s first daring steps onto the moon — a moment that changed history, and the limits of possibility, forever. It was during this famous moment, that the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional also became the first watch worn on the moon, establishing the timepiece’s iconic legacy.

On this special anniversary, OMEGA remembers that incredible mission, and the unique journey that the “Moonwatch” took in order to reach the lunar surface.

OMEGA Moonwatch

It was in 1964 that NASA officially went in search of one watch that it could rely on for all of its manned-missions. Flight Crew Operations Director Deke Slayton issued a request for wrist-worn chronographs from different watch manufacturers around the world. Several brands, including OMEGA, submitted their timepieces for the punishing tests — such as thermal, shock, vibration and vacuum examinations, amongst others. Only the OMEGA Speedmaster survived these tests and, as a result, it was declared “Flight Qualified for all Manned Space Missions” on the 1st of March, 1965.

From that moment, OMEGA was the only supplier of watches for NASA’s Human Space Flight Program. It was trusted throughout the Mercury Missions, Gemini Program, and, of course, the Apollo Program — which had its sights set on the moon.

With the eyes of the world on Apollo 11 in 1969, every piece of technology and kit had to be just right. There was no room for error. That’s why it is such an honor for OMEGA to look back and know that its watches were implicitly trusted by everyone involved.

Buzz Aldrin — Photo from NASA

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface, starting at 02:56 UTC on the 21st of July, 1969. Their moonwalk lasted just two and a half hours, but their achievements left a defining footprint on the history of space exploration.

55 years later, OMEGA is still incredibly proud to have timed mankind’s greatest hour, and to have been a central part of that pioneering story.

 


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