Home Blog Page 6090

At the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, ancient Greece and Rome can tell us a lot about the links between collective trauma and going to war

FREEPIK

On the outskirts of Grapevine, Texas, a town about five miles northwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, there’s a memorial dedicated to the 33 airline flight crew members who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. When I stumbled upon the monument several years ago with my family, I experienced contrary emotions: sadness inspired by the memorial’s stark figures, mixed with anger over how the attacks quickly became a pretext for US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now, as US soldiers leave behind uncertainty and violence in Afghanistan, I look back on America’s past 20 years with two sets of eyes.

As the first-year graduate student who stood smoking a cigarette in Washington Square Park at 8:45 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001 — less than a mile from the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers and where the sound of the jet engines’ final roar mixed in with a Tuesday morning’s bustle — I feel visceral sorrow and remorse.

Today, as a scholar of Greek literature who studies narrative and memory, I see how this collective trauma shaped US actions and has affected Americans’ vision of their identities and shared history — a feedback loop that is reflected in the myths and histories of ancient Greece.

Twenty years is still recent history for many, so memories of the 9/11 attacks may still be too raw to easily reflect on and learn from. That’s why looking for parallels in ancient stories of destruction and loss can help in understanding how shared trauma can shape the stories a nation tells itself, and the decisions that get made in response.

Collective trauma is a term that describes the shared experience of and reactions to a traumatic event by a group of people. That group may be as small as a few people or as large as a whole society.

The 9/11 attacks shattered collective American confidence in its safety and sense of place in the world. America’s collective efforts to learn to live with that trauma partly explain why there is a Sept. 11 memorial in a Texas town thousands of miles from where the attacks took place. It also demonstrates that collective tragedies can shape the world views of individuals who were not present at the event.

The traumatized group may go through shared stages of grief, from disbelief to anger. The further the group gets from the traumatizing event itself, the closer it moves to social memory, a concept historians use to describe how groups of people come to share a consistent story about past events. This narrative can be manipulated to reflect or enforce values in the present.

My studies of ancient Greek history suggest to me that this is what happened in the US after the attacks. There are myths and histories of the ancient world that describe how, in the wake of the destruction of cities, societies created cultural memories that helped them find reasons for rushing into war. These episodes have parallels to the US in the early 21st century.

In the spring of 2002, I attended a New York University conference called “Saving the City,” where speakers were asked to consider such stories. One of the histories we focused on involved Athens after the Persian army invaded Greece — for a second time — in 480 BC and burned the temples, groves, and homes of the Athenians. The attack was in part vengeance for a past military loss, and also a punishment for Athens’ meddling in Persian affairs in Asia Minor. As with New York on Sept. 11, the attackers targeted an icon: the first version of the Athenian Parthenon.

In the wake of this collective trauma, as the scholar Bernd Steinbock argues, narratives of city destruction became popular in Athenian storytelling and art. In some of these stories, cities that had committed offenses against the gods then suffered at the hands of international armies that formed to set them right.

Athenians told one another these stories as they raised troops and a navy to harry the Persians in Asia Minor. Athenian political rhetoric was shaped by the specter of Persian invasion and the threat of re-invasion, the glory of victory and the casting of Athens as a force for freedom and justice in the world. This rhetoric justified imperial expansion, violence, and eventually the murder and enslavement of the city’s own allies.

That led to the Peloponnesian War, a destructive 27-year conflict with Sparta that ended with Athens being conquered again in 404 BC.

In 2001, Americans were still in the early days of their collective trauma when talk pivoted to the rhetoric of war. Analogies were made to shared cultural or national stories from the past: The terrorists were “evil-doers,” President George W. Bush said soon after the attacks, and fighting them was “a new crusade.” Sept. 11 was the “Pearl Harbor” that made it OK to invade Afghanistan.

By early 2002, Bush was telling the nation that Iran, Iraq, and North Korea — the “axis of evil” — were threats to the United States, although they had not been implicated in the Sept. 11 attacks. His administration would soon use its claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction as a “Gulf of Tonkin” moment to justify the US invasion of Iraq — a reference to the 1964 event that spurred greater American military involvement in the Vietnam War.

As I listened to this sort of political rhetoric at the time, the language of Greek myth and poetry helped me understand how political speech capitalizes on memory to create shared realities and justify use of violence. I spent that first year of graduate school in New York City studying the language and politics in Homer’s epic, the Iliad. The story’s “thousand ships” from different cities sailing east, with a bumbling fool at their head, to punish the Trojans seemed an awful lot like the fractious “coalition of the willing” — Bush’s term for the military alliance he assembled to invade and occupy Iraq.

Rome provides another example from ancient history of the relationship between collective trauma and justifications for imperial pursuits.

The city of Rome fought and won its first war with the powerful city of Carthage — located in what is today Tunisia — between 264-241 BC, and its second between 218-201 BC. Rome then imposed a hefty war indemnity on Carthage, which helped it acquire territories that laid the foundation for a pan-Mediterranean empire.

These two victories ended any significant threat that Carthage may have posed, but Roman culture remained obsessed with war. According to the military leader and author Pliny the Elder, the statesman Cato the Elder used to shout “I think Carthage must be destroyed” at every meeting of the Roman Senate. Rome went on to fight a third war with Carthage, besieging and destroying the city between 149-146 BC.

I can’t think of this anecdote without remembering how Bush agitated for invading Iraq over 10 years after his father’s invasion of the country. Or that just a handful of years after Bush’s 2002 “axis of evil” speech, a presidential candidate sang “bomb bomb Iran” to the tune of a Beach Boys pop hit.

These and other accounts from ancient Greece and Rome suggest that over history, collective trauma has often created an opportunity for leaders to use social memory — a culture’s shared stories — to create justifications for lashing out at the world, careless of any new damage it may cause.

As individuals and nations, we don’t act because of what we suffer, but often because of the stories we tell about it.

 

Joel Christensen is a Professor of Classical Studies at Brandeis University.    

More than a year into the pandemic: New employment rules and procedures for foreign nationals coming into the Philippines

PCH.VECTOR-FREEPIK

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way we live, particularly in relation to travel and mobility. In an attempt to curb the spread of the constantly evolving variants of the COVID-19 disease, the Philippines is among the countries that continue to close its borders to foreign travelers coming in for purposes of tourism.

On March 20, 2020, the Philippines initially imposed a total ban on the entry of foreign nationals into the country pursuant to Bureau of Immigration (BI) Memorandum Circular No. JHM-2020-002. The ban included holders of immigrant, non-immigrant, or special visas. It only allowed for the entry of foreign spouses and children of Filipino nationals, accredited foreign government and international organization officials and their dependents, and foreign airline crew. Along with this ban came the suspension of visa-free entry privileges and the issuance of tourist visas by the Philippine Foreign Service Posts, and the cancellation of all previously issued tourist visas pursuant to Foreign Service Circular No. 29-2020.

With countries closing their borders to international travelers and restricting internal movement by implementing local lockdowns, the world seemed to have gone into a complete standstill. As this was not economically sustainable, over time, countries gradually re-opened their borders to boost local businesses and investments. In a similar light, and in order to mitigate further economic impact, the Philippines also relaxed its travel policies in order to accommodate a wider range of categories of foreign nationals allowed to enter the country. Since then, the government response and the laws issued by the pertinent agencies have evolved depending on the number of community cases, the transmission of the COVID-19 variants, and the over-all vaccination rate.

In line with the easing of restrictions, the Philippines is now allowing the entry of foreign nationals who are holders of immigrant, non-immigrant visas, or special visas, with travel restrictions now only applying to those who are traveling under tourist or temporary visitor visas under Section 9(a) of the Philippine Immigration Act, and to passengers coming from countries identified by the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases as high risk due to the surge of COVID-19 cases. The suspension of visa-free entry privileges and issuance of tourist visas by the Foreign Service Posts remains in effect.

Nevertheless, local companies that are hiring foreign employees or whose foreign employees have expired visas are not left without any recourse, provided that they are able to justify that the services of the foreign national are essential and critical in the operations of the local company. Cognizant of the need for some foreign nationals to enter the country for immediate and important business matters, the government has granted exemptions on a case-to-case basis by issuing an Entry Exemption Document. Foreign nationals coming into the country for purposes of business or employment need to secure a favorable endorsement from a national Philippine government agency and an Entry Exemption Document from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Once they arrive in the country, they can file their applications for the appropriate work permit and work visa.

However, on Aug. 5 of this year, the IATF issued Resolution 131-A providing the guidelines for visa issuance to foreign nationals who intend to come into the Philippines for purposes of long-term employment, or for more than six months, with a Philippine-based employer, and employment in connection with foreign-funded government projects such as those in transportation and infrastructure. In a related issuance, the Department of Justice (DoJ) issued its guidelines on Aug. 11 for the processing of applications for the issuance of Special Non-Immigrant Visas pursuant to Section 47(a)(2) of the Philippine Immigration Act. On the part of the BI, it issued Operations Order No. JHM-2021-004 on Aug. 16 providing for specific guidelines in relation to the issuance of 9(g) visas. On Aug. 31, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) likewise issued Labor Advisory No. 16 on the issuance of an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) or Certificate of Exemption/Exclusion to foreign nationals intending to come to the Philippines for long-term employment.

Under the new guidelines, local companies may already initiate the applications for an Alien Employment Permit and 9(g) commercial or 47(a)(2) visa of the foreign national, even if the latter is still out of the country. Previously, a foreign national was generally required to be physically present in the country before the work permit and work visa applications could be filed, thus, the need to secure an Entry Exemption Document from the DFA before bringing the foreign national into the country. Under the new rules, local companies can go straight to the work permit and visa application process without having to separately apply for an Entry Exemption Document with the DFA.

Another notable accommodation granted under the new guidelines is that pursuant to Section 7 of IATF Resolution No. 131-A, digitized or scanned copies of original documents, including documents authenticated or apostilled abroad may be accepted, subject to the submission of the original documents on a later date. Previously, for the applications filed locally, the BI and DoJ were strict with the submission of documents and continue to require original documents and forms signed with wet signatures even during the pandemic.

With respect to the procedure, the AEP card or Certificate of Exemption/Exclusion, as applicable, remains a pre-requisite for the filing of the 9(g) visa application with the BI. Under DoLE Labor Advisory No. 16, the requirements and procedure will be the same, except that the AEP shall be released to the Philippine-based employer to facilitate the application for the appropriate work visa with the BI.

Upon the approval of the work visa application, the BI and the DoJ will send this to the DFA, through the Office of Consular Affairs, for transmittal to the respective Foreign Service Post where the foreign national is coming from, for implementation and stamping. The implemented visa is only valid for 90 days and is limited for the purpose of entry into the country. Thereafter, the foreign national must report to the BI or the DoJ, as applicable, within seven working days from their release from quarantine or isolation, for the full implementation of the visa and for photo and biometric capturing for the ACR I-card for 9(g) visa holders.

Under Section 7 of the BI Operations Order No. JHM-2021-004, failure of the foreign national “to report within seven working days but not to exceed 60 days shall cause the non-implementation of the visa and/or registration, unless the applicant files for a reconsideration considering meritorious grounds.” On the other hand, failure to appear during the 60-day period shall cause the cancellation and downgrading of the visa. Furthermore, a copy of the valid visa of the foreign national must be submitted within 30 working days to the DoLE after completion of the 14-day quarantine protocol.

The COVID-19 pandemic has persisted for longer than we could all have imagined, and is likely here to stay at least in the medium term. Not only has it changed the way we live, it has likewise accelerated the need for authorities to revisit and reform the laws of the country to adapt to the changing circumstances. While the alarming threat to public health has not subsided, the world can no longer remain at a standstill. Whether we all like it or not, the need to be flexible and the ability to adapt will be key.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not offered and does not constitute legal advice or legal opinion.

 

Hannah Lizette S. Manalili is an Associate of the Immigration Department of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices or ACCRALAW.

(632) 8830-8000

hsmanalili@accralaw.com

Defending champ Ginebra Kings look to get out of early struggles

THE BARANGAY Ginebra San Miguel Kings take on the Rain or Shine Elastopainters in PBA Philippine Cup action on Wednesday in Pampanga. — PBA IMAGES

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

HAVING won only two-fifths of its matches to date in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup, defending champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings are looking to get out of its early struggles when they return to action on Wednesday.

The Kings (2-3) are to take on the Rain or Shine Elastopainters (4-3) in the final game at 6 p.m. of scheduled Philippine Basketball Association matches at the Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU) in Bacolor, Pampanga.

“Every game, every season is a different journey. We have struggled early in this tournament and it’s a little bit frustrating. But that’s part of the journey. And we still feel we can get out of this and contend once again for the title,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone on the Power & Play radio program at the weekend.

The defending champs were only able to play one game in the resumption of the All-Filipino Cup last week, losing to the Terrafirma Dyip, 95-90, on Sept. 3.

Barangay Ginebra was held off by a determined Dyip team in the second half en route to the upset.

All Kings starters scored in double digits, led by Christian Standhardinger, in said contest, but it was not enough to overcome Terrafirma, which got a career game from Juami Tiongson.

The team was supposed to play the Meralco Bolts on Sept. 5, but it was postponed hours before tip-off in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols.

Meanwhile, opening Wednesday’s proceedings is the match between the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok (5-2) and the streaking NLEX Road Warriors (4-2) at 12:30 p.m.

The Hotshots lost to league-leading TnT Tropang Giga, 83-76, on Sunday, their second defeat in their last three matches.

Magnolia opened the tournament hot, winning four straight.

NLEX, for its part, is making waves despite not having some key pieces in the semi-bubble tournament in Bacolor, notably do-it-all guard Kiefer Ravena.

The Road Warriors have won three games in a row, the last one over the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 94-76, on Sept. 4, to thrust themselves to solo fourth place in the race.

Also playing at 3 p.m. are TnT (6-0) and the San Miguel Beermen (3-2). The Beermen return after their scheduled game against the Alaska Aces on Saturday was postponed also because of league protocols.

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic overcomes difficult start to reach US Open quarterfinals

NOVAK DJOKOVIC — REUTERS

NEW YORK — An out-of-sorts Novak Djokovic scraped his way to a (1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2) win over American wild card Jenson Brooksby on Monday to move into the US Open quarterfinals and three wins from tennis immortality.

Chasing a 21st major that would seal a calendar year Grand Slam, Djokovic had difficulty getting into gear against the 99th ranked Brooksby, who for a moment looked capable of derailing the Serb.

For the second consecutive match, the world number one came out flat and dropped the opening set, something he will not want to do in his quarter-final when he faces Italian Matteo Berrettini in a rematch of the Wimbledon final which he won in four.

The sixth seeded Italian will mark a big step up in quality for Djokovic, who has not faced anyone ranked inside the top 50, including a qualifier and a wild card.

The match got off to an extraordinary start as Brooksby took the first set with shocking ease.

Playing for the first time on Arthur Ashe Stadium against one of the all-time greats, Brooksby was unfazed while three-times champion Djokovic sprayed shots helter-skelter, committing 11 unforced errors to just one by the young American. That was the wake-up call Djokovic needed and he broke Brooksby at the first opportunity in the second set, letting out a mighty roar.

Djokovic would win the second, but the 20-year-old American made him work for every bit of it, particularly in a grinding fifth game that lasted close to 20 minutes before Brooksby would get the break.

The last American man standing and coming off his first ever five-setter, Brooksby began to fade in the third, going down a double break as Djokovic finally began to dial in his game.

Leading 2-1, Djokovic continued to improve in the fourth and moved clear with a double break and offering zero break point opportunities to his opponent before sealing the win. — Reuters

UAAP in the process of preparing for possible resumption next year, says league executive

THE University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) is currently working on the possible resumption of activities in 2022.

This was shared by league Executive Director Rebo Q. Saguisag on the Power & Play radio program on Saturday, saying the UAAP is in constant communication with all stakeholders in trying to chart a path for its return.

Consultations are also being done with various government agencies to ensure that the direction they will be taking is in accordance with existing guidelines amid the prevailing conditions with the pandemic.

“The mind-set right now of the league has shifted from being very conservative early on in the pandemic to being more open [to the possibility of resuming] a year and a half after,” said Mr. Saguisag.

“We continue to consult with the experts and we talked with the representatives of the other leagues, and we’re happy that the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission), GAB (Games and Amusements Board), and CHEd (Commission on Higher Education) helped us in crafting these protocols,” he added.

Mr. Saguisag was quick to say though that nothing is concrete yet and that discussions and studies are still ongoing.

The UAAP decided to officially scrap the remainder of Season 82 in April last year as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic started to make its presence felt in the country.

It looked to start its new season early this year, but had to forego the plan as face-to-face classes remain prohibited.

If they do resume next year, Mr. Saguisag said one of the measures they will be requiring is the vaccination of participating student-athletes.

“Vaccines are a game changer. When we go to the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases), we’ll make it part of our requirements, for everyone involved to be vaccinated,” he said.

He also shared that a “bubble,” where activities are conducted in a controlled setting, may be suited for them since they are dealing with student-athletes.

“We are looking at a bubble. It can be argued that sports bubbles are safer,” Mr. Saguisag said.

The UAAP official went on to say that the conduct of collegiate sports activities has to return at some point, but it has to be carefully planned.

“Sports has a big role in the health of the nation. It’s a source of diversion. [And it has to return] But, of course, we in the UAAP have to ensure the safety of everyone in the league first and we’re working on that.”

The UAAP is composed of the largest universities in the country, namely: the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, University of the East, Adamson University and National University. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Talented teens eye semifinal spots at Flushing Meadows

FIL-CANADIAN Leylah Fernandez — REUTERS

NEW YORK — Teenagers have lit up the US Open this year and on Tuesday, Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz will look to take their dream runs a step further by claiming a maiden spot in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows.

The withdrawal of several big names before the start of the tournament has allowed new faces to make their mark in New York.

British 18-year-old Emma Raducanu won her fourth round match on Monday, joining Alcaraz, 18, and Fernandez, who has just turned 19, in the quarterfinals.

This year’s event will be the first to feature 18-year-old male and female quarterfinalists since 1988.

Canada’s Fernandez will look to back up her victories over former champions Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber when she takes on Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the second match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Seeing all these teenagers, the youngsters doing so great at the US Open… is eye-opening I think to the world, to the tennis world,” Fernandez said after her win over Kerber.

“There is not only like one group of tennis players, but there is a new wave of young generations that’s coming up, and just trying to make an impact in the tennis game as much as they can.”

Spain’s Alcaraz became the youngest player in the Open era to reach the quarterfinals of the men’s tournament in New York with his victory over Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk on Sunday.

Alcaraz, who will face Canadian 12th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last match on Ashe, is taking things one day at a time.

“I know that in Spain, they are talking about me a lot,” Alcaraz said. “I (am) trying not to think about this… Just focus on New York, focus on every day here.”

Second seed Daniil Medvedev will continue his quest for a maiden major title when he kicks things off on Arthur Ashe against Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp in the first career meeting between the two.

Russian Medvedev, the runner-up at Flushing Meadows in 2019, has cruised through the first week without dropping a set, while Van de Zandschulp has enjoyed a surprise run highlighted by a grueling five-set win over Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.

Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejčíková, seeded eight, will take on second seed Aryna Sabalenka, with both women seeking their first semifinal berth at the US Open. — Reuters

PNVF bares teams for club championships in Thailand

Three teams will represent the Philippines in the Asian Women’s and Men’s Club Volleyball Championship tournaments in Thailand next month. — PNVF

The Philippines will be represented by three teams – two for women and one for men – in the Asian Women’s and Men’s Club Volleyball Championship tournaments in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, next month.

The teams, playing under the Rebisco and Choco Mucho names, were presented to the board of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) in a virtual meeting on Tuesday.

The PNVF announced the composition of the squads following consultations with the national team think tank, composed of Brazilian consultant-coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito and national team coaches Odjie Mamon (women) and Dante Alinsunurin (men) and PNVF National Team Commission chairman Tonyboy Liao.

The composition of the teams was unanimously approved by the PNVF board.

Federation chief Ramon Suzara said with the naming of the players, they hope to get the ball rolling for a sustainable development of the national team program, with an eye on, among other things, doing well in competitions immediately at hand.

“With these club championships, we are putting in harness the national team program aimed at three major international competitions in 2022,” Mr. Suzara said. “These are the Asian Games in Huangzhou, Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam and the Asian Senior Women’s Championship that we are hosting in May next year.”

The national teams are currently training in a semi-bubble at the Aquamarine Gym in Lipa City, Batangas.

Mr. Souza de Brito will coach the Rebisco women’s team which has veteran Aby Maraño along with Eya Laure, Jema Galanza, Faith Nisperos, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, Mhicaela Belen, Imee Hernandez, Ivy Lacsina, Rhea Dimaculangan, Kamille Cal, Jennifer Nierva and Bernadette Pepito.

The Choco Mucho women’s team, meanwhile, will be coached by Mr. Mamon, with Iris Tolenada as skipper. The team also has Kalei Mau, MJ Phillips, Tin Tiamzon, Kat Tolentino, Mylene Paat, Kianna Dy, Ria Meneses, Majoy Baron, Dell Palomata, Deanna Wong and Dawn Macandili.

For the Rebisco men’s squad, Mr. Alinsunurin is the coach with John Vic de Guzman (team captain), Jessie Lopez, Ysay Marasigan, Rex Intal, Mark Alfafara, Nico Almendras, Kim Malabunga, Ish Polvorosa, Francis Saura, Manuel Sumanguid, Josh Retamar, Jao Umandal, Ricky Marcos and JP Bugaoan making up the team.

The women’s teams are scheduled to leave on Sept. 27 in time for the tournament set from Oct. 1 to 7. The men’s squad, on the other hand, is flying to Thailand on Oct. 4 for its own tournament scheduled from Oct. 8 to 15.

All three squads seeing action in Thailand are supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Rebisco. – Michael Angelo S. Murillo

FIFA chief labels Brazil postponement ‘crazy’; Spurs set to fine players

MANCHESTER — The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has opened an investigation into the postponement of Argentina’s World Cup qualifier with Brazil with their President Gianni Infantino labeling the events “crazy” while Tottenham Hotspur were reported to be ready to take disciplinary action against their Argentine players.

Brazilian health authorities intervened on the pitch on Sunday after accusing four Argentine Premier League players of violating the country’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine rules.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Tottenham duo Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso were on the Neo Quimica Arena pitch as part of the Argentine lineup when officials from Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa walked onto the field and stopped the game around five minutes after kickoff.

Aston Villa midfielder Emiliano Buendia had also traveled from the UK and was in the stands. — Reuters

Team Europe beats US 15-13 to retain Solheim Cup

TOLEDO, Ohio — Matilda Castren sank a final hole put to ensure Team Europe retained the Solheim Cup before they went on to edge the United States (15-13) at the Inverness Club on Monday and win for only the second time on American soil.

The Finn steered in a right to left par putt on the 18th to edge Lizette Salas as Europe kept hold of the trophy with three matches to complete before a half point for Dane Emily Pedersen secured victory eight years after they last won on US soil.

Europe started the day 9-7 ahead and sped to within touching distance of retaining the trophy before the Americans attempted a late comeback before faltering as the pressure mounted.

In the end, both teams won five singles with the other two halved. Pedersen sank a birdie on the 18th with the last stroke of a gripping day’s golf as Europe triumphed, but celebrations were already underway after Castren finished one up over Salas.

“It was an amazing team effort after we got off to a great start this morning,” said Team Europe captain Catriona Matthew. “We knew it would be so tough with no European fans. I’m just so proud and happy for them.”

Rookie Leona Maguire beat Jennifer Kupcho five & four to pick up the first point of the final day and extend Europe’s overnight lead as she became the third player in Solheim Cup history to earn her team four or more points in a single competition.

It was quickly followed by Madelene Sagstrom bagging another point with a three & two win over Ally Ewing and then Celine Boutier completing a resounding five & four victory over Mina Harigae in a blemish-free performance.

The much-anticipated contest between Anna Nordqvist and Lexi Thompson, who were the first singles pairing to tee off on the final day, was halved after 18 holes to take Europe even closer, but then began the US fightback.

The first full point of the day for the Americans came from World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who beat Georgia Hall on the last hole at the end of a close contest that finally gave the partisan crowd reason to cheer.

Home momentum faltered as Austin Ernst missed a short birdie putt on the last and halved with Nanna Koerstz Madsen, but then Megan Khang and Brittany Altomare revived American hopes to reduce Europe’s lead to 13-11.

Khang, who was six up at one stage, completed a three & two win over Sophia Popov while Altomare ended Carlota Ciganda’s unbeaten singles record in the Solheim Cup with a two & one victory.

But Salas faltered on the last to allow Castren to spark European celebrations and, while the Americans won two of the last three matches, Pedersen’s lead over Danielle Kang was big enough to survive a late mini-collapse and ensure cup success. — Reuters

Rookie shines

You would have been laughed off the table had you argued prior to the Solheim Cup matches at the Inverness Club that a rookie would lead the way. The premier team-based event in women’s golf has seen even steely veterans with otherwise-sterling careers buckle under the weight of great expectations. That said, you would have had the last laugh, because, in the aftermath of Team Europe’s stunning retention of the hardware in hostile territory, a rookie did shine brightest.

To be sure, you had a decent chance to be right on paper. With seven first-timers donning Solheim Cup colors in Toledo, Ohio, you’d at least have relied on middling odds to back up your contention. That said, appearance is one thing and performance is quite another. The annals of the biennial spectacle are littered as much by outstanding play as by cringe-inducing moments. It’s precisely why the proceedings have been uniformly compelling. Forget about the scores; every swing on every hole is crucial.

Which is why, for the most part, newcomers struggle not to make mistakes, let alone spearhead a winning charge. It’s also why Leona Maguire’s accomplishment is nothing short of remarkable. The fact that she proved to be first among equals in foreign soil serves only to underscore the magnitude of her achievement. When all was said and done, she was the only player on both sides to suit up in every single match through the three days of competition — and with reason; four victories and a tie had her a whopping 1.5 points clear of any other participant.

For longtime habitues of the sport, Maguire isn’t really a new face. Prior to turning professional, she ranked number one in the world amateur golf ranking for 135 weeks, the longest ever. Then, she starred in such notables as the Curtis Cup, the Junior Solheim Cup, and the Junior Ryder Cup. Now, she’s moving up the ranks with steady play along with the two triumphs on her resume; since June, she hasn’t posted a score outside the top 15 — a streak spanning seven stops.

How Europe will fare at Finca Cortesin in 2023 is the subject of another discussion. Experience carried the day for it two years ago, capped by a for-the-ages putt on the last hole of the last match of the last day; Suzann Pettersen, the heroine at Gleneagles, promptly retired. This time around, it rightly deserves to bask in glory, celebrating in the United States for just the second time in Solheim Cup history on the strength of Maguire’s excellent showing. And she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

 

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.

London takes aim at New York with five-year financial plan

REUTERS

LONDON — Britain needs to ease taxes on banks and make it easier to hire staff from abroad, its financial and professional services lobby said in a blueprint to help London unseat New York as the world’s top international financial center within five years.

The strategy paper on Tuesday from TheCityUK reiterated some ideas already aired in government-backed reports and elsewhere in recent months as the City of London looks to recoup ground lost following Britain’s departure from the EU.

“By some metrics, the UK is losing ground: London is currently slipping further behind New York each year while other centers are strengthening,” the paper said.

The US financial capital overtook London in 2018 in a leading annual survey, it said, adding that New York dominated in stock market listings.

“The UK therefore needs to adopt a relentless focus on strengthening its international competitiveness to win back the prize of being the world’s leading international financial center,” TheCityUK lobby group, which promotes the wider financial sector abroad, it said in the paper.

Britain’s departure from the European Union effectively closed London off from its biggest financial services customer, adding further pressure to catch up.

The finance ministry has already set out reforms to make London’s capital market more competitive, and TheCityUK set a five-year target for London to “out-compete its rivals” by amending tax, visa and other rules.

Becoming the global hub for financial data, sustainability investing and investment and risk management will also be crucial in helping Britain overtake New York, TheCityUK said.

The total tax rate for a London bank is 46.5%, 13% higher than a New York based bank, it added.

But persuading government to cut taxes on finance as it mends a hole in the economy from COVID may be challenging, as will having an open door on hiring given the Brexit referendum pledged to crack down on high levels of international mobility.

The single most important issue for financial firms is being able to hire globally, TheCityUK CEO Miles Celic said.

“In conversations we have had with government, I think that is something that is absolutely understood,” he told reporters. — Reuters

Myanmar shadow government calls for revolt against military rule

FLOWERS hang during a nationwide flower campaign against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, April 2, 2021. — REUTERS

MYANMAR’S shadow government, formed by opponents of military rule, called for a revolt against the junta on Tuesday, setting out a strategy that included action by armed militias and ethnic forces and urging bureaucrats to leave their posts.

Duwa Lashi La, the acting president of the National Unity Government, said in a speech that the shadow government, which is made up of members in exile or in hiding, was declaring a state of emergency.

Myanmar’s military toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, triggering a wave of protests by pro-democracy supporters, and hundreds of deaths as security forces tried to quell the demonstrations.

Some opponents of military rule have formed armed groups, under the banner of the People’s Defense Forces, and have forged alliances with some ethnic militias that have long seen Myanmar’s army as their enemy.

Declaring it was launching a “defensive war,” Duwa Lashi La called for a “revolt against the rule of the military terrorists led by Min Aung Hlaing in every corner of the country.”

Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hlaing last month took on the role of prime minister in a newly formed caretaker government and pledged to hold new elections by 2023.

The junta has itself branded the NUG and People’s Defence Forces as terrorist groups.

Military-appointed administrators should “immediately leave your positions,” Duwa Lashi La said in his 14-point speech, in which he urged members of the security forces to join them and for ethnic forces in border areas to attack the military.

Soon after February’s coup, a civil disobedience movement was set up in a bid to undermine military rule.

Hastily formed militias have also been involved in regular skirmishes with the army though often appear to operate independently, while it is also unclear how much coordination there is among ethnic forces that have been fighting the army on and off for decades.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been leading diplomatic efforts to end the violence and open a dialogue between the military rulers and their opponents.

ASEAN’s envoy to Myanmar, Erywan Yusof, said in an interview with Kyodo news agency that the military had accepted his proposal for a ceasefire until the end of the year to ensure distribution of humanitarian aid.

A pro-democracy activist and another member of the NUG said the junta could not be trusted to honor such a deal.

A military spokesman did not answer calls from Reuters to seek comment on the reported ceasefire or the speech by the NUG. — Reuters