Singapore hits 80% vaccine threshold seen as key to easing

August 29, 2021 | 6:01 pm

Singapore-People cross a street-face-mask — REUTERS

SINGAPORE has outpaced most advanced economies to fully vaccinate 80% of its population against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), paving the way for the small but wealthy city-state to forge ahead with reopening in an approach that’s closely watched by the rest of the world still figuring out how to live with the virus.

“We have crossed another milestone, where 80% of our population has received their full regimen of two doses,” Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post on Sunday. “It means Singapore has taken another step forward in making ourselves more resilient to COVID-19.”

Senior officials have pegged the vaccination milestone to the government’s cautious strategy, pledging to use the high rate to gradually open up more economic and social activities, as well as quarantine-free travel.

As it does, Singapore is hoping to do something few places with open borders have been able to manage: keep serious infection and death rates under control, and in so doing prevent the sort of outbreak that would put the health-care system at risk and lead to new restrictions.

Singapore currently imposes stricter social-distancing measures than most global financial capitals outside Asia. It has one of the world’s best vaccination rates — higher only in places like Gibraltar, Malta and the Maldives — but still generally requires people arriving in the country to undergo two-week quarantine in a local hotel, and group gatherings are limited to just five.

The restrictions have started to loosen in recent weeks. The government reopened restaurants to in-person dining on Aug. 10 for those who are fully vaccinated, and a week later eased strict work-from-home rules, allowing as many as 50% of employees to return to the office. It also increased the capacity of spaces that see large numbers of patrons, like malls and cinemas, and ended temperature screenings that have been required to enter public places since early in the pandemic.

In what represents its biggest leap of faith yet toward reopening, the city-state is taking steps to welcome vaccinated travelers from some countries with an intention to expand travel lanes.

Inoculated travelers from Germany and Brunei will from next month be able to enter the country via a special Vaccinated Travel Lane, which will allow approved passengers, including short-term visitors, to bypass quarantine altogether after being tested for COVID-19, officials said recently.

Germany and Brunei were chosen as places where Singapore could test its confidence in vaccinated travel lanes, with Covid infections in both places at manageable levels. “As the saying goes, we are feeling the stones as we cross the river,” said Lawrence Wong, the finance minister and a co-chair of the nation’s COVID task force.

Singapore is now eyeing a third round of vaccine as booster shots for some fully vaccinated individuals, especially the severely immunocompromised. Recommendations are expected shortly.

The city-state also expects to begin vaccinating children under age 12 sometime in early 2022, after safety and efficacy have been sufficiently studied. — Bloomberg

Thailand to have 140 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year

August 29, 2021 | 6:00 pm

BANGKOK — Thailand expects to have 140 million doses of coronavirus vaccines this year as the country ramps up inoculation to fight its biggest wave of infections, which shows some signs of easing, a government spokesman said on Sunday.

The Southeast Asian country is struggling to tackle the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus, which has seen record infections of over 23,000 earlier this month. On Sunday, it reported 16,536 new cases and 264 deaths.

While new cases remain high, they are likely to decline further, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said in a statement.

With new cases slowing, the government on Friday announced to ease some of the strictest containment measures in Bangkok and other 28 high-risk provinces, allowing more travel, and malls and restaurants to reopen from Sept. 1, to help revive a flagging economy battered by the outbreak.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is expected to soon issue a statement on the resumption of local flights to and from those areas as well as outbreak control measures.

However, airlines, including Asia Aviation and Bangkok Airways, have already announced the resumption of some local flights from next week.

Thailand started its mass vaccination drive in June, but so far only about 11% of its more than 66 million population has been fully vaccinated. — Reuters

US in final phase of evacuations from Kabul

August 29, 2021 | 6:00 pm

Evacuees from Afghanistan watch others disembark the aircraft after arriving at Naval Station Rota, Spain Aug. 27. — U.S. NAVY/MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS KATIE COX/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

US FORCES are in the final phase of leaving Kabul, ending two decades of involvement in Afghanistan, and just over 1,000 civilians at the airport remain to be flown out before troops withdraw, a Western security official said on Sunday.

The country’s new Taliban rulers are prepared to take control of the airport, said an official from the hardline Islamist movement that has swept cross Afghanistan, crushing the US-backed government.

The Western security official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters a date and time for the end of the operation was yet to be decided.

President Joseph R. Biden has said he will stick by his deadline to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by Tuesday, 20 years after they invaded Kabul and ousted the Taliban government for shielding the perpetrators of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

“We want to ensure that every foreign civilian and those who are at risk are evacuated today. Forces will start flying out once this process is over,” said the official, who is stationed at the airport.

The Western-backed government and Afghan army melted away as the Taliban entered the capital on Aug. 15, leaving an administrative vacuum that has bolstered fears of a financial collapse and widespread hunger.

Under a deal with the United States, the Taliban has said it will allow foreigners and Afghans who wish to leave to fly out. The United States and allies have taken about 113,500 people out of Afghanistan in the past two weeks, but tens of thousands who want to go will be left behind.

A US official told Reuters on Saturday there were fewer than 4,000 troops left at the airport, down from 5,800 at the peak of the evacuation mission. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters some troops had been withdrawn but declined to say how many remained.

The Taliban official told Reuters the Islamist group had engineers and technicians ready to take charge of the airport.

“We are waiting for the final nod from the Americans to secure full control over Kabul airport as both sides aim for a swift handover,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

The Western security official said crowds at the airport gates had diminished after a specific warning from the US government of another attack by militants after a suicide bombing outside the airport on Thursday.

The explosion killed scores of Afghans and 13 American troops outside the gates of the airport, where thousands of Afghans had gathered to try to get a flight out since the Taliban returned to power.

The United States said on Friday it killed two militants belonging to Islamic State — enemies of both the West and Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers — which had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Mr. Biden had vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of the explosion and said the strike was not the last.

TAKING OVER

The Taliban condemned the late-night US drone strike, which took place in Nangarhar province, an eastern area that borders Pakistan.

“The Americans should have informed us before conducting the air strike. It was a clear attack on Afghan territory,” a Taliban spokesman told Reuters, adding that two women and a child were wounded in the attack.

The Taliban have said they have arrested some suspects involved in the airport blast.

Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Saturday the Taliban would take over the airport “very soon” after US forces withdraw and announce a full cabinet in the coming days.

Mr. Mujahid told Reuters the group had appointed governors and police chiefs in all but one of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and would act to solve the country’s economic problems.

The Taliban, facing the loss of billions of dollars of aid for the country, appealed to the United States and other Western nations to maintain diplomatic relations after withdrawing. Britain said that should happen only if the Taliban allow safe passage for those who want to leave and respect human rights.

US military and allied countries’ flights carried fewer people on Saturday as Washington prepared to end its mission.

The last British flight evacuating civilians from Afghanistan left Kabul on Saturday. British troops would take small numbers of Afghan citizens with them as they leave this weekend, a defense ministry spokesperson said. Armed forces chief Nick Carter said hundreds of people who had worked with Britain would not make it through.

While Kabul’s airport has been in chaos, the rest of the city has been generally calm. The Taliban have told residents to hand over government equipment including weapons and vehicles within a week, the group’s spokesman said.

The airport attack added fuel to criticism Mr. Biden faced at home and abroad for the chaos after Afghanistan’s government and military collapsed before a lightning Taliban advance. He has defended his decisions, saying the United States long ago achieved its rationale for invading in 2001. — Reuters

Busy stretch for PBA teams in All-Filipino tournament return

August 29, 2021 | 5:53 pm

PBA-Images8 — PBA teams will have it busy as the league will be adopting a five-play date week when Philippine Cup action resumes beginning this week. — PBA IMAGES

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is expected to resume its temporarily halted All-Filipino tournament this week that would see the 12 competing teams have it busy as the league will be adopting a five-playdate schedule every week.

Speaking on The Chasedown program on Saturday, PBA Commissioner Willie O. Marcial shared that it is already a go for the resumption of the Philippine Cup in Bacolor, Pampanga.

He said they are targeting the restart anytime between Sept. 1 and 3 with matches to be played at the Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU).

The PBA chief said games will be played from Wednesday to Sunday, with triple-headers set for Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and double-headers on Thursdays and Saturdays.

The schedule will be different from the traditional three-playdate week for the league, which was used at the beginning of the Philippine Cup last month until play was suspended after Aug. 1 with Metro Manila placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) because of rising coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, particularly the Delta variant.

Mr. Marcial said they will be releasing the weekly schedule of action at DHVSU in the afternoon of Tuesday after the results of RT-PCR tests of all participants are released.

“We will release the schedule of games every Tuesday afternoon so we would know who can play for the week and we can have less disruption,” said Mr. Marcial.

As per the protocols approved by the national and provincial government of Pampanga, Mondays are set for RT-PCR tests, with the results expected to come out the next day, while antigen testing of all the teams will be conducted in the morning of each play date.

Mr. Marcial said they are doing everything they can to ensure the safety and health of all participants so they can still stay on track of the season schedule. They hope to finish the elimination round on Sept. 19, with the playoffs immediately following.

While the All-Filipino tournament return happens in Pampanga, Mr. Marcial said they are open to the possibility of bringing back action to Metro Manila anytime after the eliminations if conditions permit.

“We may return to Manila if everything is okay, meaning, it has been placed under General Community Quarantine or Modified GCQ. But for now, we’re focusing first on the play in Pampanga,” he said.

The resumption of play will be conducted under a “semi-bubble” setup, with player and team movements limited to hotel-game venue-hotel.

All the competing teams have been in different parts of Pampanga since last week to prepare for their return to action.

The PBA Philippine Cup opened on July 16 with games held at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. Action was stopped after matches on Aug. 1.

The league spent the next weeks looking for areas which could hold its games, eventually finding a willing host in Pampanga, which is under a less strict setup of MGCQ.

At the time of the stoppage, the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok were on top of the standings with a 4-0 record, followed by the TNT Tropang Giga (3-0), Meralco Bolts (4-1), San Miguel Beermen (3-1), Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (4-2), NLEX Road Warriors (2-2), Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings (2-2), Alaska Aces (2-3), Northport Batang Pier (1-3), Phoenix Fuel Masters (1-4), Terrafirma Dyip (0-4) and Blackwater Elite (0-4).

Ernie Gawilan finishes 6^th in 400m freestyle finals

August 29, 2021 | 5:53 pm

Gawilanx — FILIPINO para-swimmer Ernie Gawilan finished at sixth place in the finals of the men’s 400-meter freestyle-S7 event of the Paralympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre on Sunday. — ERNIE GAWILAN FB PAGE

FILIPINO para-swimmer Ernie Gawilan finished at sixth place in the finals of the men’s 400-meter freestyle-S7 event of the Paralympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre on Sunday.

Mr. Gawilan, 30, who is lacking both legs and has an underdeveloped left limb, clocked 4:56.24 in the medal race, 25.18 seconds behind gold medal winner Mark Malyar (4:31.06) of Israel. Mr. Malyar’s time was a new world record.

Coming in second was Andil Trusov of Ukraine at 4:35.56, followed by American Evan Austin at 4:38.95.

The Philippine bet earned a spot in the finals by placing sixth overall in the heats earlier in the day, with a time of four minutes and 58.58 seconds. Only the top eight swimmers in the heats advanced to the medal race.

Mr. Gawilan plays his final event — 100m backstroke S7 — on Monday.

Also set to see action later on Sunday was wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan, competing in the finals of the men’s 1,500-meter-T52 race at 7:42 p.m. (Manila time) at the Japan National Stadium.

ANOTHER FILIPINO PARA-ATHLETE OUT
Meanwhile, para-discus thrower Jeanette Aceveda is out of the Paralympics as she and her coach, Bernard Buen, tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after undergoing the mandatory daily saliva antigen test at the Athletes Village.

The unfortunate development was shared by Philippine Paralympic Committee President Michael I. Barredo in an official statement on Sunday.

In compliance with health and safety guidelines under the Paralympic Playbook, Ms. Aceveda and Mr. Buen were already brought to an outside quarantine facility in Tokyo.

Ms. Aceveda was supposed to compete in the women’s discus throw F11 finals on Aug. 31.

She was the second Filipino para-athlete to test positive for COVID-19 and failed to compete in her event after para-powerlifter Achelle Guion, who was found positive prior to Team Philippines’ departure for the Games and never made the trip. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Obiena sets new national record in runner-up finish in Paris

August 29, 2021 | 5:52 pm

FILIPINO pole-vaulter Ernest John U. Obiena set a new personal-best and national record after clearing 5.91 meters in the Paris leg of the Wanda Diamond League late on Saturday (Manila time).

Mr. Obiena, 25, topped the previous record of 5.87m, which he himself set back in July at the world athletics tour in Poland before he represented the Philippines at the Tokyo Olympic Games early this month.

He finished runner-up in the Paris meet to world record holder and Olympic gold medalist Armand Duplantis of Sweden, who cleared 6.01 meters to bag the title.

Before clearing 5.91m, Mr. Obiena needed three tries to clear 5.81m. He then skipped 5.86m, choosing to go straight to 5.91m. He cleared the bar in his first attempt.

Mr. Obiena attempted to clear 5.96m and 6.01m after, but was not successful.

“A second place finish at the Paris 2021 Diamond League, and a new national record and personal best of 5.91-m. Thank you, God!” wrote Mr. Obiena on Facebook.

“Thank you to those who keep on supporting and believing, despite the ups and downs. Getting there,” he added.

Mr. Obiena finished at 11^th place in the Tokyo Olympics, something he did not envision, he admitted, but now is a motivation for him in further improving his game. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

NBA to require referees working games to have coronavirus vaccine

August 29, 2021 | 5:51 pm

THE National Basketball Association (NBA) will require referees working games during the coming season to be vaccinated against coronavirus, the league said on Saturday.

The announcement comes after the league and the National Basketball Referees Association reached an agreement, which will not enforce the requirement for referees with religious or medical exemptions. The referees have also agreed to take any recommended booster shots.

“Any referee who does not get vaccinated and is not exempt will be ineligible to work games,” the league said in a statement.

The NBA will require all coaches and staff who interact with players to take the vaccine, The Athletic reported on Friday.

The move comes as a growing number of arenas have said they will require fans to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test to attend games when the 2021-2022 regular season starts on Oct. 19.

The players, who are represented by a powerful National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), are not required to be vaccinated, but 90% of the players already are, NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts told Yahoo! Sports last month. — Reuters

Manila 3×3 team to see action at FIBA Montreal Masters

August 29, 2021 | 5:51 pm

MANILA Chooks TM will be competing at the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3×3 World Tour Montreal Masters happening from Sept. 4-5.

The tournament is the second that the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 team will see action in this year after the Doha Masters in March.

For the Montreal event, the Manila squad — composed this time around of Mac Tallo, Zach Huang, Dennis Santos, and newcomer Mark Yee, and reserve Chico Lanete — is seeded 11^th in a field of 12 teams, but it remains upbeat of its chances and doing well.

“The team is hungry to redeem itself,” said Chooks-to-Go President Ronald Mascariñas in a statement, of the squad handled by decorated collegiate coach Aldin Ayo.

“There have been a lot of challenges faced by the team brought about by the current pandemic, but we are confident that frequent participation in the FIBA 3×3 pro circuit will only make the team stronger,” he added.

Mr. Ayo, for his part, said the team has been working together for three months now and “the chemistry should also be there.”

The FIBA 3×3 World Tour Montreal Masters offers a $110,000 prize pool, $40,000 going to the champion.

World number two Riga of Latvia leads the field along with no. 4 Ub of Serbia, no. 7 Amsterdam of the Netherlands, no. 8 Antwerp of Belgium, and no. 10 Edmonton of Canada.

Others competing are Princeton of the United States, Switzerland’s Lausanne, Lithuania’s Raudondvaris, Canada’s Old Montreal, US’ Omaha, and one more team that will qualify through a Quest event.

The pools will be determined during the technical meeting on Sept. 3.

Manila Chooks TM is set to undergo RT-PCR testing on Tuesday and will leave the country the following day. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Team Lakay’s Jenelyn Olsim focuses on next fight in short turnaround

August 29, 2021 | 5:50 pm

ASH-1515 — TEAM Lakay fighter Jenelyn Olsim girds for her next challenge on Sept. 3 after emerging victorious in her last ONE Championship fight just this Friday. — ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

FOLLOWING her victory at ONE Championship’s “Battleground III” event on Friday, Team Lakay fighter Jenelyn Olsim is girding for her next challenge later this week.

Ms. Olsim, 24, was a unanimous decision winner over Vietnamese-American Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen at the event broadcast from the Singapore Indoor Stadium to book a spot in the ONE world atomweight grand prix alternate bout on Sept. 3.

She will take on Thai-American Grace Cleveland in the fight, which is part of the historic all-female card “ONE: Empower.”

Despite the short turnaround in between fights, Benguet native Ms. Olsim (5-2) expressed her excitement over her upcoming showdown with Ms. Cleveland (5-0), taking cue from her solid showing in her last fight. “I’m more motivated now after my win over Nguyen. Now, we’re preparing for the fight on Sept. 3,” said Ms. Olsim in the post-fight press conference where she was joined by Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao.

Against Ms. Nguyen, the Filipino fighter showed her striking skills throughout the three-round contest, but also proved to be adept on the ground.

Ms. Olsim, a natural strawweight, adjusted well when the fight was taken to the ground by her opponent, showcasing her improved grappling skills while attempting near-submissions along the way. In the end, all judges scored the fight in her favor.

It was the second victory for Ms. Olsim on the main card of ONE Championship, but first in the atomweight division. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Juve starts life without Ronaldo with shock loss to Empoli

August 29, 2021 | 5:50 pm

TURIN, Italy — Lackluster Juventus began life without Cristiano Ronaldo by suffering a suprising 1-0 defeat at home to promoted Empoli in Serie A on Saturday.

Juve, who this week agreed a deal with Manchester United to sell Ronaldo to the Premier League club, looked shorn of ideas up front in the Portuguese forward’s absence.

Other than some fierce Federico Chiesa strikes from range, the hosts did not threaten to score in the first half as Empoli edged into a surprise lead when captain Leonardo Mancuso swept the ball home at the far post in the 21^st minute.

After the break, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri introduced Álvaro Morata, Dejan Kulusevski and new signing Manuel Locatelli from the bench, but even with all that firepower on the pitch, they created few openings of note.

Empoli saw out their first win back in the Italian top flight in relative comfort, leaving Juve on one point from their opening two matches of the season.

“It’s a difficult moment,” Allegri told DAZN. “We need to grow, we have to face our problems together.

“There have been too many players who have done things poorly who don’t usually drop to that standard.”

Having started the season with a 2-2 draw at Udinese, Juve, even without Ronaldo, were widely expected to have too much for their newly-promoted opponents.

Chiesa, who came in for Ronaldo, almost broke the deadlock early on from distance, but his arrowing effort was brilliantly saved by Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

That was as good as it got in the first half for Juve, with the visitors breaking well and creating the opening for Mancuso, who reacted quickest to the loose ball in the area to fire home.

Juve supporters let their feelings be known as attack after attack broke down, with Paulo Dybala especially guilty of some wayward passing.

The home side threw everything at their opponents late on, but apart from Locatelli’s dragged effort wide, an equalizer never looked likely, with that Ronaldo-shaped hole a tough one to fill.

Juve failed to win their first two league matches at the start of a season for just the third time in their last 52 top-flight campaigns. — Reuters

Russell puts Williams back on the front row in Spa stunner

August 29, 2021 | 5:49 pm

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, — George Russell turbocharged his hopes of becoming Lewis Hamilton’s next Mercedes team mate with a stunning second place for Williams in a wet qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday.

The performance put former champions Williams, who have been uncompetitive for years and this month scored their first points in Formula One since 2019, on the front row for the first time since 2017.

Russell was even heading for an astonishing pole until Red Bull’s Max Verstappen pipped him at the end.

The Briton was 0.013 of a second quicker than seven-times world champion Hamilton with Valtteri Bottas, whose place the Briton could take next season, qualifying only eighth before a five-place grid penalty.

Russell’s team boss Jost Capito was quick to see the significance.

“We would love to keep him of course, but this result today, if (Mercedes boss) Toto hasn’t got the decision done yet I think this puts him even more to Mercedes,” he said.

“He’s just a talent. He deserves to be in the car that is capable of winning the championship and we fully support him in that,” he told Sky Sports on television.

Wolff said Mercedes already knew full well what Russell could do.

“I think by now we know where we stand and we know what we have, what he can do,” said the Austrian, who promised an announcement soon. “Today is another confirmation.”

Russell, who is managed by Mercedes, stood in for Hamilton in Bahrain at the end of last year when he also qualified second. He felt the hard work was paying off.

“I don’t know what to say. I thought I would have been doing a good job to get out of Q1 (the first phase) how we got on yesterday,” he said. “The car was feeling great, I had so much confidence.”

Williams called the shots right tactically, Russell and team mate Nicholas Latifi going bold on intermediates in the first phase and then Russell putting everything on one lap in the final crash-hit phase.

“We had nothing to lose, we were in Q3, which is not the norm for us, and we just had to go for it. We saved the full maximum engine mode for the last lap and decided to just go for it,” he said. — Reuters

US Open unfolds amid a new era for players’ mental health

August 29, 2021 | 5:48 pm

NEW YORK — Players’ mental health is in focus as the US Open kicks off on Monday, after four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka led the charge for her fellow athletes this year.

The 23-year-old withdrew from the French Open after being fined and threatened with expulsion for refusing to attend media conferences, which she said had an adverse impact on her mental health, and disclosed she had suffered from depression for years.

The incident led Roland-Garros organizers to concede that the sport’s governing bodies needed to do better and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) this week announced a mental health initiative for players in partnership with the Mount Sinai Health System.

“Sports psychology has always been in the realm of, ‘how do we optimize on the court?’ but there’s so many reasons for why athletes are impacted after competition,” Shannon O’Neill, PhD, a psychologist at Mount Sinai West, told Reuters.

“Really promoting a well-rounded person who is multifaceted, not just an athlete… I think is really critical in the therapeutic process.”

A broader conversation on mental health in sport has unfolded since Roland-Garros, with four-time Rio Olympic champion Simone Biles withdrawing from several gymnastics events at the Tokyo Games, citing the need to focus on her mental health and drawing worldwide support.

At Flushing Meadows this week, world number two Aryna Sabalenka told reporters working with a psychologist had paid dividends on and off the court.

She previously credited therapy with helping her handle the pressure of Wimbledon, where she reached the semifinal in the best major performance of her career.

“Knowing that I have someone who’s going to help me whenever I need it… it’s definitely help,” she said. “One time at night, I couldn’t sleep because I was overthinking about everything. I just call her and I spoke with her… After that, I felt much better.”

Moving swiftly to give athletes more support is imperative for sport’s governing bodies, Bob Dorfman, the creative director at Baker Street Advertising, told Reuters, with the issue still top of mind.

“The mental health of athletes had never really been a major concern until Naomi Osaka bravely made it public, and Simone Biles courageously kept it front and center,” he said. “It’s admirable that the US Open is putting forward initiatives in this regard, but it can’t be mere lip service or temporary.

“Action must be sincere, ongoing and well-funded. Anything less will ring phony.”

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), for its part, joined forces with seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams, partnering with mental health services company BetterHelp for a $2-million “free therapy giveaway.”

“We need to create an accepting and open environment to seek professional mental health therapy,” said Williams. — Reuters