Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 4760

DA says operations won’t be affected by graft complaint 

THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday assured that its operations will not be affected by the graft complaint filed against DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban over the alleged illegal importation of refined sugar in February.   

“We continue to work, we have committed to ourselves as far as public service is concerned,” DA Spokesperson Kristine Y. Evangelista told reporters by phone on Tuesday.  

“We believe that we are the work force, and we will continue implementing the programs of our department that we know will help our farmers,” she said in mixed English and Filipino.   

The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry – Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries’ (NCUSIP-ARB) Council and the Alternatiba ng Masa Partylist filed a complaint against Mr. Panganiban before the Ombudsman on Monday.  

The groups accused the DA official of violating Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act and Article 177 of the Revised Penal Code on usurpation of authority or official functions.   

“Sugar farmers and workers in the sugar industry have been gravely affected by the sudden influx of imported sugar in the market,” Rolando dela Cruz, board director of NACUSIP-ARB Council said in a statement on Monday.  

“This is aggravated by the fact that what entered our country is smuggled sugar, seemingly facilitated by none other than a senior official of the Department of Agriculture. We cannot let this pass,” he added.  

The case stemmed from the arrival of shipment of refined sugar in the country on Feb. 9, which was flagged by the Bureau of Customs prior to the issuance of Sugar Order No. 6 (SO6).  

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) issued SO6 on Feb. 18, authorizing the importation of 440,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar.  

DA Deputy Spokesperson Rex C. Estoperez said they learned of the complaint only through news reports.  

He said that they have already clarified the issue during a Senate hearing, but noted that they are “ready to answer” anything before the Ombudsman. 

“There is no problem with that. It is their right to file if they have doubts and allegations, but we in the Department of Agriculture, we just carry on with our work,” he said in a separate interview.  

Meanwhile, SRA Acting Administrator Pablo Luis S. Azcona said he will “personally” support Mr. Panganiban.   

“And we know that the program worked based on a farmers point of view,” he said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

US accuses China of aggression after dangerous encounters

WASHINGTON — The White House said on Monday recent dangerous encounters between US and Chinese forces in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea reflect a growing aggressiveness by Beijing’s military that raises the risk of an error in which “somebody gets hurt.”

Washington’s sharply worded warning followed the US Navy’s release on Sunday of a video of what it called an “unsafe interaction” in the Taiwan Strait in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a US destroyer in the sensitive waterway.

The incident comes as both countries trade blame for not holding military talks — with disagreements between the rivals over everything from trade and Taiwan to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and could raise the potential for future confrontations.

It also follows a May 26 incident in which a Chinese fighter jet carried out what the United States called an “unnecessarily aggressive” maneuver near an American military plane over the South China Sea in international airspace.

“Sadly, this is just part of, again, a growing aggressiveness by the PRC (People’s Republic of China) that we’re dealing with, and we’re prepared to address it,” White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters amid deteriorating ties between Washington and Beijing.

“It won’t be long before somebody gets hurt,” Mr. Kirby said. “It wouldn’t take much for an error in judgment or a mistake to get made.”

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said “the measures taken by the Chinese military are completely reasonable, legitimate and professional and safe.”

Mr. Kirby said the United States would continue to stand up for the freedom of navigation in the air and sea.

“I sure would like to hear Beijing justify what they’re doing,” he said. “Air and maritime intercepts happen all the time. Heck, we do it. The difference is… when we feel like we need to do it, it’s done professionally.”

Mr. Kirby said if China wanted to deliver the message that the United States was not welcome in the area or that it wanted American aircraft and vessels to stop flying and sailing in support of international law, that would not succeed.

“It’s not going to happen,” he added.

‘PREDICTABLE RELATIONSHIP’
Despite the heightened tensions, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said President Joseph R. Biden’s administration is “looking to continue to have a predictable relationship with the PRC.”

“President Biden has been clear we don’t seek any kind of new Cold War, and our competition must not spill over into conflict,” he told reporters.

The US military said the American destroyer Chung-Hoon and Canadian frigate Montreal were conducting a “routine” transit of the strait on Saturday when the Chinese ship cut in front of the US vessel, coming within 150 yards (137 meters).

