Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 6764

It’s worth retelling and retelling

AMID thunderous cheers, President Corazon Aquino addresses her people. — BIEN BAUTISTA / PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM AND LIBRARY PH (2010-2016)

Those who were at EDSA 36 years ago, from Saturday, Feb. 22 to Feb. 25, 1986, and the immediate events leading to the People Power uprising must still have vivid memories of history unfolding before their eyes.

Ferdinand Marcos had called for a presidential snap election one December morning (in Manila) in 1985 before an astonished American media during a press conference. American, in fact, western, media had been traditionally rough on him and other dictators.

They did not expect Marcos to risk his presidency by calling for an election in the middle of widespread protests triggered by the execution of exiled opposition leader and Marcos’ main rival, Ninoy Aquino. The inescapable conclusion was that US President Ronald Reagan had “convinced” Marcos to get a new mandate. For Americans, holding elections in the face of a serious political crisis in leadership and doubts about the acceptability of the incumbent is their standard formula.

President Reagan and his first lady, Nancy, were friends of the Marcoses dating back to 1966 when both men assumed their respective positions as president (Marcos) and governor of California (Reagan). One interesting highlight of this friendship was that the Reagans were the high-profile guests of the Marcoses during the inauguration of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in 1967. It was Imelda’s first step in owning the title “patroness of the arts.” The Film Center and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) followed in rapid succession.

Marcos announced that the elections would be held on Feb. 7, 1986. The campaign period started shortly with Marcos running under the monolithic Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) while Ninoy’s widow, Corazon or Cory, ran under the coalition United Nationalist Independent and Democratic Opposition or UNIDO.

The campaigns of both sides got off to rousing starts, with the KBL using massive government resources and the Local Government infrastructure to overwhelm the Opposition. The latter, however, leaned on dissatisfaction with Marcos’s human rights record, widespread poverty, economic mismanagement, and the flawed character of the regime that depended on brutal force to remain in power. In contrast, the campaign of Corazon Aquino evolved into a people’s campaign with volunteers from all walks of life casting their lot with the opposition that was, for most of the people, the last hope for change. Corazon Aquino campaigned from the perspective of moral ascendancy and restoring trust in government. She sought to offer a contrast between herself and Marcos. She would say. “I’m everything Marcos is not,” which prompted an angry response from the grizzled political veteran supposedly used to political campaign rhetoric and needling.

But the campaign went way beyond needling and resulted in mayhem: I was at the Cory Aquino Media Bureau and daily we monitored opposition campaign casualties, injuries, and disappearances. We kept a running total of those confirmed killed or injured, abductions, etc. We did not keep tabs anymore of opposition rallies and motorcades being harassed, broken up, and denied permits — they were too many to be kept in our floppy disks which were then used in the mid-1980s. There were instances of uncommon brutality and savagery: a pastor campaigning for Corazon Aquino was murdered and strung up a tree in Quirino province; an opposition partisan in Tarlac was murdered and beside his corpse were his thumb and forefinger in the “L” gesture for “Laban” cut off from the rest of his hand, for everyone to see. Indeed, a chilling reminder for those who went against Marcos. A few days after the EDSA uprising, President Aquino instructed me to turn over my files to newly appointed chairman of the Presidential Commission on Human Rights, former senator Ka Pepe Diokno.

On election day, the Media Bureau was inundated, like all other offices allied with the opposition, by reports of violence and fraud. Who could forget Elizalde Diaz from Bicol rushing into our office pursued by goons all the way from the Maharlika or Pan-Philippine highway to Manila? A few moments later, men in bloodied clothes and bandaged heads sought shelter and assistance from the Media Bureau. All in all, the day had become a gloomy one for the opposition as reports of intimidation, voter denial, and voter suppression instigated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), then led by the troika of Chairman Victorino Savellano, Vicente Santiago, and Jaime Opinion, clogged the bureau’s reporting system which was not equipped for such. Public disgust with the Comelec was expressed in a variety of ways, including the throwing of human excreta in Opinion’s house in Quezon City.

The elections were held with international observers and media, led by the then six-year-old CNN, chronicling the cheating, the intimidation. Seen on American prime time TV were ordinary Filipinos protecting ballot boxes from being snatched by armed Marcos goons in opposition strongholds. International media showed Comelec tabulators walking out of the main hall of the PICC when they noticed that trends were being manipulated by Comelec officials to favor Marcos. The courageous ladies sought protection with the Redemptorist Fathers in nearby Baclaran church where they were interviewed and they revealed the organized cheating taking place.

Observers sent by Reagan, mostly belonging to his own Republican party, confirmed the massive fraud, cheating, and election violence that could very well defeat the purpose for which he arm-twisted Marcos to call the elections. Reagan would later go on television to report to the American people that — as a concession to Marcos and on the advice of Paul Manafort (as early at that time, already serving as a lobbyist for Marcos) — “cheating occurred on both sides,” to the shock and dismay of Filipinos. To this date, Manafort, who had been sentenced to prison for various offenses during the administration of his fellow Republican and patron, the equally unethical Donald Trump, is remembered for his shady deals including getting a Russian puppet elected president of Ukraine. What a group — Manafort, Trump, Marcos, and Reagan!

As expected, Comelec declared Marcos the winner by about 1.5 million votes while election monitor Namfrel (National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections) announced from its main tallying center, La Salle Green Hills, that Corazon Aquino won by a little over half a million votes. The Comelec announcement precipitated the proclamation by the KBL-dominated parliament of Marcos as president. On Feb. 20, Corazon Aquino led more than a million people in a prayer rally at Luneta Park and promptly declared a boycott of Marcos crony-owned businesses, just short of calling for civil disobedience a la Mahatma Gandhi.

On the other hand, the military had started to implement its own plans for a rebellion, riding on the massive dissatisfaction and the rampant election cheating that even Marcos’s own defense minister, Juan Ponce Enrile, denounced. With Jaime Cardinal Sin and a big sector of the Catholic Church hierarchy, and substantial portions of the military led by General Fidel V. Ramos expressing support for Corazon Aquino, Reagan, through Republican Senators Paul Laxalt and Richard Lugar, advised Marcos to “cut and cut clean” and leave the Philippines. Reagan did not see it fit to talk to Marcos, who said he was “so very disappointed” that his old friend could be of no help to him during this moment of great need.

Marcos fled to Guam and then to Hawaii, bringing with him tons of cash, jewelry, securities, and documents that helped put together a paper trail leading to Marcos’ ill-gotten billions of dollars.

There are many more highlights of the EDSA People Power uprising worth telling. Each person who participated in the uprising, especially those who had opposed Marcos as early as 1969 when he won an unprecedented reelection, has fascinating and breathtaking stories to tell. And they should be told over and over again to counter the massive and well-funded historical falsification.

Certainly, the EDSA uprising and the struggle against untruths are worth retelling.

 

Philip Ella Juico’s areas of interest include the protection and promotion of democracy, free markets, sustainable development, social responsibility and sports as a tool for social development. He obtained his doctorate in business at De La Salle University. Dr. Juico served as secretary of Agrarian Reform during the Corazon C. Aquino administration.

Please don’t rush

AOPSAN-FREEPIK

THERE are advantages to delaying certain decisions. In a recent outburst by a retiring government official decrying delay of a decision as a political tactic, there is a hidden agenda, even when this is too obvious to be kept secret. Delay of a decision on a disqualification issue makes the candidate viable, for a while.

Procrastination, which etymologically means “forward to tomorrow” refers to deferring action and avoiding a sense of urgency on anything.

Delay is considered a valid subject in behavioral economics. Delaying a deed has economic consequences. Opportunity cost is one concept that delay brings up. Not doing something in a timely manner (say, the sale of a property prior to the pandemic) is sure to incur opportunity losses.

Lawyers use delay as a reasonable strategy. They routinely reschedule the submission of their response to a “show cause” order. Can a decision be “dribbled” until after the retirement of a pesky judge? Delay as a strategy is surely taught in law school as it seems to be used too often by its practitioners.

Cramming is one form of procrastination seen as a bad management practice, seemingly disdainful of planning or an orderly allocation of time. (You lack a sense of urgency.) The student who submits his book report a week ahead of the deadline is seen as more conscientious than the one panting to get the report through the door with only minutes left before the teacher shuts it. Online submissions can be timed to the last second. Still, the procrastinator may have gotten more help and insights from those who submitted early. He may even get a better grade than the eager beaver he copied from.

Another form of procrastination involves deferring gratification, like getting a massage only after working out in the gym. Reward is seen as having to be earned and therefore needing to be delayed.

Does deferring gratification mean getting unpleasant tasks out of the way first? Do they pay for airline tickets two months in advance and check-in at the airport two hours before departure? Are they always 15 minutes ahead of schedule in attending meetings? In a virtual meeting, they are also ahead of schedule— I’m now at the “waiting room.”

The two types of procrastinators are often at odds with each other. Those who defer gratification are natural masochists who hate crammers on sight.

Deferring gratification is seen as a good character trait. Postponing difficult tasks until the last minute is not viewed in the same light. Crammers are never on time and have the most optimistic estimates of drive time (flying time of crows). When setting the alarm clock for a certain time, crammers only wake up to stop the ringing and then go back to sleep, only to scramble awake later predictably behind schedule for an appointment. They postpone meetings regularly. Even working from home, crammers can be late going down the stairs, and forgetting their shorts.

Still, delaying tactics can offer advantages.

The late opinion-giver learns from the mistakes of eager beavers whose ideas get shot down first. In a panel discussion, the last panelist has the most brilliant insights, synthesizing or demolishing previous ideas.

The “first mover” advantage is overrated. Pioneers can lose money as their copycats learn the business and avoid their mistakes. In the fast-food business, the copycat who introduced “unlimited rice” was acquired by the pioneer at a premium.

Most noteworthy entrepreneurs and successful leaders in their youth were crammers, or even copycats. Pressed for time, these enemies of urgency and getting there first bent the rules to get their assignments submitted in the nick of time, without having to put in the required days for research and writing. In this, they depended on pleasure-deferring classmates to bail them out.

The Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus had appended the word “Cunctator” (or Delayer) to his name, preferring delay and a war of attrition and keeping close rather than engaging Hannibal and his elephants in a pitched battle. This wearying strategy worked at that time. It is too at the heart of the guerrilla strategy (hit and hide) in more recent wars against formidable foes, as in the Vietnam war. And more recently in Afghanistan.

Of course, the ultimate delayer is the one who just opts out of the process — I have better things to do. Is this dereliction of duty going to be harmful? What will the surveys say? And more importantly, the elections in May.

 

Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda

ar.samson@yahoo.com

Ethical hacker is now cybersecurity firm CEO 

Allan Jay Dumanhug, an ethical hacker and startup cybersecurity mentor, has been appointed as CEO of Secuna, a Philippine cybersecurity firm. Previously its chief information security officer, he replaces Iannis Hanen, who has been appointed Secuna’s vice-president for global sales.

Mr. Dumanhug will be responsible for overseeing operations and driving business growth in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region. Drawing from his mentorship work for startups through Ideaspace Philippines, Mr. Dumanhug will also lead the company’s efforts in providing solutions for both multinationals and small businesses alike.

One perennial challenge in the cybersecurity landscape is a lack of security training for professions in the field, he told BusinessWorld. This gap is exacerbated by a lack of public awareness of cyberattacks, which Mr. Dumanhug said gives rise to inevitable attacks.

“Security is not a priority of [either] private or public entities,” he said, adding that the appropriate response to the growing sophistication of cybercriminals is innovation of existing solutions.

No company is immune to cyberthreat actors, GoDaddy noted in 2021. The impact of a compromised online resource, the web hosting provider said, can lead to issues such as penalization, blacklisting, and loss of trust.

Worldwide, the cost of cybercrime is projected to reach $8 trillion by 2022.

Secuna – whose name is a combination of “sec” (for “security”) and “una” (the Filipino word for “first”) – counts Palawan Express, Kumu, and Paymongo as among its clients. It has also worked with a few government agencies, said Mr. Dumanhug.

“We are open to also working with the national government,” he added in an e-mail. “We believe that government agencies should be open to collaborate with private entities like what the US, Singapore, and UK governments are doing.” – Patricia Mirasol 

Taiwan casts wary eye at China amid Ukraine crisis, but no immediate alarm

REUTERS

TAIPEI — Taiwan is nervous that Beijing may take advantage of a distracted West to ramp up pressure on the island amid the crisis in Ukraine, but there have been no unusual maneuvers by Chinese forces in recent days, officials in Taipei say.

The government, always on alert to what they view as Chinese provocations, last month set up a Ukraine working group under the National Security Council. China views Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up military activity near the self-governing island during the past two years.

President Tsai Ing-wen told a meeting of the working group on Wednesday that Taiwan must increase its surveillance and alertness on military activities in the region and tackle foreign misinformation, though she did not directly mention China.

Although Taiwan’s government says the island’s situation and that of Ukraine’s are “fundamentally different”, Ms. Tsai has expressed “empathy” for Ukraine’s situation because of the military threat the island faces from China. Read full story

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu warned in two foreign media interviews this month that they were watching very closely to see whether China would take advantage of the Ukraine crisis to attack.

“China may think about using military action against Taiwan at any moment, and we need to be prepared for that,” he told Britain’s ITV News.

A senior Taiwan official familiar with the government’s security planning told Reuters that the chances of a sudden uptick of military tension are “not high,” but that Taipei has been watching closely for any unusual Chinese activities.

The person pointed to the People’s Liberation Army’s joint military drills in areas between Taiwan’s northeast and near the Miyako Strait close to Japan’s southern islands, which have become more frequent in the past month or so.

The drills included fighter jets, bombers and warships and were meant to increase pressure on Japan, the official said, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

A Japanese Defence Agency spokesperson declined to comment.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday that Taiwan’s government in concert with the West was using Ukraine to “maliciously hype up” military threats and whip up anti-China sentiment.

WESTERN CONCERN
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday that if Western nations failed to fulfil their promises to support Ukraine’s independence, it would have damaging consequences worldwide, including for Taiwan.

Two Taiwan-based diplomatic sources told Reuters that President Xi Jinping’s primary focus at the moment was preparing for a tricky once-every-half-decade congress of the ruling Communist Party this year, where he will cement a historic third term in office.

“Once that’s done, he will be able to focus once more on Taiwan,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as neither was authorized to speak to the media.

Taiwan, which rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, has lived under the threat of Chinese invasion since the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war to the Communists.

Su Chi, a former head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council under the previous administration of President Ma Ying-jeou, said Taiwan, like Ukraine, was caught between two great powers.

Mr. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin deal with their respective territorial claims very differently, added Su, who runs the Taipei Forum think tank.

“So far Xi has been firm but gradual, not lightning fast like Putin.”

One Western security official familiar with policy planning toward China said Beijing was most likely looking at how the Ukraine situation developed in terms of sanctions on Russia.

“It’s probably seen as a laboratory by China, on what they might face in a Taiwan contingency,” the official said, referring to how Western countries may react to a Chinese attack on the island.

The Taiwan official said there were some similarities between Mr. Putin’s and Mr. Xi’s military moves in recent years, pointing to Russia’s “grey zone” tactics towards Crimea before annexing it in 2014. Taipei has called China’s frequent air missions near the island a “grey zone” tactic.

“Rather than conjecturing whether Xi would restrain actions before the party congress, it is more realistic to analyze its daily military activities and make preparations accordingly,” the official added. — Reuters

Russia’s richest lose $32 billion this year as Ukraine conflicts deepen

A SHEET of 1000 Russian Rouble notes at Goznak printing factory in Moscow, Russia, July 11, 2019. — REUTERS

THE FORTUNES of Russia’s super-rich have tumbled $32 billion this year, with the escalating conflict in Ukraine poised to make that wealth destruction much larger.

US President Joseph R. Biden on Tuesday unleashed sanctions targeting Russia’s sale of sovereign debt abroad and the country’s elites, and said he’s sending an unspecified number of additional US troops to the Baltics in a defensive move to defend NATO countries.

Gennady Timchenko heads the list of Russian billionaires who have seen their fortunes drop, with almost a third of his wealth disappearing since Jan. 1, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a listing of the world’s 500 richest people.

Mr. Timchenko, 69, the son of a Soviet military officer who met and befriended Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin during the early 1990s, now has a fortune of about $16 billion, with the bulk of his wealth derived from a stake in Russia gas producer Novatek, according to Bloomberg’s wealth index.

Fellow Novatek shareholder Leonid Mikhelson’s fortune has tumbled $6.2 billion this year, while Lukoil Chairman Vagit Alekperov’s net worth has declined about $3.5 billion in the same period as the energy company’s stock has slid almost 17%.

The country’s 23 billionaires currently have a net worth of $343 billion, according to the wealth list, down from $375 billion at year-end.

Markets slumped further this week after Mr. Putin recognized two separatist republics in Ukraine, leading to Germany halting an energy project with Russia and the UK imposing sanctions on five of the country’s banks and three of its wealthy individuals, including Mr. Timchenko.

Also on the UK’s sanctions list are Boris Rotenberg, 65, and his nephew, Igor, 48, whose families made their fortune through gas-pipeline construction firm Stroygazmontazh.

Igor’s father, Arkady, one of Mr. Putin’s former judo sparring partners, sold the pipeline firm in 2019 for about $1.3 billion. He purchased a minority stake from his younger brother Boris five years earlier when both siblings and Mr. Timchenko were hit with US sanctions over Russia’s annexation of Crimea. — Bloomberg

EU countries agree to admit more travelers vaccinated with WHO-approved shots

REUTERS

BRUSSELS  — European Union (EU) countries agreed on Tuesday to open their borders to travelers from outside the bloc who have had shots against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO), easing restrictions on those who received Indian and Chinese vaccines.

The EU has so far authorized vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca (when produced in Europe), Johnson & Johnson and Novavax.

In addition to these shots, the WHO has also approved the vaccines produced by Chinese makers Sinopharm and Sinovac and by Indian company Bharat Biotech. It has also authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine made in India by the Serum Institute.

Until now, most EU countries have not admitted people from outside the bloc travelling for non-essential reasons if they have been vaccinated with shots not approved in the EU.

“Member states should lift the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for persons vaccinated with an EU- or WHO-approved vaccine,” said a recommendation adopted on Tuesday by EU governments which would be applicable from March 1.

Restrictions will be lifted for travelers who received the final dose of the primary vaccination cycle at least 14 days and no more than 270 days before arrival. Boosted travelers will also be accepted.

EU states also agreed to lift a temporary restriction on non-essential travel for people who have recovered from COVID-19 within 180 days prior to travelling to the EU.

For people inoculated with a WHO-approved vaccine, EU states could also require a negative PCR test taken at the earliest 72 hours before departure and could apply additional measures such as quarantine or isolation. — Reuters

Hong Kong budget proposals offer handouts, tax breaks for residents, small businesses

REUTERS

HONG KONG — Hong Kong will offer tax breaks, handouts and subsidies to small businesses and residents, to mitigate the impact of a new wave of social restrictions to curb COVID-19 infections, Finance Secretary Paul Chan said in his 2022/23 budget speech.

The measures were announced as hundreds of bars, restaurants and small retailers warned they were months away from closure, following the imposition of the strictest restrictions since the pandemic began in 2020.

“Our economy and people’s livelihoods have been under immense pressure in recent months,” Mr. Chan told legislators via videoconference on Wednesday. “Economic performance in the first quarter is not optimistic.”

Mr. Chan said “countercyclical measures” in the budget to support the economy totalled more than HK$170 billion ($21.79 billion), with spending on anti-epidemic measures put at more than HK$54 billion.

The global financial hub has doubled down on its “dynamic zero COVID” strategy, which aims to eradicate all outbreaks, following mainland China’s lead even as the rest of the world adjusts towards “living with the virus.”

Given the city is facing thousands of infections a day and the numbers are growing, some analysts predict at least one or two quarters of economic contraction after recovering last year from the city’s most prolonged recession in 2019-2020.

Bars, gyms, beauty parlors and 12 other types of venues are closed, while restaurants cannot operate beyond 6 pm. Apart from grocery stores, most shops are deserted as residents are back working from home. The border is virtually shut with the finance sector complaining this has caused an exodus of talent and made operating a regional hub out of Hong Kong difficult.

The restrictions are the most draconian yet to be implemented, and are expected to last until at least April 20.

The budget measures announced on Wednesday include a 100% reduction in salaries tax, capped at HK$10,000, handouts of HK$10,000 consumption vouchers, financial aid for the unemployed, and subsidies for directly impacted businesses.

Residents will also be given tax deductions related to their rent payments, as well as subsidies for transport and utilities.

A 100% reduction in profits tax capped at HK$10,000 is expected to benefit 151,000 firms, Mr. Chan said. In addition, the government will help small firms with loan guarantees, export financing, and debt repayment holidays.

Hong Kong’s economy is expected to grow 2.0% to 3.5% this year after expanding 6.4% in 2021, Mr. Chan said, adding the forecast takes into account a recovery in the second part of the year once the epidemic is brought under control.

“The successful control of the epidemic is the key to safeguarding our economy and people’s livelihood,” Mr. Chan said. — Reuters

First Olympic Winter Games to host its core systems on Alibaba Cloud

Olympic Winter Games hosts its core systems on Alibaba Cloud.

Alibaba to bolster digitalization for a more efficient, sustainable and inclusive Olympic Winter Games

In an effort to bolster the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) digitalization efforts, Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 has successfully migrated its core games technology services to Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group. The migration has occurred against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, in order to create a safer, more efficient, sustainable and inclusive experience for participants and audiences from around the world.

“The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 will not just be remembered by the excitement and the phenomenal achievements brought by the athletes from across the world, but also for the new benchmarks it had set for driving a more efficient, sustainable and inclusive Olympic Games,” said Jeff Zhang, president, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. “We are proud to be supporting the digitalization of the Olympic Games, and we hope our experience in hosting Beijing 2022’s core operating systems on Alibaba Cloud will be passed on to future sporting events.”

Advanced cloud capability to boost organizer efficiency

The IOC and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (BOCOG) executed a master plan for the Olympic Winter Games. It includes the implementation of key operational systems delivered by the IOC’s Worldwide IT Partner Atos, such as the Games Management Systems (GMS), Olympics Management Systems (OMS) and Olympics Distribution Systems (ODS). These have all been migrated to Alibaba’s cloud infrastructure.

The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 has realized a further move to cloud-based services, further reducing the time and cost investment on IT infrastructure, hardware and associated management. With the advanced cloud-based capability to analyze real-time intelligence, the planning and management for Beijing 2022 was further streamlined and improved for more seamless user experience.

Taking advantage of the scalability, reliability and security features of the cloud infrastructure, event organizers like the IOC can reduce the complexity of the game planning based on intelligence-driven decisions; striking for the right balance between optimizing existing resources and creating new ones. That way hosting cities can also reduce the time and costs associated with the legacy physical infrastructure investment upfront.

Cloud technology helps bring the world closer together

Beijing 2022 also showcased a series of technological innovations developed to bring more inclusive experiences for fans in multiple locations. Alibaba introduced Cloud ME, a cloud-powered realistic projection that facilitates remote social interactions. The technology defies distances by enabling people to meet and converse with each other’s life-sized, true-to-life persona projections.

In addition, Alibaba unveiled Dong Dong, a 22-year-old virtual influencer. Originating from Beijing, Dong Dong was created to interact with fans globally, sharing fun and informative Olympic-related facts. Speaking in a natural-sounding human voice, she can convey a range of emotions. This has proven to be particularly efficient for engaging with the younger audience. From Feb. 4 to 20, Dong Dong’s livestreaming has been viewed by more than 2 million viewers with a fan base of more than 100,000.

To deliver the best Olympics content to a global audience, Alibaba’s cloud computing technology also powers the Olympic Channel Services, which brings high-quality programs to fans around the world to engage with the Olympic Movement anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

Sustainable innovations for the future of Olympics

For the first time the distribution of live signals of the Olympic Games over the cloud has been implemented, providing Rights Holding Broadcasters (RHBs) with agile and cost-effective options. Through the Olympic Winter Games, 6,000 hours of footage were produced by the OBS and broadcasted to more than 220 countries and territories.

The OBS Video Server, which was fully hosted in the cloud, provides RHBs with efficient and scalable system while reducing onsite hardware investment. With Content+, RHBs could access all content produced during the Olympic Winter Games, including the live coverages, remotely with ease. The implementation of OBS Live Cloud also provides an alternative to heavy investment for RHBs and the host cities, when the Olympic Games-related contents can be transmitted over the public cloud, effectively reducing the carbon footprint of broadcasting related operations.

In addition, OBS also leveraged multi-camera replay videos with Alibaba, providing replays of competition highlights for curling and speed skating within seconds, bringing engaging and dynamic viewing experiences to audience around the world via RHBs on the cloud.

Ilario Corna, chief information technology officer, IOC said, “Beijing 2022 should champion innovation as well as sporting success. I am thrilled to see that the cloud-based technology in action at the Olympic Winter Games not only benefits athletes, fans and operating staff, but also helps us to honor our ambition to ensure the Olympic Games are at the forefront of sustainability.”

 

Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.

Join us on Viber to get more updates from BusinessWorld: https://bit.ly/3hv6bLA.

Organization set to launch vintage watch collection in NFT form

 

New Old Stock (NOS), a Hong-Kong based organization, is set to launch its first vintage watch collection in NFT (non-fungible token) form this February.

An NFT is a digital asset that represents real-world objects. NOS wants to recreate the familiar vintage features and watch designs for people who have always aspired to own a real one, a spokesperson told BusinessWorld.

“As this is also generative, there will be new color- and vintage-inspired combos that have never been seen in real life,” Angus Cheng, one of the founding members of NOS, said. Mr. Cheng is involved in software development and was a senior developer at blockchain software company, Block.one. “NOS-NFT watches are vintage-inspired (Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Tudor, etc.) and not copies.”

The term “new-old-stock” is used by vintage collectors to describe old pieces that have never been worn. NOS – which is not affiliated, authorized, or connected with the aforementioned brands nor any of their subsidiaries – plans to feature 3,888 unique designs in its NFT collection. It has tapped Quinton Ng, co-founder of the vintage watch retailer Antiqclockwise and specialist at Berne Horology, as the primary vintage watch advisor for this project.

Berne Horology is a family run business from Hong Kong with a focus on vintage watches and antiques.

“We believe that the NFT and Metaverse verticals will be the next big phase in consumer technology,” Mr. Ng said in a press statement. “Through NOS, we provide the gateway for watch enthusiasts to bring their favorite pieces from the real world to the metaverse.”

NOS is offering presale contests and real watch giveaways at its Discord and Twitter accounts. It will set up a DAO (or a decentralized autonomous organization made up of buyers and owners of the first NFT series) following the February launch to invest and purchase real-life watches at public auctions and private sale events.

“We plan to use a percentage of our sales from the inaugural NFT drop to invest in and purchase [these] genuine vintage watches,” said Mr. Cheng in a press statement.

The community owning the DAO will vote on all its actions, as well as have fractional ownership of the real-world watches.

No definite date on the NFT drop has been given as of press time.

“NOS is trying to perfect the artworks and backend development to make sure everything goes through smoothly,” Mr. Cheng said in an e-mail.

The digital assets market is fast growing and has attracted many global players – including the likes of international auction house Sotheby’s, which is pairing a unique NFT to each of the watch designs in its “Gerald Genta: Icon of Time” sale. – Patricia Mirasol

Japan imposes sanctions on Russia over actions in Ukraine

TOKYO – Japan is imposing sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday, terming Moscow’s moves an unacceptable violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and international law.

Western nations on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on Russian banks and elites after Moscow ordered troops into separatist regions of eastern Ukraine.

Japan‘s sanctions include prohibiting the issuance of Russian bonds in Japan and freezing the assets of certain Russian individuals as well as restricting travel to Japan, Kishida said.

“Russia‘s actions very clearly damage Ukraine‘s sovereignty and go against international law. We once again criticise these moves and strongly urge Russia to return to diplomatic discussions,” he said.

“The situation remains quite tense and we will continue to monitor it closely.”

Details of the sanctions will be worked out and announced over the coming days, he added.

Japan has sufficient reserves of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) so that there will not be a significant impact on energy supplies in the short term, Kishida said.

Should oil prices rise further, he said he would consider all possible measures to limit the impact on companies and households.

Kishida said Japan would remain in close contact with other G7 nations and the international community.

“Should the situation worsen, we’ll move quickly to take further action,” he added.

Japanese markets were closed on Wednesday for a national holiday.

Japan‘s toughening stance contrasts with the softer diplomatic approach to Moscow taken by Japanese governments in the past, attempts to secure the return of islands occupied by Russian forces at the end of World War Two.

Japan‘s relations with Moscow have also been shaped by its reliance on Russia for energy needs. In 2021, Russia provided more than 12% of Japan‘s thermal coal, and almost a tenth of its LNG. – Reuters

Trolley school helps Philippine children keep studies on track

Student volunteers ride on their makeshift trolley which serves as a mobile library for children, in Tagkawayan, Quezon Province, Philippines, February 15, 2022. Picture taken February 15, 2022. (Reuters/Lisa Marie David)

TAGKAWAYAN – A brightly decorated wooden trolley rumbles down a little-used rail track in the southern Philippines carrying four young teachers, two on the front and two in the back pushing it along with their feet.

Kitted out with a whiteboard, colourful charts, and a stack of books, the tiny, mobile school slides along from village to village three times a week, bringing education to impoverished children near the city of Tagkawayan as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps schools shut in much of the Southeast Asian archipelago.

“It’s important that we do this, especially now that there is a pandemic and the children cannot do face-to-face learning,” Shaira Berdin, one of nine volunteers who operate the trolley, said in an interview as kids crouched in the grass by the railway track, thumbing through English books.

Tagkawayan is a town of about 54,000 people in Quezon province located nearly 176 km (110 miles) southeast of Manila.

Remote learners in the Philippines have been challenged by a lack of computers, phones and internet, along with uneven education quality. Some children have had to climb onto roofs to get data signals.

Pushing the trolley like a scooter, the volunteers teach math and reading to over 60 children as they go. They started their initiative in November and have collected learning materials from donations to use for their classes.

While stopped, the teachers lift the trolley off the tracks, allowing the use of the whiteboard for spelling lessons, and then move on to counting using flashcards. This also keeps the tracks free for other users.

“Most of these volunteers come from poor backgrounds. They’ve also experienced hardships in life, which is why they want to help children in need,” said 26-year-old teacher Samboy de Leon Niala.

The Philippines gradually started a phased reopening of schools in November after a 20-month closure disrupted the education of nearly 27 million children.

The country has recorded more than 3.6 million COVID-19 cases and nearly 55,000 deaths overall. It reopened to tourists in February after the daily case count fell from a peak in September of more than 33,000 to about 1,500. – Reuters

S.Korea prime minister calls for calm as COVID cases hit new record

SEOUL – South Korea’s prime minister on Wednesday called on people not to panic about a major increase in coronavirus infections as new daily cases surged past 170,000 for the first time.

Serious cases and deaths are at manageable levels despite record cases caused by the highly infectious Omicron variant, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a pandemic response meeting.

“Although our awareness and implementation of anti-COVID rules should not be loosened, there is no reason at all to fear or panic about the numbers of new cases as in the past,” he said, according to a transcript.

South Korea reported 171,452 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, another daily record and a sharp increase from 99,573 a day before, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Wednesday.

Deaths have slowly ticked up, reaching a near-record high 99 on Tuesday, but South Korean authorities say real-world data shows people infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant are nearly 75% less likely to develop serious illness or die than those who contract the Delta variant.

A study by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) of some 67,200 infections confirmed since December showed the Omicron variant’s severity and death rates averaged 0.38% and 0.18%, respectively, compared with 1.4% and 0.7% for the Delta cases.

Around 56% of 1,073 people who died over a five week period were either unvaccinated or had received only one dose, the study showed, with people aged 60 or older accounting for 94% of deaths, officials said on Monday.

More than 86% of South Korea’s 52 million population have been double vaccinated and nearly 60% have received a booster shot.

South Korea has approved Pfizer’s PFE.N COVID-19 vaccine for use with children aged 5-11, the country’s food and drug ministry said on Wednesday. Read full story

Children should get one-third of the regular dose, administered twice with a three week interval, the ministry said in a statement. Children with significantly declined immunity can get a booster four weeks later.

Kim said social distancing rules will be relaxed after the current wave peaks, which some experts estimate may come in mid-March.

“Omicron’s spread is still racing to its peak, but once it is assured that severe cases and deaths can be stably managed, we will reform the broad framework of our anti-virus quarantine policy including social distancing,” Kim said.

Current rules include mask mandates for public places, vaccine passes for certain locations and events, a six-person limit on private gatherings, a 10 p.m. curfew for eateries and a seven-day quarantine for international arrivals.

South Korea has reported a total of 2.3 million cases since the pandemic began, with 7,607 deaths. – Reuters

1...6,7636,7646,765...14,238Page 6,764 of 14,238
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube