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Shanghai’s Disneyland theme park to re-open on Thursday

PHOTO FROM SHANGHAIDISNEYRESORT.COM

BEIJING — The Walt Disney Co.’s Shanghai Disney Resort said on Tuesday it would reopen the Disneyland theme park on June 30, a month after the Chinese economic hub lifted a two month-long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown.

The theme park has been shut since March 21, when the resort closed its doors amid an uptick of cases in Shanghai. The city lifted its lockdown on June 1 and the resort began opening some areas just over a week later.

The resort said in a statement it will resume ticket sales on Wednesday and capacity levels will be controlled, without specifying at what levels. Some experiences, such as Marvel Universe, will remain shut, it added.

All guests will also need to show proof of a negative COVID test taken within the last 72 hours to enter, it said.

Fresh waves of COVID-19 cases since March prompted the Chinese government to adopt stringent measures to cut off the spread, including shutting numerous public venues in several cities. The Universal Beijing Resort was closed for nearly two months before its reopening on June 25.

Shanghai Disneyland is a joint venture with Chinese state-owned Shendi Group, which holds a 57% stake. —  Reuters

POCO launches two new smartphones

Smartphone brand POCO last week launched two new devices, the F4 and the X4 GT, and announced their availability and pricing in the Philippines.

The X4 GT is already available via POCO’s Shopee page for P18,990 (8GB RAM + 128GB storage) and P19,990 (8GB+256GB), while the F4 can be purchased via its Lazada store starting June 30 for P20,990 (6GB+128GB) and P22,990 (8GB+256GB).

The POCO F4 offers flagship-level performance as it is powered by the Snapdragon 870 processor. Meanwhile, the POCO X4 GT is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 chipset.

“POCO’s flagship products have always required best-in-class performance on all fronts, and as we present the POCO F4 and POCO X4 GT, we’re confident that we’ve achieved just that. We are excited to venture forward with the Snapdragon® 870 and MediaTek Dimensity 8100 chipsets,” Angus Ng, head of Product Marketing at POCO Global, was quoted as saying in a statement.

The F4’s processing power offers shortened app loading times, supporting high-graphic games and smooth scrolling experience on web pages and apps.

It is the thinnest among POCO smartphones to date and has a 6.67-inch E4 AMOLED screen and an ultra-tiny 2.76mm DotDisplay with a 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate and screen peak brightness of 1,300 nits for better detail and contrast.

The phone also has dual speakers, verified with Dolby Atmos for an immersive listening experience.

The POCO F4’s triple rear camera setup features a 64MP main camera with optical image stabilization. It also has 8MP ultra-wide camera and 2MP macro lens.

The device comes with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 67W turbo charging.

It comes in three colors: Night Black, Moonlight Silver, and Nebula Green.

Meanwhile, the POCO G4 XT has a 20.5:9 LCD display ratio and LCD True Display for allowing comfortable viewing. It also has Dolby Atmos stereo speakers.

It likewise features a 64MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide lens and 2MP macro camera for its rear setup and a 16MP front camera.

The phone has a 5,080mAh battery that also supports 67W turbo charging.

The X4 GT comes in three colors: Silver, Black, and Blue.

IC to examine PCIC, audit gov’t social insurance firms

PHILIPPINE Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) is now under the Insurance Commission (IC), which will give the regulator the power to examine the state-run agricultural insurer’s operations.

“In view of the foregoing, the PCIC is hereby placed under the supervision of the IC. The IC is hereby directed to conduct an examination into the affairs, financial condition, and method of business of the PCIC every three years, or as often as may be directed by the Insurance Commissioner or the Secretary of Finance. The results of such examination shall be submitted by the IC to the DoF (Department of Finance),” Finance chief Carlos G. Dominguez III said in Department Order No. 038, series of 2022, which he signed on June 28.

The order takes effect immediately and comes after President Rodrigo R. Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) No. 148 in September 2021, which moved the IC to the DoF from the Department of Agriculture.

Under the EO, the PCIC Board was also reorganized and now has the DoF chief as its chairperson.

IC AUDIT

Meanwhile, the IC has formed project audit teams to ensure that the country’s social insurance institutions are adopting the Philippine Financial Reporting Standards 4 (PFRS 4). The audit will cover the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), and the Social Security System (SSS).

GSIS will be audited starting July, the SSS in September, and PhilHealth in October.

These state-run social insurance firms saw their combined total liability rise to P9.94 trillion in 2020 from just P154 billion in 2019 after their adoption of PFRS 4. — DGCR

Gilas Pilipinas faces undefeated New Zealand in Asian Qualifiers

GILAS Pilipinas team | SBP Facebook

It’s not ‘mission impossible, they must trust the system’

GAME TODAY: (Eventfinda Stadium, Auckland) 7:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Manila time) Philippines vs. New Zealand

WHAT it lacks in manpower, size and experience, Gilas Pilipinas intends to make up for with heart, grit and determination as it battles undefeated New Zealand on Thursday in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in Auckland.

Coach Nenad Vučinić said the 11-man team of mostly young guns has embraced its Herculean task of going toe-to-toe with the Tall Blacks in the 7:30 p.m. road game at the Eventfinda Stadium (3:30 p.m. in Manila).

“We’ve got a young team here and it’s up to them to prove that they can play at that level and that they can play important games like this,” said Mr. Vučinić ahead of the Nationals’ (1-1) return match with Group A pacesetter New Zealand (3-0), which dealt them an 88-63 drubbing in the second window in Manila last February.

Without injured naturalized player Ange Kouame and PBA stalwarts, Mr. Vučinić is banking on Kiefer Ravena, Dwight Ramos, RJ Abarrientos, SJ Belangel, Geo Chiu Dave Ildefonso, Francis Lopez, Will Navarro, Carl Tamayo, Rhenz Abando and Kevin Quiambao to carry the fight against New Zealand as well as India (0-3) on Sunday over at the MOA Arena,

And Mr. Vučinić, a former Tall Blacks coach himself, is confident it’s not exactly “mission impossible” for his resolute crew.

“We can beat New Zealand. We can beat India. We just have to play very well, though, to beat them, especially against New Zealand,” he said.

“They cannot step back; they cannot go into this game not thinking that they can win. This is very important,” he added.

Just as vital, the Serbian mentor stressed, is “trusting the system.”

“They have to play within the system. We have got some talent that we can exploit but without the system, it’s impossible to do that. So they have to trust the system, they have to execute and then you know it comes down to the ability to adjust to what the opposition is doing because it’s a high-level opposition, a very good coaching staff.” — Olmin Leyba

How PSEi member stocks performed — June 29, 2022

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.

PBA set to work with Japan B.League, Korean Basketball League on player exchange

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial | THE PHILIPPINE STAR FILE PHOTO

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is set to work with the Korean Basketball League (KBL) and Japan B.League to firm up ties and exchange ideas for the further development of their respective leagues.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said he will sit down with counterparts from neighboring leagues in KBL commissioner Kim Hee Ok and B.League chairman Shinji Shimada after their first encounter during the official draw of the East Asia Super League (EASL) featuring their leagues as founding members.

Mr. Marcial actually had already an initial discussion with the KBL while he and PBA officials will travel to Japan in September for a series of agenda including technology development on officiating and the possibility of a player exchange program.

“Nagkaroon na kami ng pag-uusap two months ago. Ngayon, doon kami magfa-finalize,” said Mr. Marcial, noting that a cooperation with neighboring leagues has already been floated in the past by former PBA commissioner Noli Eala before coming into fruition through EASL.

“Hindi lang natutuloy dati kasi walang point person. Ngayon, nagawa ng EASL. Magandang usapan. Malaking opportunity itong EASL para sa lahat ng liga sa Asya na magkasama-sama,” he added.

Also set to be tackled is the recent, fast-growing transfer of Filipino players under the Asian Player Quota program to the overseas leagues including PBA stalwarts Kiefer Ravena and Ray Parks to Japan.

“Malamang, pag-uusapan iyon. Maganda ‘yun (na mapag-usapan). Tingnan natin kung paano,” Mr. Marcial added, reiterating the league’s willingness to explore all efforts and innovations for its further develop-ment.

Included in those plans is the return of Asian imports following its noble introduction in the 2015 and 2016 PBA Governor’s Cup, way before the B.League and KBL sign Asian players under their new programs.

With the relationship between leagues expected to only strengthen, entry of guest teams is also a possibility with the Bay Area Dragons from Greater China (Hong Kong) as the first team to make it for the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

“Open tayo sa lahat,” beamed Mr. Marcial. — John Bryan Ulanday

Philippines’ Eala in a easy, 6-2, 6-0 win over Chile’s Gonzalez

MIKE EALA/ PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

VENGEFUL Alex M. Eala bamboozled Chile’s Jimar Geraldine Gerald Gonzalez with an easy 6-2, 6-0 first-round win in the W25 Palma del Rio in Spain to set the tone in her redemption bid after a title miss last time.

After settling for bridesmaid finish in the W60 Madrid 10 days ago, Ms. Eala vented her ire on Ms. Gonzales by ending the match in only 56 minutes to advance to the second round against either Valeria Savinykh or Jessica Ponchet.

In the doubles play, Ms. Eala and home bet Marina Bassols Ribera blanked the Spanish pair of Adriana Cortes and Patricia Rodriguez Carretero, 6-0, 6-0, to barge into the quarterfinals.

Ms. Ribera, ironically, was Ms. Eala’s tormentor in the W60 Madrid finals after scoring a 6-4, 7-5 win to deny the latter her third professional title.

Joining forces now, the fourth-seeded duo will shoot for a Final Four ticket against Spain’s Marta Huqi Gonzales Encinas and the United States’ Ashley Lahey, who trounced Spain’s Ariana Geerlings and Estonia’s Elizabeth Jurna, 6-3, 6-2.

Prior to the W25 Palma del Rio stint, Ms. Eala this week reached a new-career best ranking in the Women’s Tennis Association at No. 337 from No. 340 for an added motivation in a goal to win another pro title. — John Bryan Ulanday

LA Lakers’ Russell Westbrook exercising $47.1-million option

RUSSELL Westbrook will exercise his $47.1-million player option and return to the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2022-23 season, ESPN and The Athletic reported on Tuesday.

The nine-time All-Star point guard and 2016-2017 Most Valuable Player is entering the final season of a five-year, $206-million contract. Westbrook, 33, was facing a Wednesday deadline to opt-in with the Lakers and new head coach Darvin Ham.

In his first season in Los Angeles in 2021-2022, Westbrook didn’t mesh well with ex-coach Frank Vogel and became a target of fans as injuries pulled apart the veteran-laden roster. Westbrook posted his lowest scoring average since 2009-2010.

The Lakers are counting on a bounce-back year from Westbrook and better health from co-stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis next season.

A two-time NBA scoring champion, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 78 games last season. He has career averages of 22.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 1,021 games (1,000 starts) with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-2019), Houston Rockets (2019-2020), Washington Wizards (2020-2021) and Lakers. — Reuters

Serena stunned by Tan in Wimbledon first-round epic

LONDON — Playing her first singles match for a year after injury, Serena Williams’ opening-round Wimbledon loss to Harmony Tan on Tuesday was hardly her most unexpected defeat, but there were plenty of signs it could be the most portentous yet.

Of course, nobody goes on for ever, not even Williams who has performed numerous near miracles throughout a career spanning three decades.

Still, it made for uncomfortable viewing seeing the rusty seven-times champion a faded shadow of the player who has won 23 Grand Slam singles crowns.

For having long made a habit of seeing off lesser mortals while cruising at barely half pace, on Tuesday there seemed nothing to dig into, no extra gear, nor any aura to lend an advantage.

Instead, she brandished blunted tools and slumped to a three-set defeat before contemplating her future.

“That’s a question I can’t answer,” the 40-year-old said when asked if she would return to Wimbledon. “Like, I don’t know. I feel like, you know, I don’t know. Who knows? Who knows where I’ll pop up.

“Today, I gave all I could do… Maybe tomorrow, I could have gave more. Maybe a week ago, I could have gave more. But today was what I could do. At some point, you have to be able to be okay with that.

“And that’s all I can do. I can’t change time or anything, so…”

It is always going to be tough for Williams to walk away from the sport she has dominated. And despite falling short on her return to singles action here, she seems motivated to keep going, keeping the door open for an emotional return to New York for the US Open in August.

“It definitely makes me want to hit the practice courts because, you know, when you’re playing not bad and you’re so close,” she said, seeking something positive from a bad day.

“Like I said, any other opponent probably would have suited my game better. So, yeah, I feel like that it’s actually kind of like, ‘Okay, Serena, you can do this if you want.’

“Yeah, I mean, when you’re at home, especially in New York, and the US Open, that being the first place I’ve won a Grand Slam, is something that’s always super special. Your first time is always special. There’s definitely, you know, lots of motivation to get better and to play at home.” — Reuters

Gintong Gawad 2022 awardees feature in PSC’s Rise Up!

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) stays committed to recognizing outstanding contributions and initiatives related to women and sports development at the grassroots level through Gintong Gawad (GiGa) 2022.

The commission wrapped up this year’s run of Gintong Gawad Awards in a gala awards night held at Subic Travelers Hotel last June 14, 2022, where eight winners and two special citations were conferred.

The highlights of the occasion will be streamed on PSC’s Rise Up! Shape Up! special episode tonight, June 29 at 7 p.m.

PSC Women in Sports overseeing Commissioner Celia Kiram values the support of grassroots communities in helping PSC in its vision of developing sports excellence nationwide and honing homegrown top-performing athletes through various programs of the PSC.

“We at PSC Women in Sports are delighted to receive numerous nominations as it signifies the strong presence of sports development in our local communities and at the grassroots level,” Ms. Kiram said.

“We are humbled by this reminder that Philippine sports need our attention, care and support, not only at the national level, but most significantly at the grassroots as this is where Filipino sports talent and potential national athletes emerge,” the lone lady commissioner of the PSC added.

Successfully launched in late 2021, GINTONG GAWAD is a national awards platform to celebrate and pay tribute to ground-breaking, inspiring, notable, timeless, outstanding contributions to the promotion and development of women and sports at the grassroots level. It presents awards in eight categories namely: Ina ng Isport, Babaeng Atleta, Modelo ng Kabataan; Babaeng Atletang may Kapansanan, Modelo ng Kabataan; Ba-baeng Tagasanay ng Isport; Babaeng Lider ng Isport sa Komunidad; Kaagapay ng Isports sa Komunidad; Produktong Pang-Isport na Natatangi at Makabago; at Proyektong Isport Pang-Kababaihan

Accor recruiting 12,000 temporary workers to help accommodate Qatar’s World Cup fans

DOHA — Hotel operator Accor is recruiting 12,000 temporary overseas employees to operate 65,000 empty rooms in apartments and homes in Qatar as temporary fan housing for the 2022 soccer World Cup, its chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin told Reuters.

Qatar is working to avoid an accommodation shortage during the tournament and has hired Accor, Europe’s largest hotel operator, to manage the temporary operation.

“65,000 rooms is like opening 600 hotels, so we committed to hire enough people to serve it,” Bazin said, adding that a drive is underway in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and South America to recruit housekeepers, front-desk staff, logistics experts and others.

“All that is going to be dismantled at the end of December,” he said.

Qatar’s official World Cup accommodation website has received around 25,000 bookings so far, and will offer more than 100,000 rooms, Omar Al Jaber, executive director of accommodation for tournament organizers the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy told reporters on Tuesday.

“We will be under pressure until the first match has started. This is normal and we are ready,” Al Jaber said.

Qatar hopes to attract 1.2 million visitors, nearly half of its population, during the 28-day tournament in November and December.

But the tiny Gulf Arab state has fewer than 30,000 hotel rooms, according estimates by Qatar Tourism, and 80% of those rooms have been block booked by world soccer’s governing body FIFA, for official guests, World Cup organizers said.

Qatar is also offering 4,000 rooms on two cruise ships moored at Doha Port, 1,000 Bedouin-style desert tents and rooms in pre-fabricated fan village cabins.

Pre-booked accommodation is mandatory for ticketed fans who plan to stay overnight in Qatar during the World Cup, Al Jaber said. Without accommodation, most fans won’t be issued a mandatory fan ID, which doubles as a visa to Qatar.

To operate hotel-style rooms in homes and apartments will be a massive logistical challenge for Accor, Bazin said.

The hotel operator is shipping 500 containers from China, filled with furnishings, from sofas to silverware. Accor will redeploy its fleet of trucks, busses and cars from Mecca in neighboring Saudi Arabia to overcome an expected shortage of available vehicles in Qatar during the tournament, he said. It has also sourced a local company to launder the 150 tons of dirty linen the operation will generate each day. — Reuters

Nadal overcomes third set wobble to reach second round

RAFAEL NADAL — REUTERS

LONDON — Rafael Nadal made a stuttering but rousing return to the grass on Tuesday, beating 41st-ranked Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in Wimbledon’s first round to begin his campaign for a third Grand Slam title of the year.

The 36-year-old second seed, who has not played at Wimbledon since 2019 and stayed away from warm-up tournaments with a chronic foot problem, looked to be motoring through the match until a series of unforced errors allowed Cerundolo back in.

“It is not a surface that we play very often, especially in my case in the last three years I didn’t put any foot on the grass,” Nadal told the Centre Court crowd.

“Every day is a test and I am at the beginning of the tournament and the difficult circumstances (under which) I arrived here.”

Nadal won the first set after uncharacteristically coming into the net and forcing Cerundolo to hit a forehand wide. A little skip and a fist pump and the Spaniard was on his way.

He won the second set after breaking serve in the sixth game and serving out to love.

But the 23-year-old Cerundolo, who broke into the top 100 only in February, upped the tempo in the third set and found the lines with his booming forehand to put the twice Wimbledon champion on the back foot.

Nadal, who has also won 20 other Grand Slam titles, looked tired in the face of the onslaught, losing the set under pressure with a backhand into the net. He then dropped his serve in the fourth as Cerundolo’s confidence and energy increased.

But Nadal, who won the Australian Open in January and the French Open earlier this month, is nothing if not a fighter. He regrouped and used all his experience to battle back.

Cheered on by a packed Centre Court, he broke the serve of his now nervous opponent twice to seal the match and set up a second-round tie with Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania.

“Three years without being here… it is amazing to be back and I can’t thank (people) enough for the support,” said Nadal. — Reuters

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