In the video released by the US Navy, the Chinese ship could be seen sailing across the path of the Chung-Hoon in calm waters. The Chung-Hoon did not change course.

“The US had caused trouble and provocation first, while China dealt with it in accordance with the law and regulations afterwards,” Mr. Wang told a press conference on Monday.

Some independent analysts said the latest incidents suggest a more aggressive shift in tactics by China against what it sees as an encroachment by US and allied forces. But US officials have been describing a more confrontational posture by Beijing’s forces for at least the past year.

“China is only increasing the chances for miscalculation — namely ships or aircraft accidentally colliding — that could then spiral into armed conflict,” said Derek Grossman, senior defense analyst at RAND Corp., a US think tank.

In 2001, a US spy plane made an emergency landing on China’s Hainan island after a collision with a Chinese fighter jet, whose pilot died. — Reuters

China, US talks in Beijing strike upbeat tone but risks remain

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

BEIJING — Meetings between senior US and Chinese officials in China this week struck an upbeat chord, with both sides agreeing to maintain communication lines, even as Beijing remains leery of more “provocative” US moves and open clashes are still a risk.

Statements from Washington and Beijing on meetings between Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Chinese officials including Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu were positive, describing the talks as candid and productive.

Just before Mr. Kritenbrink arrived in Beijing on Sunday, the US navy reported an “unsafe interaction” on Saturday when a Chinese warship crossed in front of a US destroyer in the sensitive Taiwan Strait, raising the prospect of future face-offs that could spiral out of control.

Mr. Kritenbrink’s visit also followed China’s apparent snub last week of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who had sought a formal meeting with his Chinese counterpart but was bluntly rejected.

“The two sides conducted candid, constructive and fruitful communication on promoting the improvement of Sino-US relations and properly managing and controlling differences,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday of Mr. Kritenbrink’s meetings.

Both sides also agreed to continue to communicate, according to the statement.

“The two sides had candid and productive discussions as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and build on recent high-level diplomacy between the two countries,” the US State Department said late Monday.

US President Joseph R. Biden’s administration has pushed to boost engagement with China as ties between the world’s two largest economies have deteriorated over issues ranging from democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own, to military activity in the South China Sea.

But critics have questioned US overtures to China, arguing that past decades of engagement have failed to change Beijing’s behavior.

‘MORE COMPLICATED’
The recent interactions between China and the United States showed both sides are trying to manage disputes, but the risk of clashes will still rise if Washington does not cease its provocations and if it does not show sincerity in improving relations, state-backed Chinese newspaper Global Times reported late Monday.

China and US ties have entered a “more complicated” phase – while China is willing to stabilize relations and is open to possible cooperation, it will also firmly fight back against the US provocations, wrote Global Times, known for its nationalist leanings.

“We’re working hard to manage the relationship as best as we possibly can,” said Mr. Kritenbrink, when asked by reporters in Beijing on Tuesday about the current state of bilateral ties.

The already frayed ties took a sharp turn south in February as Secretary of State Antony Blinken scrapped a trip to China after what Washington described as a Chinese spy balloon flew through US airspace.

Asked if Mr. Blinken would visit China soon, Mr. Kritenbrink said: “We’ll see, I have nothing to announce.”

On the odds of a meeting between Mr. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit in San Francisco in November, he said: “I couldn’t possibly say.” — Reuters

Robert Hanssen, FBI agent who spied for Russia, found dead in prison

WASHINGTON — Robert Hanssen, the former FBI agent turned spy whom the bureau describes as the most damaging in its history, was found dead in his prison cell on Monday, US authorities said.

Mr. Hanssen, 79, was sentenced in 2002 to life in prison after pleading guilty to spying for the Soviet Union and later Russia for over 20 years.

Prison staff initiated life-saving measures after finding Mr. Hanssen unresponsive on Monday morning but were not successful, the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement. It did not provide a cause of death.

Mr. Hanssen joined the FBI in 1976 and began selling classified information to the Soviet Union in 1985, according to the FBI’s website.

By the time of his arrest in 2001, he had been compensated with more than $1.4 million in cash, bank funds and diamonds, in exchange for compromising numerous human sources, intelligence techniques and classified US documents, the FBI’s website says.

FBI investigators worked for years to try to identify the spy in their ranks. In the weeks leading up to his February 2001 arrest, some 300 personnel were working on the investigation and monitoring Mr. Hanssen, according to the FBI.

An arrest team took Mr. Hanssen into custody after catching him making a “dead drop” of classified materials in a park in suburban Virginia, the FBI says.

He had been serving his life sentence in a maximum security facility in Colorado. — Reuters

Chinese ships leave Vietnam waters after US-China talks

HANOI/BEIJING — A Chinese research ship and its escort, which operated for nearly a month in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, left those waters on Monday night, vessel-tracking experts said, just after high-level US-China talks.

Chinese vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 began sailing in Vietnam’s EEZ on May 7, at times flanked by a dozen ships, and regularly crossing gas and oil fields operated by Russian companies, according to vessel-tracking data.

On Monday, after US and China senior officials held talks in Beijing that both parties called constructive, the Chinese vessel and its escort of more than half a dozen ships began their journey back to China’s Hainan island, leaving Vietnam’s EEZ around midnight.

Asked about the movements of the ships, China’s Foreign Ministry did not comment about the return to Hainan.

“The Chinese scientific research vessel carrying out normal research activities in maritime waters under China’s jurisdiction is legitimate and proper. The issue of entering another country’s EEZ does not exist,” it said in a statement.

Under international law, ships are allowed to sail through foreign EEZs, but unauthorized surveys are not permitted and China’s operations in the South China Sea have long been problematic for countries in the region, as Beijing claims most of the energy-rich sea, including foreign EEZs.

In a rare public protest, Vietnam’s government on May 25 urged the Chinese research ship and its escort to leave the country’s EEZ after a visit to Hanoi by senior Russian official Dmitry Medvedev.

At 3 a.m. GMT on Tuesday, the Chinese research ship was seen approaching Hainan, said Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University’s Project Myoushu on the South China Sea.

Vietnam’s fishery surveillance ships turned back after the Chinese vessel and its escort left Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone around midnight Vietnam time, Mr. Powell added.

Vietnam-based researcher Van Pham, who heads independent non-profit South China Sea Chronicle Initiative (SCSCI), confirmed the ships had left Vietnam’s EEZ but warned that Hainan was not the research ship’s home port, and after a break there it could resume activities in the South China Sea.

Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not reply to requests for comment. — Reuters

Philippine track and field team triumphs at ASEAN Para Games

KING JAMES REYES

PHNOM PENH — At five years old, King James Reyes lost his right arm after falling from a java apple (macopa) tree back home in Loreto, Agusan del Sur.

He didn’t let it stop him from pursuing his dream.

Now 21 years old, Mr. Reyes is on top of the world after he spearheaded the Philippines’ three-gold charge with a glorious 800-meter T46 triumph yesterday that kept the Filipinos’ heads above water in the 12th ASEAN Para Games at the Morodok Techo National Stadium here.

Edged out for the gold and settling for a pair of silver in his first two events in the 5000m Sunday and 1500m the next day, the second year student and Adamson varsity athlete saved his best for last in snaring the gold in two minutes and 13.22 seconds.

He also served Muhammad Ashraf Muhammad, the 5000m and 1500m winner, a dish best served cold — revenge — as the Malaysian wound up with the silver in 2:13.25.

Mr. Reyes’ triumph was the first of three by the country in centerpiece athletics with the other two delivered by Rosalie Torrefiel in the women’s javelin F11 and Andrei Kuizon in men’s shot put F53/54.

Ms. Torrefiel flattened the field with a magnificent 19.33m, or more than a full meter over Thai Ratnaningsih Ratnaningsih’s 18.05m.

Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Chin had a 17.98 for the bronze.

For Mr. Kuizon, a former wheelchair basketball player who was trained by former national thrower Nixon Mas, heaved 7.27m in asserting his might over a field that included eventual silver winner Phe Phawat of Cambodia, who had a 4.17m.

The three-gold haul for the day improved the country’s harvest to six — the same number of golds the country captured last time.

Expect more to come in with a day left in the four-day track meet.

“This event is full of surprises so we’ll just cross our fingers and hope we get more positive results,” said Philippine athletics coach Joel Deriada.

Over at the Royal University, the prolific Filipino chessers headed by double-gold rapid winner Darry Bernardo and rapid women’s PI champion Cheyzer Mendoza have stayed on target to improve on their current three-gold haul.

Bernardo was the solo lead in the B2B3 class while Mendoza shared the top spot in the PI section after three rounds of the six-round standard event.

At press time, the Filipinos were at No. 5 in the overall medal race with a 15-18-18 (gold-silver-bronze) collection behind Indonesia’s 71-61-41, Thailand’s 46-49-36, Vietnam’s 31-29-45 and Malaysia’s 30-23-14.

“We’re still on target,” said PSC Commissioner and chef-de-mission Walter Torres referring to surpassing the country’s 28-gold effort in Surakarta.

In table tennis also in Morodok, Smith Billy Cartera and Racleo Martinez (men’s class 4 team event) and Leo Macalanda, Jobert Lumanta and Jayson Ocampo  (men’s class 8) accounted for a pair of bronzes.

In swimming, Ariel Joseph Alegarbes missed out on a mint after a silver finish in the 100m butterfly S14. — Joel Villar

Unbeaten ROS battles charging SMB at PBA On Tour

PBA

Games Today
(Ynares Sports Arena, Pasig)
5 p.m. — TNT vs Terrafirma
7:30 p.m. — San Miguel Beer vs Rain Or Shine

RAIN Or Shine (ROS) and San Miguel Beer (SMB) shoot for their third straight win as they duke it out in a PBA On Tour clash headlining today’s double-header at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Game time is at 7:30 p.m. with the Elasto Painters (2-0) bent on staying spotless and the Beermen (2-1) poised to sustain their charge in the pre-season tournament.

ROS kicked off its campaign with impressive victories over NLEX, 117-93, and Phoenix, 113-104, drawing strong performances from Rey Nambatac (18 points per game), Anton Asistio (16.5 ppg), Santi Santillan (11 ppg, 10.5 rebounds per game), Nick Demusis (10 ppg) and Andrei Caracut (10 ppg).

The Beermen, for their part, quickly recovered from their 101-106 opening setback to Phoenix and roared past NorthPort, 87-75, and Barangay Ginebra, 90-78.

Terrence Romeo, the tour’s top scorer with 20.7 markers per outing, and Rodney Brondial, the leading rebounder with 15.7, lead an SMB team competing minus June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter, Simon Enciso and Vic Manuel.

Jericho Cruz, who’s averaging 17.3 points, is also solid for the Beermen, who got added ammo last Sunday with CJ Perez returning to active duty.

Meanwhile, shorthanded TNT (0-1) aims to get on the win column against a breakthrough-seeking Terrafirma (0-2) in the 5 p.m. curtain-raiser.

The Tropang Giga are bannered by Glenn Khobuntin, Carl Bryan Cruz, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and Kib Montalbo with aces Jayson Castro, Mikey Williams, RR Pogoy, Kelly Williams and Calvin Oftana out.

Center Poy Erram joined the list of “unavailable” players after spraining his ankle in TNT’s 90-99 loss to NorthPort last Friday.

The Sandy Arespacochaga-coached Tropang Giga are also banking on San Beda cagers Peter Alfaro, Clifford Jopia, Damie Cuntapay and JV Gallego to help out the vets. — Olmin Leyba

UP acquires Stevens from UE

THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) acquired another big piece in former University of the East anchor Gani Stevens to further bolster its frontline for the future.

Mr. Stevens, a 6-foot-7 Filipino-American slotman, will be eligible in Season 87 in time for Malick Diouf’s graduation that will help the UP Fighting Maroons stabilize their frontcourt.

“Adding another young, hardworking center in Gani (Stevens) will certainly give us more versatility in our frontcourt as we continue to build our program in the seasons to come,” said coach Goldwin Monteverde in an announcement yesterday.

Mr. Stevens, who also had a brief stint with UST before transferring to UE, tallied 9.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists as the starting center of UE in his lone season. He helped the Red Warriors make some noise from the cellar to finish at No. 6.

He will join a bevy of Diliman’s prized recruits in the aftermath of a runner-up finish to Ateneo in Season 85 following a historic title in Season 84 to end a 36-year drought.

Previously scooped up by UP were Francis Lopez from Ateneo High School, Jared Bahay of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, Seven Gagate and NCAA MVP Luis Pablo from St. Benilde, 6-foot-5 Francis Lopez, and Fil-American giant Sean Alter.

UP recently took a blow following the departure and graduation of nine players led by Carl Tamayo, Zavier Lucero and James Spencer, who served as vital cogs in their magical Season 84 run. — John Bryan Ulanday

Casper Ruud roars, Tunisian Ons Jabeur, Iga Swiatek soar into French Open quarters

PARIS — Casper Ruud continued his bid to reach back-to-back finals at the French Open by fending off Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in a 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5 fourth-round win on Monday as Tunisian trailblazer Ons Jabeur also stayed on course for a maiden Grand Slam crown.

Alexander Zverev hardly broke sweat in the night session to seal a 6-1 6-4 6-3 win over Bulgarian 28th seed Grigor Dimitrov and set up a showdown with Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Mr. Ruud, who has only dropped two sets in four matches so far, faced a tricky test against lanky claycourt specialist Jarry but pulled through in three hours and 20 minutes as his opponent failed to make his chances count in the last two sets.

“If we had gone five sets I don’t know how long we would have played,” said Mr. Ruud on Court Philippe Chatrier. “I have to thank my team for pushing me in practice. I did the work and physically I was ready for more.”

He next meets Holger Rune in a rematch of last year’s quarter-final after the Dane got a helping hand from the umpire with a missed but glaring double bounce to battle past Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(3) 3-6 6-4 1-6 7-6(7).

Mr. Etcheverry reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 7-6(8) 6-0 6-1 victory over Yoshihito Nishioka, the 27th seed.

Ms. Jabeur moved into the quarterfinals at the claycourt major for the first time with a 6-3 6-1 victory over American Bernarda Pera and hoped that the romantic atmosphere of Paris will help her quest for a maiden Grand Slam title.

“Paris is always romantic, day or night. Winning here will definitely be an amazing memory for me,” said Ms. Jabeur, who became the first African player to reach the quarters at each of the four majors in the Open Era. The Tunisian had reached the Australian Open quarterfinal in 2020 and finished runner-up to Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon and US Open title clashes last year.

The 28-year-old is not getting complacent ahead of her clash with 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, who beat Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-7(3) 6-3 7-5 to become the first Brazilian woman since Maria Bueno in 1968 to make the quarterfinals of a major.

“For now, I just want to take it one match at a time,” added Ms. Jabeur. “I will have a very difficult quarterfinal. I was just taking it one match at a time, trying to make it to the second week. Now I’m going to push more for the next few matches.”

Haddad Maia became only the second Brazilian woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in the Open Era after Ms. Bueno and she got there in three hours and 51 minutes — the longest women’s match of the tournament.

GAUFF BOOKS REMATCH
Last year’s runner-up Coco Gauff outclassed Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 7-5 6-2 in windy conditions to reach the quarterfinals where she will face holder Iga Swiatek in a rematch of the 2022 final.

Poland’s top seed Ms. Swiatek set up the blockbuster meeting when her ailing fourth-round opponent Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine retired while down 5-1 in the first set after she called on the trainer and had her blood pressure checked.

Russian Daria Kasatkina said she left the tournament with a sense of bitterness after being booed off by the crowd following her fourth-round defeat by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina on Sunday.

“Leaving Paris with a very bitter feeling. All these days, after every match I’ve played in Paris I always appreciated and thanked the crowd for their support and being there for the players,” Ms. Kasatkina wrote on Twitter. — Reuters

Kyrie Irving recruiting LeBron James to Dallas Mavs

KYRIE Irving has reached out to LeBron James to gauge the latter’s interest in coming to Dallas, The Athletic reported Monday.

Irving played 20 games for the Mavericks after a midseason trade from Brooklyn and is currently a free agent. Mr. James has two years and $97 million remaining on his contract but the second year is voidable. Mr. James, who reportedly played the last few months with a torn tendon in his foot, said he has “a lot to think about” about his future.

“Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about,” James said after the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.

Mr. James, 38, reportedly needs surgery on his foot this summer.

Mr. Irving, 31, just finished off the final year of a four-year, $136.5-million deal he signed with Brooklyn in July 2019, which included a player option for the 2022-23 season. — Reuters

James-Irving reunion

First off, let’s get one thing clear: Nothing is impossible in the National Basketball Association. History is littered with enough head-scratching developments for longtime observers to definitively argue that anything can happen in pro hoops. Still, it’s fair to contend that a LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion isn’t likely to happen with the Mavericks. There are simply too many hurdles to overcome, not least of which are the practical considerations associated with the all-time leading scorer changing addresses.

There is, of course, James’ murky future to address first. The last time anybody saw him in public, he looked like a tired, beaten 38-year-old, 20-year veteran entertaining the notion of hanging up his sneakers. And even assuming his negative body language right after being on the wrong end of a sweep was just a knee-jerk development and not truly reflective of his sentiments, there is the not inconsiderable financial obstacle that his pay presents. He is due to receive $47 million should he opt to burn rubber anew in the 2023-34 season — which effectively means the Mavericks would tie just about their entire projected salary cap room of $134 million to him, resident star Luka Doncic (at $40 million), and free agent Kyrie Irving (at a maximum $47 million).

Given the numbers, the Mavericks would need to gut their roster first, secure the Big Three, and then fill it with journeymen on minimum deals. That doesn’t sound like a winning formula, especially not since James and Doncic appear to have overlapping skill sets. And do the blue and white actually have the personnel — any personnel — the Lakers need or want in exchange for the single most transcendent asset in the game, and still the most popular name in the league by far? Which is probably why franchise owner Mark Cuban, not known to stay silent on any matter involving his interests, has kept silent.

Who knows what Irving smoked before putting out word that he’s angling to get James to switch sides? That he’s interested in partnering with his fellow champion once more is no surprise. And, in this context, perhaps he was just goading the Lakers into action: Better they get him than the Mavericks get their foundational piece. In any case, it’s best considered for what it is; fun for a moment, and ridiculous in the face of logic. Again, there are no boundaries in the NBA. Imaginations run wild because, once in a blue moon, the improbably does become reality. Not this one, though. As the stormtrooper in Star Wars famously noted, “Nothing to see here. Move along.”

 

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.

Hollywood actors authorize strike as writers still out

Source: https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-members-approve-strike-authorization-9791-yes-vote

LOS ANGELES – Hollywood‘s actors union voted to authorize a strike if contract talks break down, turning up the heat on major film and television studios already grappling with a monthlong work stoppage by writers.

After voting closed on Monday, SAG-AFTRA said 97.91% of ballots cast supported a strike authorization. Nearly 65,000 members, or about 48% of those eligible, voted on the measure.

“Bravo SAG-AFTRA. We are in it to win it,” Fran Drescher, the union’s president, said in a statement.

Talks between the 160,000-member union, Hollywood‘s largest, and the major studios are scheduled to start on Wednesday.

No new negotiations are scheduled with the striking Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents 11,500 film and TV writers. Their walkout has disrupted production of late-night shows and shut down high-profile projects including a new season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and a “Game of Thrones” spinoff for Warner Bros Discovery’s WBD.O HBO.

Over the weekend, the studios likely averted a second work stoppage by reaching a tentative deal with the Directors Guild of America(DGA). That pact will take effect if DGA members vote to ratify it in the coming weeks.

With the actors, “we are approaching these negotiations with the goal of achieving a new agreement that is beneficial to SAG-AFTRA members and the industry overall,” said the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Walt Disney Co., Netflix Inc. and other studios.

A strike by actors would lead to a broader shutdown across Hollywood and increase pressure on studios that need programming to feed their streaming services and the fall TV broadcast schedule.

In the negotiations, actors are seeking higher pay and safeguards against unauthorized use of their images through artificial intelligence. Their current deal expires June 30.

SAG-AFTRA leaders said the industry had changed dramatically with the rise of streaming television and the emergence of new technology such as generative AI.

The coming talks “may be one of the most consequential negotiations in the union’s history,” said chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

“Inflation, dwindling residuals due to streaming, and generative AI all threaten actors’ ability to earn a livelihood if our contracts are not adapted to reflect the new realities,” he said. – Reuters

1...4,7594,7604,761...14,234Page 4,760 of 14,234
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube