Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 6437

Thailand starts long awaited COVID-19 vaccination drive

BANGKOK — Thailand kicked off a long-awaited mass vaccination campaign on Monday as the country battles its third and worst wave of the coronavirus epidemic.

The government aims to administer 6 million doses of locally-made AstraZeneca and imported Sinovac vaccines this month, hoping to assuage worries about the slow roll-out and supply shortages.

“The government will ensure that everyone is vaccinated,” Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said in televised comments after he visited an inoculation centre in Bangkok.

The government plans to vaccinate 70% of Thailand’s population of more than 66 million people by the end of the year. So far, 2.8 million people deemed most vulnerable, including frontline health and transport workers, have received a first dose.

But the government has come under fire from opposition politicians who accuse it of complacency and an over-reliance on the locally-made AstraZeneca doses.

Thailand had escaped the worst of the pandemic as it hit other countries hard last year, but is now grappling with its deadliest outbreak. The third wave has accounted for more than 80% of total infections so far. Officials reported 2,419 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and 33 deaths on Monday, bringing the total to 179,886 and 1,269 fatalities.

“My feeling is that no matter what, we will need to go outside of home for the littlest things, so getting the vaccine gives us a sense of relief,” said Praepawee Lertpongkijja, 38, at a Bangkok vaccination center.

The government has been scrambling to source more vaccines as concerns emerged about the production capacity of royal-owned Siam Bioscience, the Thai company making the AstraZeneca vaccine locally, after the Philippines said its order had been reduced and delayed.

Thailand will receive an additional 3.24 million doses from AstraZeneca after mid-June, the health ministry said in a statement, but did not specify how much would be locally made.

The Thai government received 1.8 million locally-produced AstraZeneca shots on Friday and has sourced another 200,000 doses from South Korea, a health ministry source told Reuters. Thailand expects to sign a contract this week for 20 million shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. — Reuters

Saso triumphs in playoff to win US Women’s Open

YUKA SASO hoists the US Open trophy with a group of spectators after winning in a sudden death playoff over Nasa Hataoka following the final round of the US Women’s Open golf tournament at The Olympic Club. — REUTERS

First Filipino golfer to win a Major tournament, Saso matches Park Inbee as youngest champion

SAN FRANCISCO — Yuka Saso battled back from a horrid start to best Japan’s Nasa Hataoka in the third hole of a sudden death playoff to win the 76th US Women’s Open golf championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco on Sunday.

With the victory, the 19-year-old Saso became the first Filipino player to win a golf major and announced herself as a new force in the game.

Ms. Saso pumped her fist and smiled after drilling a 10-foot birdie putt to seal the win before having champagne poured on her to close out a picture-perfect day at the Lake Course.

“I was actually upset,” she said about two double bogeys in her first three holes, which seemed to doom her chances.

“My caddie talked to me and said there are still many holes to go and to keep doing what I’ve been doing the past few days,” she said. “And to trust the process.”

All week, Ms. Saso enjoyed the vocal support of fans from nearby Daly City, which is home to a large Filipino population.

“There were so many people holding up Philippines flags,” she said. “It made me really happy.”

Ms. Saso, who earlier in the tournament revealed she has tried to emulate four-time men’s major champion Rory McIlroy’s swing, received encouragement from the Northern Irishman on social media on Sunday.

“Rory said, ‘Get that trophy,’ and I did. So thank you, Rory,” she said with a laugh.

At 19 years, 11 months and 17 days, Ms. Saso matched South Korea’s Park Inbee to the day as the youngest champion at the women’s game’s oldest major.

Ms. Saso had to survive a late charge by Hataoka, who was seeking to become the latest Japanese major champion after Hideki Matsuyama triumphed at the Masters earlier this year.

After starting the day six strokes off the lead, Hataoka stormed from behind with three birdies on her last six holes but could only manage pars on the three playoff holes and was forced to watch on as Ms. Saso sank the winning shot.

HEARTBREAK FOR THOMPSON
The playoff came after American Lexi Thompson, who led by four strokes after her first nine holes, suffered a heartbreaking collapse on the back nine.

Thompson, 26, had her elusive second major title in sight but began to struggle with her accuracy off the tee on the back nine and missed a crucial par putt on 17 as well as one on 18 that would have seen her into the playoff.

The popular American, who was playing in her 15th US Women’s Open, could only manage a disappointing four-over 75 on Sunday.

Thompson has been working on taking a more positive mind-set to the game and while she admitted it was hard to smile after the letdown, she said it had been “an amazing week.”

“I played not so well today with a few of the bogeys coming in on the back nine, but the fans were unbelievable,” she said.

“Hearing the chants, it gives me a reason to play. I’ll take today and I’ll learn from it.”

The 76th edition of the US Women’s Open was the first time it has been played at the challenging Olympic Club, the oceanside course that has hosted five men’s US Opens.

Next year’s tournament will be played at Pine Needles Golf Club in North Carolina before it returns to California at Pebble Beach in 2023. — Reuters

Young scores 35 as Hawks upset 76ers

ATLANTA Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives against Philadelphia 76ers forward Danny Green (14) and center Joel Embiid (21). — REUTERS

TRAE Young had 35 points and 10 assists and the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks upset the top-seeded and host Philadelphia 76ers (128-124) in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday afternoon.

John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanović added 21 each and Kevin Huerter had 15 for the Hawks, who are competing in this playoff round for the first time in five years. Clint Capela also had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Game 2 will be Tuesday night at Philadelphia.

Joel Embiid had been questionable to play with a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, but he finished with 39 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots in 38 minutes.

Seth Curry added 21 points, Tobias Harris had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Ben Simmons chipped in with 17 points and 10 assists for the Sixers.

The Hawks played without De’Andre Hunter, who sat out with right knee soreness.

The Hawks jumped out to a 42-27 lead at the end of the first quarter. They opened the second on a torrid pace as well and extended the advantage to 53-27 after a 3-pointer by Bogdanović capped a 17-0 run.

Atlanta was still on top 74-54 at half time thanks in large part to Young’s 25 points.

Embiid paced the Sixers with 17. But they looked sloppy and disjointed on offense throughout and committed 12 turnovers in the first half, including nine in the first quarter.

The Sixers came out aggressive in the third and when Danny Green secured an offensive rebound and scored, they pulled within 79-64 with 8:44 left.

But the Hawks responded with a 10-0 spurt to go back ahead by 25.

After the Sixers cut the deficit to 14, Collins came back with a three-point play as the Hawks moved ahead 105-88 with 9:07 remaining.

Philadelphia managed to close within 118-111 with 1:41 to go after Curry dropped in a 3-pointer from the corner.

Embiid scored on the next two possessions and the deficit was suddenly three.

Bogdanović then hit a trey and the Hawks moved back ahead by six.

The Sixers got within two in the waning seconds after a steal and dunk by Simmons before Bogdanović made two free throws with 8.9 seconds left to seal it. — Reuters

Serena stunned by Rybakina

PARIS — Serena Williams’ wait for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title goes on after the American was beaten (6-3, 7-5) by an inspired Elena Rybakina in the French Open fourth round on Sunday.

From the moment the 21-year-old Rybakina, playing in only her seventh Grand Slam main draw, held her opening two service games without dropping a point, Williams looked in peril.

And so it proved as Williams bowed out to add yet another twist to a wildly unpredictable women’s event.

With so many big names having fallen, including Victoria Azarenka early in the day, a prospective quarter-final opponent for Williams, the path to the final looked enticing.

But Williams, whose last Grand Slam title came in 2017 at the Australian Open, was unable to find her A game.

The 39-year-old recovered from an early service break in the opening set but Rybakina responded superbly to break again and pocket the opener in confident fashion.

The calm-headed and clean-hitting Rybakina broke the Williams serve at 3-3 in the second set but immediately dropped her own delivery as she betrayed the first sign of nerves. — Reuters

Clippers oust Mavericks in Game 7 win

KAWHI Leonard scored 28 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Los Angeles Clippers used a balanced attack to defeat the visiting Dallas Mavericks (126-111) on Sunday in Game 7 of their National Basketball Association (NBA) first-round playoff series.

Marcus Morris, Sr. scored 23 points and Paul George added 22 points with 10 assists as the fourth-seeded Clippers advanced to the second round to face the Utah Jazz. Los Angeles became the sixth team in NBA history to lose the first two games of a series at home and still advance.

Sunday’s game was the first time in the series the home team came out with the victory. It was the first time in NBA history the road team won the first six games of a postseason series.

Luka Dončić scored 46 points with 14 assists in his first career Game 7 of a playoff series but was unable to carry the Mavericks across the finish line. Dallas lost to the Clippers in the first round for the second consecutive season. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 18 points with 10 rebounds and Kristaps Porziņģis added 16 points with 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had two chances to close out the series. — Reuters

Federer withdraws from French Open with Wimbledon in mind

PARIS — Former world number one Roger Federer, who is targeting a record 21st Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, withdrew from the French Open on Sunday, a day after winning a tough third-round match, opting to save himself for the grass-court season.

“After discussions with my team, I decided that I should withdraw from the French Open today,” Federer said in a statement released by the French Tennis Federation. Federer, who has hardly played in the last 17 months because of a knee injury, suffered physically in his four-set, late-night victory over German Dominik Koepfer on Saturday and decided to end his Roland Garros campaign ahead of what would have been a punishing fourth-round match against Italian Matteo Berrettini.

He had said after Saturday’s match that he was pondering whether to participate in the second week of the claycourt Grand Slam as his season goal was Wimbledon, the grass-court major starting on June 28. — Reuters

GAC Motor Race Team goes back on track for 2021 Kalayaan Cup 12-hr Endurance Challenge

GAC Motor Philippines makes its much-awaited return to the local endurance racing scene when it takes part in the Kalayaan Cup 12-hour Endurance Race in Clark International Speedway on June 12-13.

The GAC Motor Race Team, composed of Brennan S. Lim, and Andre Tan has enjoyed great success in the racing circuit in 2019, highlighted by four championships in the 2019 Kalayaan Cup 4-hour Endurance Championship (Manufacturer’s Class), the 2019 Kalayaan Cup 12-hour Endurance Championship (Manufacturer’s Class), the 2019 Bonifacio Cup 4-hour Endurance Championship (Manufacturer’s Class) and the 2019 Bonifacio Cup 4-hour Endurance Championship (Open Category).

For this year’s Kalayaan Cup, the GAC Motor Race Team will be joined by multi-awarded racecar driver Milo Rivera, who is the 2019 Philippine Autocross Championship Series (PACS) overall champion Kody Ng, the 2019 PACS novice-class winner, and Patrick Mendoza.

“Joining motorsports events such as the endurance challenge will play a key role in boosting the presence of GAC Motor and building brand confidence in the Philippines. It will also enable us to showcase the performance and reliability of the brand’s vehicle lineup, especially the GA4,” said Brennan Lim, branch head of GAC Motor Metrowalk, Pasig City.

The GA4 1.5L MT is powered by a 1.5-liter inline-4 DCVVT Euro 5-compliant engine that can produce an output of 113 horsepower and 136 Nm of torque. It is also equipped with an L-type McPherson front suspension that suppresses high-frequency vibration and for better handling.

The Kalayaan Cup 12-hr Endurance Challenge is composed of two categories: the Makisig Class, a six-hour endurance race with two race car drivers; and the Matatag Class, a twelve-hour test that has at least three drivers taking turns in driving the race car.

Man City’s De Bruyne wins PFA Player of the Year award for second time

MANCHESTER City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne was named the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year for a second consecutive season on Sunday after the Belgian led his side to the Premier League title.

De Bruyne scored six goals and provided a club-high 12 assists as City wrapped up a third league title in four seasons, while they also lifted the League Cup and reached the Champions League final.

The 29-year-old is only the third player to win back-to-back awards after former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

“It’s crazy. You talk about two legends in the game — one of the best strikers ever (Henry) and one of the top two players in the world (Ronaldo), so to do the same thing as them is crazy,” De Bruyne said.

“I really enjoy playing in this team. I signed a new contract knowing the playing style. I’m really happy here.

“We compete for every trophy and that suits my competitive nature. The team has been unbelievable and push me to my best level every day.”

Belgium international De Bruyne was also named in the PFA Team of the Year announced on Friday. He was the only player to retain his place from the 2019-20 team.

De Bruyne’s City team mate Phil Foden picked up the Young Player of the Year Award after a season in which he was also named the Premier League’s best young player.

Foden made 28 league appearances for City, finishing with nine goals and five assists, to earn a spot in England’s European Championship squad.

“I’m really honored,” Foden, 21, said. “There’s been some great players in the past who have won it. I feel really lucky to win because there are some great young talents this season.”

Chelsea forward Fran Kirby won the women’s award for a second time, beating team mates Sam Kerr and Ann-Katrin Berger.

City’s 20-year-old forward Lauren Hemp won the women’s PFA Young Player of the Year award for the third time.

“I can’t believe I’ve been awarded this accolade for a third time. It feels so special to be successful from an incredible shortlist,” she said. “For me, this is one of the best awards to win as it’s chosen by my fellow professionals.” — Reuters

Red Sox defeat Yankees in 10 to sweep weekend series

XANDER Bogaerts hit a two-run single with two outs in the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the struggling New York Yankees by holding on for a 6-5 victory  on Sunday night at Yankee Stadium.

Bobby Dalbec opened the 10th with a walk on a pitch that resulted in New York hitting coach Marcus Thames screaming from the dugout and the ejection of bench coach Carlos Mendoza.

The Red Sox had runners at second and third following a sacrifice bunt by Christian Arroyo and Bogaerts restored Boston’s lead when he hit a 2-1 slider from Luis Cessa (1-1) to the gap in left-center field to give Boston a 6-4 lead.

Bogaerts gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead with a sacrifice fly in the eighth and his double gave Boston its first three-game sweep in New York since June 7-9, 2011.

The Red Sox blew a 4-3 lead when Matt Barnes (2-1) allowed a game-tying double to Gleyber Torres in the ninth. He stranded runners at first and third by striking out pinch hitter Rougned Odor on a full-count pitch that replays showed was outside and resulted in the ejection of New York third base coach Phil Nevin by plate umpire Gabe Morales.

Phillips Valdez hit Clint Frazier with his first pitch of the 10th, got a double play on Miguel Andujar and allowed an infield single to Tyler Wade to make it 6-5. Wade took second on a throwing error by Marwin Gonzalez and, following an animated mound visit from manager Alex Cora, Valdez retired DJ LeMahieu on a groundout for his first career save.

New York tied the game after a defensive miscue led to the Red Sox getting the lead off Wandy Peralta in the eighth.

Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly occurred two batters after pinch hitter Arroyo opened the inning with a double that was aided by a defensive miscue when LeMahieu had the ball go off his glove in short right field. It also occurred an inning after Gonzalez hit a tying homer off Lucas Luetge.

Alex Verdugo homered five pitches into the game off Domingo German but New York grabbed a 2-1 lead on Gary Sanchez’s bases-loaded double in the first. The Yankees took a 3-1 lead in the fourth on a bases-loaded groundout by Judge.

Boston’s Garrett Richards allowed three runs on eight hits in five innings.

German allowed one run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. — Reuters

Startups trying to solve plastic problem receive support from WWF, investor groups

Five startups working on a different piece of the plastic waste puzzle will receive support from World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-PH) and several investor groups.  

AtoANI BioPack, AUDEO, Cloop, Nanolabs, and Salin PH were selected from a pool of enterprises that were part of earlier incubation programs by makesense, a social entrepreneurship community; and The Incubation Network (TIN), a connected network of innovators, investors, organizations, and government leaders across South and Southeast Asia. 

“While all the innovations and business models in the pool were promising, these five enterprises were selected because the entrepreneurs behind them expressed their commitment to solve the problem, embark on this learning journey, and move their enterprises forward,” said Love Gregorie M. Perez, director of xchange, an active investor in early-stage impact enterprises in the Philippines. 

AtoANI BioPack is working on packaging alternatives made from agricultural waste, Salin PH is working on finding a refilling model that is scalable, while AUDEO, Cloop, and Nanolabs are taking plastic waste and using them in innovative ways to come up with value-added products. 

Plastic pollution threatens communities, marine life, and the Earth’s ecosystems. An October 2020 WWF Philippines report estimated that about 2.15 million tons of plastics are generated annually in the country. The average Filipino generates about 15.43 kilograms of plastic per year. Packaging wastes that are commonly found in wastes streams include packaging for consumer goods, disposable food containers, and multi-layered sachets. 

TINGI MENTALITY
Until August, the five enterprises are undergoing a program with activities on innovation and systems thinking, marketing, accounting, strategic planning, the circular economy, gender lens investing, and pilot designing. 

“It’s been a learning and collaborative process especially during a pandemic. We learned that there are many ways to solve the plastic problem, so clarity is key because it provides direction. Going in the right direction is much more important than scaling because we have to consider social and environmental issues; we have to be more inter-sectional. With a possible ban on single-use plastics, it’s important to start opening conversations with key stakeholders to ease the transition by collaborating on possible solutions,” said Donna Formalejo, cofounder and chief creative officer of Salin PH. 

Among the mentors are TJ Agulto of AHA! Behavioral Consulting, who will conduct a masterclass on understanding behavioral science and applying these concepts to drive behavior change in individuals and organizations towards zero waste and the circular economy. Another is Marie Torres of Investing in Women, who will conduct a masterclass on understanding the principles of gender, diversity, and inclusivity and how these impact businesses. 

The role of impact entrepreneurs is to ideate, test, and execute innovative market-based solutions, said Czarina Constantino-Panopio, WWF-PH project manager for Plastic Smart Cities and national lead for the No Plastics in Nature Initiative.  

“We acknowledge the tingi mentality is something that has been instilled in Filipinos due to reasons of buying capacity and current need for the item,” she told BusinessWorld in a separate e-mail interview. “We want to come up with ways on how Filipinos can still buy in tingi while taking in consideration the environmental impact of these plastics. What we want to emphasize is that sustainability is something that is also economical.” 

Apart from working with impact entrepreneurs, WWF is also working with other stakeholders to address the Philippines’ plastic pollution situation. This includes working with policy makers to advocate for an Extended Producer Responsibility where producers take responsibility for the full life cycle of the plastics they bring into the market. 

“We believe that we need to work with stakeholders in the entire plastic value chain to stop plastic waste leakage into nature,” added Ms. Panopio. — Patricia B. Mirasol 

SAP unveils business network plan for hard-hit enterprises

SAP Chief Executive Officer Christian Klein. Image via SAP.

Country lockdowns slowed down businesses, the Suez Canal blockage delayed the global flow of trade goods, and the semiconductor shortage put electronics and automotive manufacturers all over the world in a pinch. These events have made supply chain disruption one of the biggest issues the past year — and enterprise application software group Systems Applications and Products (SAP) claims their network may help solve it. 

“We have so many enterprises who have had to completely change their business overnight,” said Christian Klein, SAP’s chief executive officer and member of its executive Board, during a Q&A with media and analysts on Thursday, “Technology is the enabler to do that.” 

SAP kicked off its Sapphire Now conference this year by announcing their plan to create interconnected communities through the SAP Business Network, which will bring together its purchasing, logistics, and asset platforms. Amounting to 5.5 million connected organizations, the network will be a one-stop-shop for enterprises looking for solutions to their problems, such as supply chain disruptions. 

“You don’t always have to be on-site. You can change your business model. Despite these disruptions and country lockdowns, we’ve brought businesses to our networks to connect to each other and find a way,” said Mr. Klein.  

He also addressed concerns over uneven service due to the network’s strategic emphasis on Ariba, SAP’s existing supplier network, over S/4HANA, SAP’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for large enterprises that allows real-time data analysis and transactions. 

“There is no S/4HANA or Ariba. It’s all one cohesive experience for all the participants in the network,” clarified Mr. Klein.  

“Actually transforming entire business processes is what’s needed,” added Julia White, SAP’s chief marketing solutions officer and member of the executive board, at the same Q&A. She mentioned going beyond adjusting to trends, to use the expanded network as an opportunity for businesses to digitally transform and improve their business models. 

SAP also announced the launch of RISE with SAP transformation packages for five specific industries. Selling “business transformation as a service,” it will include retail, consumer products, automotive, utilities, and industrial machinery cloud solutions, expanding beyond S/4HANA to also provide human resources and procurement capabilities. 

“With these services, we will take the customer by the hand and arrive at a modular cloud ERP arrangement that has a consistent data model and a harmonized business process landscape,” said Mr. Klein. — Brontë H. Lacsamana 

Netanyahu alleges Israeli election fraud, accuses rival of duplicity

Image via Wikipedia

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday a newly formed Israeli coalition that is poised to unseat him was the result of “the greatest election fraud” in the history of democracy. 

Hours after Mr. Netanyahu’s comments, Naftali Bennett, a nationalist set to replace him as prime minister, called on Israel’s longest-serving leader not to leave “scorched earth” behind and accept that “people are allowed to establish a government — even if you don’t head it.” 

Mr. Netanyahu made his sweeping accusation at a time when Israel’s domestic security chief has warned publicly about the prospect of political violence. 

“We are witnessing the greatest election fraud in the history of the country, in my opinion in the history of any democracy,” Mr. Netanyahu said in comments to legislators from his right-wing Likud party. 

He focused his allegations on a broken campaign promise from Mr. Bennett, who had pledged not to partner with left-wing, centrist and Arab parties. 

On Wednesday, Mr. Bennett announced with opposition leader Yair Lapid that they had formed a governing coalition with factions from across the political spectrum following an inconclusive March 23 election, Israel’s fourth in two years. 

Under a rotation deal, Mr. Bennett will serve first as prime minister, followed by Mr. Lapid. 

No date has been set for a vote in parliament to approve the new government. 

In a televised speech, Mr. Bennett called on Yariv Levin, parliament’s speaker and a Netanyahu loyalist, not to try to buy time to encourage members of the new coalition to defect, and said he should hold the vote on Wednesday. There was no immediate comment from Levin. 

“Let go. Let the country move forward,” Mr. Bennett said, addressing his remarks to Netanyahu, who has been in office since 2009. “Mr Netanyahu, don’t leave scorched earth behind you. All of us, the entire nation, want to remember the good you did during your service.” 

Mr. Netanyahu’s tenure has been clouded by a corruption trial, in which he has denied any wrongdoing, but he has won praise at home and abroad for Israel’s quick rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations. 

“FRAUD AND SURRENDER”
The prospective new government caps political jockeying since the election. People angry at the planned alliance have held protests outside the homes of opposition politicians, whose security has been beefed up after threats on social media. 

“We, my friends and I in Likud, we will vehemently oppose the establishment of this dangerous government of fraud and surrender,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “And if, God forbid, it is established, we will bring it down very quickly.” 

In a rare public warning, the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency said on Saturday that increasingly extreme online discourse could lead to violence. 

While condemning violence and incitement, Mr. Netanyahu, 71, repeated his designation of the Lapid-Bennett coalition as a leftist alliance that would put Israel at risk. 

He said the diverse partnership would be unable to stand up to Washington over Iran’s nuclear program or confront Gaza’s Hamas militant group that fought with Israel for 11 days last month before a fragile ceasefire went into effect. 

Mr. Bennett, who heads the far-right Yamina party and advocates annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, said Netanyahu’s description of the coalition as being “extreme-leftist” was “another lie.” — Jeffrey Heller/Reuters

1...6,4366,4376,438...12,702Page 6,437 of 12,702
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube