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Dodgers get by Brewers in series opener

A PAIR of bases-loaded walks in the first inning got the offense started and Corey Seager hit a home run late as the Los Angeles Dodgers earned a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in Game 1 of their National League wild-card series at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers drew four walks in the opening inning against Brewers left-hander Brent Suter, who got the call to start with right-hander Corbin Burnes (oblique) and left-hander Brett Anderson (blister) out of action.

Will Smith and AJ Pollock each received free passes with the bases jammed.

Dodgers starter Walker Buehler went four innings with eight strikeouts in just his second outing since spending two separate stints on the injured list in September with a blister on his right index finger. Buehler has at least seven strikeouts in all seven career playoff starts.

The Dodgers can advance to the NL Division Series with a victory Thursday. Los Angeles are slated to send left-hander Clayton Kershaw to the mound against Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff.

Suter (0-1) wasn’t even named the Brewers starter until Tuesday evening as Milwaukee opened with a bullpen game. The left-hander gave up three runs on three hits with three walks in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out five.

Outside of Suter’s rough opening to the game, Brewers pitching kept the team in the game. Mookie Betts had an RBI double for the Dodgers off Suter in the second inning for a 3-0 lead.

Buehler managed to pile up strikeouts, but he gave up a two-run home run to Orlando Arcia in the fourth inning as the Brewers pulled to within a run at 3-2.

Seager gave the Dodgers a bit of breathing room with his home run to center field in the seventh off Freddy Peralta. He hit 15 in the regular season, one off the team lead shared by Betts and Pollock.

Left-hander Julio Urias (1-0) followed Buehler by giving up three hits over three scoreless innings. Blake Treinen pitched a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save, striking out Christian Yelich to end the game.

The Brewers lost right fielder Ryan Braun after he came away with back discomfort, while chasing a fly ball in the second inning. Tyrone Taylor pinch hit for him in the fifth.

The Dodgers entered the playoffs with the best record in baseball during the shortened regular season at 43-17. They were also an NL-best 21-9 at home and will have two chances to close out the best-of-three series at Dodger Stadium and advance to the neutral-site NLDS in Texas. — Reuters

Yankees eliminate Indians in 10-9 slugfest

DJ LEMAHIEU hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the ninth inning off Brad Hand and the visiting New York Yankees outlasted the Cleveland Indians for a wild 10-9 victory Wednesday night to sweep a best-of-three American League wild-card series.

The Yankees advance to the American League Division Series to face the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat New York in eight of 10 regular-season meetings. The series will start Monday in San Diego.

Down 9-8 entering the ninth, New York loaded the bases on a walk and two singles before Hand (0-1) got an out. Hand struck out Brett Gardner but lost the lead when Gary Sanchez lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.

LeMahieu fell behind in the count 0-2 on a pair of fastballs before Hand threw the major league batting leader a slider, and the second baseman hit it up the middle just out the reach of second baseman Cesar Hernandez.

The comeback came after Aroldis Chapman (1-0) allowed a bloop single to Hernandez that gave Cleveland a 9-8 lead in the eighth.

Chapman recovered from Hernandez’s hit to strike out Jose Ramirez and get Carlos Santana to ground into an inning-ending double play. In the bottom of the ninth, Chapman struck out pinch hitter Austin Hedges with a runner on first to secure the win.

New York overcame an early 4-0 deficit but blew leads of 6-4 and 8-6 before LeMahieu’s clutch hit.

Cleveland forged an 8-8 tie when Jordan Luplow batted for Josh Naylor in the seventh and lifted a two-run double off Jonathan Loaisiga.

The Yankees held an 8-6 lead after Sanchez’s two-run homer off Triston McKenzie just cleared the right field wall in the sixth. Sanchez’s homer occurred after Jose Ramirez evened the game at 6-6 on a two-run double down the right field line off Chad Green in the fifth.

Green entered after Masahiro Tanaka opened the inning by allowing a double to Francisco Lindor and walking Hernandez.

The Yankees rallied from a four-run deficit after the first inning, getting a solo homer from Giancarlo Stanton in the second and a grand slam from Gio Urshela off James Karinchek in the fourth right after Carlos Carrasco was lifted.

Stanton’s sacrifice fly in the fifth made it 6-4.

The game was interrupted by two delays due to the threat of rain and actual rain. The first pitch was delayed 43 minutes and the game was halted for 33 minutes after Ramirez’s double gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead in the first.

The Indians added three more runs in the first inning after the second delay on a two-run double by Naylor and an RBI single by Roberto Perez.

Tanaka allowed six runs on five hits in four-plus innings.

Carrasco allowed four runs on two hits in three-plus innings. — Reuters

Disciplined Halep beats Begu to extend winning run to 16

PARIS — French Open top seed Simona Halep put in a disciplined performance to tame big-hitting Romanian compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu (6-3 6-4) in the second round on Wednesday, extending her winning run to 16 matches.

World number two Halep arrived at Roland Garros having won her last three tournaments – two of them on claycourts in Prague and Rome – and started as the overwhelming favourite to add a second French Open title to her Grand Slam cabinet.

Halep, who skipped the U.S. Open due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began strongly on Court Suzanne Lenglen, jumping to a 3-0 lead against an opponent she had beaten in all her previous seven meetings.

“It’s never easy to play against a Romanian and against Irina, we played so many times,” Halep, who turned 29 on Sunday, told reporters. “It’s never easy, she’s a very strong opponent and she’s also powerful, the serve is really strong.”

Despite the slow start, the 73rd-ranked Begu refused to give up and switched to a more attacking gameplan and it paid dividends as the 30-year-old got the set back on serve with a break for 4-3.

Halep had to dig deep and the 2018 champion got the second break in the eighth game and then held serve to win the opening set.

Begu hit seven more winners than Halep in the match but also had 15 more unforced errors, and a second service break was enough for Halep to secure the second set and a spot in the third round.

Halep had played under the closed roof of Court Philippe Chatrier in her opening match and said she struggled in the heavier and slower conditions on the uncovered court.

“Today I really felt it’s very slippery at the back of the court because there was no roof,” said Halep, who managed to get 80% of her first serves in during the match.

“It’s different, I have to say it. But anyway it is nice here, every court is beautiful so I am ready to face anything.”

The Wimbledon champion hit her 15th winner on matchpoint and will next meet American teenager Amanda Anisimova, who earlier demolished compatriot Bernarda Pera 6-2 6-0.

Anisimova ended Halep’s title defence last year before losing in the semi-finals to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty. — Reuters

Ruthless Nadal stays on course for 13th French Open title

PARIS — It was business as usual as Rafa Nadal continued his quest for a record-extending 13th French Open title with a 6-1 6-0 6-3 crushing of American Mackenzie McDonald on Wednesday to reach the third round.

The Spanish second seed, also looking to equal Roger Federer’s record of 20 men’s singles Grand Slam titles, was never troubled on court Philippe Chatrier.

The claycourt master played deep, using his forehand to devastating effect to set up a meeting with Japanese Kei Nishikori or Italian Stefano Travaglia.

After world number 236 McDonald won the second game, Nadal bagged 11 games in a row to move two sets up and despite some resistance from his opponent early in the third set, he had no trouble improving his win-loss record at Roland Garros to 95-2.

“My objective is to play as well as I can. It was a good match for me today. I’m very happy,” Nadal said.

“Then it’s another difficult match. We’ll see, I hope I’ll be at a good level. It’s always special for me to play here in Paris, on court Philippe Chatrier.”

Nadal looks to be on a semi-final collision course with Dominic Thiem, who he beat in the last two finals in Paris.

After a first-round match played in chilly and damp conditions, the 34-year-old benefited from better weather on Wednesday.

“Today was not that cold, so that’s the main thing. Not that cold, the conditions are not that bad,” said the Spaniard, who had complained about the new balls used in Paris being too heavy.

“The ball is still heavy. When is not that cold, the ball is little bit less heavy always. I see the predictions the next couple of days are not very good.”

That means Nadal may have to play under the closed roof on court Philippe Chatrier for the first time, but he looks in good form.

He fired 17 forehand winners against McDonald, faced zero break points and made only eight unforced errors in a performance that should boost his confidence after he lost in the Italian Open quarter-finals this month to Argentine Diego Schwartzman. — Reuters

Unfortunate breaks

To argue that nothing has gone well for Kristina Mladenovic of late would be an understatement. At the United States (US) Open, she saw herself out of singles play following what she termed the most painful loss of her career. Not long after, she was booted out of the doubles field — in which she and partner Timea Babos held the top seed — for having played cards with virus-stricken Benoit Paire. And the end of the month proved to be just as bad as the start; she went one and done at the French Open, her home country’s major event.

Taken in and of themselves, the developments were certified downers for Mladenovic. What made them particularly hard to swallow were extraordinary circumstances. In early September, it wasn’t simple that she bowed to Varvara Gracheva, who ranked outside the Top 100 and was in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time ever. It was that she did so after serving for the second-round match at 6-1, 5-1; she went on to give up the second set in a tiebreak and claim a bagel in the third.

Parenthetically, US Open officials saw fit to strictly enforce health protocols to Mladenovic and Babos’ detriment despite continued negative tests while under quarantine, only to seemingly relax them in another case. And at the French Open the other day, she served for the set at 5-1, only to unravel as a result of a double bounce that unranked opponent Laura Siegemund declined to acknowledge and chair umpire Eva Asderaki failed to notice. Never mind that broadcast replays clearly showed it.

To be sure, unfortunate breaks are part and parcel of tennis. For all the misfortunes, Mladenovic should have been able to overcome them, given her talent and experience. Instead, she was left to do post-mortems in which she couldn’t help but be alternately flummoxed and angry. In her pressers, she pointed fingers at herself, at the US Tennis Association and Asderaki. Meanwhile, Siegemund appeared totally oblivious to the underpinnings of sportsmanship; “I’m coming running full speed. If in that call I say, ‘Oh, it was a double bounce,’ and later I see on the video it was not, I would be angry at myself.” Lost in the translation: the fact that the violation was obvious, and even assuming an ounce of doubt, the notion that the spirit of fair play calls for giving way and not plowing through.

That said, Mladenovic has only herself to rely on moving forward. If she’s truly bent on honing her craft, she should have no time for self-pity. Else, the blame will rightly be hers to take. Life goes on. She should, too.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Four values essential to nurturing meaningful relationships, according to Sh*tty Places & Selfish People

In a chapter from Sh*tty Places & Selfish People: 7 Rules of Engagement, a book on how to actualize your aspirations for happiness and success, author Cliff Eala discusses the importance of relationships in living a happy and fulfilling life.

 “As you pursue a better version of yourself, remember that only when you go beyond yourself and benefit others, will you reach your full potential,” said Mr. Eala in his book.

Relationships also help in overcoming one’s problems. At the online launch of Mr. Eala’s book, Geoff McDonald, co-founder of Minds@Work, an organization that aims to eradicate the stigma of mental illness in the workplace, shared how support from his loved ones helped him recover from anxiety-fueled depression.

“In my darkest moments, just knowing how much I was loved by so many people is what kept me alive, is what gave me the energy to begin to look, to see how I could get myself better,” he said.

Here are four values that are essential to nurturing relationships that create a positive impact, according to Mr. Eala.

1. Positivity

In order for a relationship to thrive, both individuals must be able to focus on the positives. Mr. Eala suggests using psychologist John Gottman’s technique of making and responding to emotional “bids,” which are calls for attention, affirmation, acknowledgment, and affection from the other.

Based on the results of Mr. Gottman’s study of 130 newlyweds, those who were still together after six years responded positively to each other’s bids nine out of ten times. Those who were divorced responded only three out of ten times. This shows how constant reinforcement of positivity cultivates a strong relationship.

Focusing on positivity also means reducing negativity. This doesn’t mean removing it entirely, because that is impossible. Consider how certain activities that most relationships go through, such as negotiating on a compromise or challenging the other’s perspective, are negative by nature. But such activities can help in building a relationship when handled with appreciation, affirmation, and admiration.

2. Gratitude

Being consistently grateful in a relationship predisposes a person to avoid taking things for granted. Try sending a gratitude message at the start of every day, thanking someone for a specific act that you hadn’t had the chance to thank them for yet. It can be for something as simple as a catch-up call or a lunch that you had together.

3. Kindness

Acts of kindness help boost happiness in relationships. However, to get the full effect, they must be done with frequency and variety.

Mr. Eala cites a study by psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, which found that doing five acts of kindness in one day made people happier compared to others who were spreading those acts within a week. They were also much happier doing different kinds of acts compared to those who did the same thing over and over again.

4. Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not absolving the other’s fault or forgetting the hurt caused; it is reducing or eliminating one’s desire for revenge. Revenge creates resentment within a person, which can affect their happiness and eventually, their relationships.

Writing a forgiveness letter could serve as a therapeutic tool. Giving it to the offender is another matter entirely, since it depends on the situation. But if a person has decided to deliver the letter, the act can symbolize how they are relieving themselves of the blame and placing it on the offender. 

— Mariel Alison L. Aguinaldo

One day, thousands of job cuts: economic pain is deepening

Tens of thousands of job cuts announced by blue-chip companies in a 24-hour period are a warning sign for the world’s recovery and emerge just ahead of two key reports forecast to show limited progress in the US labor market.

In one of the biggest layoff announcements since the pandemic caused widespread economic shutdowns, Walt Disney Co. said late Tuesday that it’s slashing 28,000 workers in its slumping US resort business. In the hours that followed, the pace of job cuts at some of the world’s biggest companies—across a range of industries from energy to finance—quickened.

On Wednesday, Allstate Corp., the fourth-largest car insurer in the US, said it will cut 3,800 jobs, roughly 8% of its workforce. And Bloomberg reported that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to cut roughly 400 jobs after temporarily suspending job reductions at the beginning of the crisis.

Announcements like these point to further challenges in a rebound that’s already slowed after an initial bounce back in May and June. Weekly figures due Thursday are estimated to show filings for US unemployment benefits remain far above pre-virus levels, while Friday’s jobs report—the last before the November presidential election—is expected to reveal that employers added a half-million fewer workers in September than in August.

“Job losses were at first concentrated in service-sector jobs, but in any economic downturn you’re bound to get some more pruning as corporations are trying to protect profit margins,” said Brett Ryan, senior US economist at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. “You’ll see larger companies that may have been on a certain revenue trajectory before the downturn start to reevaluate.”

The fallout isn’t contained to American firms. Royal Dutch Shell Plc announced it will cut as many as 9,000 jobs as crude’s crash forces billions of dollars in cost savings, while German auto-parts supplier Continental AG’s supervisory board approved a restructuring plan that will cut or shift 30,000 jobs worldwide.

OFFICE WORKERS
The latest layoffs stretch beyond hourly workers, who were among the hardest hit at the start of the pandemic in industries such as restaurants and hospitality, to office and managerial positions.

While Shell didn’t provide a full breakdown of the cuts, a spokesperson said that positions in the top three layers of the company would be reduced by one-fifth.

“In many places, we have too many layers in the company: too many levels between me, as the CEO, and the operators and technicians at our locations,” said the oil major’s chief, Ben van Beurden.

The rout in the oil sector has been so swift and severe that once-sacrosanct corporate positions are being trimmed. Exxon Mobil Corp., which long prided itself on weathering crude-market crashes without resorting to job cuts, shocked investors and analysts in recent months when it targeted as much as 10% of US office staff for layoffs.

At Disney, the layoffs impact domestic employees in its theme-park, cruise line, and retail businesses. While two-thirds of the workers are part-time, the cuts also involve executives and salaried employees, the company said.

Halliburton Co., the world’s largest fracker, is eliminating an entire layer of management, while Marathon Petroleum Corp., the biggest independent US crude refiner, has embarked on its second round of job cuts that will affect about 2,050 employees, and is targeting salaried positions at plants in Texas, California and Louisiana.

MORE SUPPORT
With the pandemic still raging and US lawmakers having failed so far to extend federal help for the unemployed and small businesses, many key measures in the world’s largest economy look set to remain weak for some time.

There were signs earlier Wednesday that the outlook may have helped revive stimulus negotiations, but Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi failed to strike a deal during a 90-minute meeting Wednesday and said they will continue negotiating.

US airlines are preparing to lay off tens of thousands of workers starting Thursday unless they get additional federal aid. American Airlines Group Inc. has warned that it could furlough 19,000 employees, while United Airlines Holdings Inc. is planning to cut about 12,000.

There are signs, however, that the labor market is gradually improving in certain areas as demand rises from the depths of the pandemic. US companies added 749,000 jobs in September, according to ADP Research Institute data released Wednesday. ADP’s numbers, though, have diverged widely from official government figures in recent months.

Indications the economy is recovering factored into Allstate’s decision to announce its job cuts Wednesday. The insurer held off on layoffs at the start of the pandemic.

“We waited a little bit until we could see that the economy was starting to pick up some,” Chief Executive Officer Tom Wilson said in a phone interview. “We could have done this earlier, but we waited a little bit to get ourselves aligned and to build a set of programs out which help people get new jobs.” — Olivia Rockeman and Scott Lanman/Bloomberg

Harry Potter flies in London, playing Quidditch over Leicester Square

LONDON — A statue of Harry Potter, flying a Nimbus 2000 broom over the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, was unveiled on Wednesday in London’s Leicester Square.

The bronze statue, which shows Potter, played by Daniel Radcliffe, is just a few steps from where the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone had its world film premiere in November 2001.

“Harry Potter is hugely important to literature, theater, and, of course, to film,” said Ros Morgan, chief executive at Heart of London Business Alliance.

“We know there are fans of Harry Potter of all ages all around the world and we look forward to welcoming them to the West End and Leicester Square, whenever that will be.”

Potter joins other film icons including Laurel & Hardy, Mary Poppins, Mr. Bean and Paddington as part of “Scenes in the Square,” an interactive film trail in Leicester Square.

Some young fans were enthralled.

“I love Harry Potter and have been posing for photos pretending to play Quidditch with the statue all morning,” said Finn Bruce, aged 10. “I love coming into London and I’m happy Harry is here now too.” — Reuters

Free RFID installation at Robinsons Malls

Robinsons Malls and Easytrip are offering free radio-frequency identification (RFID) sticker installation at several Robinsons malls in Luzon this month. 

Easytrip’s RFID stickers can be used by vehicles passing through the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Cavite Expressway, Cavite-Laguna Expressway, and C-5 Link.

The schedule for the RFID installation is as follows: 

Oct. 2-3 – Robinsons Galleria, Lower Ground Floor 

Oct. 9-10 – Robinsons Sta. Rosa and Robinsons Place Malolos, Ground Floor 

Oct. 16-17 – Robinsons Place Dasmariñas, Lower Ground Floor

Oct. 23-24 – Robinsons Tagaytay, Level 2 Hallway and Robinsons Starmills, Parking Area 

Nov. 6-7 – Robinsons Angeles, Ground Floor Parking

Nov. 13-14 – Robinsons Novaliches, Ground Floor

The Easytrip booths and kiosks at Robinsons malls will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Department of Transportation made it mandatory for toll road operators to implement cashless and contactless transactions at all toll plazas, as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 in the country.

Social enterprise Thankyou launches initiative to help end extreme poverty

The Australian consumer products company is asking for people around the globe to join their movement to flip consumerism and change the world

Thankyou co-founder and managing director, Daniel Flynn.

Australia-based social enterprise Thankyou announced an invitation to P&G and Unilever – two of the world’s largest and most influential consumer goods companies – to make and distribute Thankyou products globally to help end extreme poverty. To convince these companies to take this bold move, Thankyou is asking people around the world to get involved and show the collective power of the many who believe in this change, through its campaign aptly named “No Small Plan.” Thankyou offers consumer products – personal care and baby product ranges – for the sole purpose of funding life-changing projects.

Thankyou was created to close the gap between the 736 million people* living in extreme poverty around the world and the $63 trillion spent on consumer products each year**. After all the costs in running a business to get great consumer products to people are taken care of, every last cent that Thankyou makes goes toward ending extreme poverty. With this model, Thankyou seeks to flip consumerism…for good.

“With $63 trillion spent on consumer goods each year while 736 million people are stuck in extreme poverty, we believe that business as usual is broken,” said Daniel Flynn, who founded Thankyou in 2008 along with Justine Flynn and Jarryd Burns. “But we also believe that we, together with people and a partnership with one of the two biggest companies in the world, can change this by funneling the dollars spent on consumer goods into helping end extreme poverty.”

Currently, Thankyou only sells its products in two of the world’s smallest countries – Australia and New Zealand – but with COVID-19 increasing both global poverty numbers and demand for personal care products such as hand sanitiser, the company feels that now is the time to expand, and quickly. If either P&G or Unilever choose to accept Thankyou’s invitation, together they could change the course of history and route millions of consumer dollars to ending extreme poverty.

Thankyou-funded project in India, where the village benefited from the integration of water, sanitation and hygiene solutions installed in their village.

To encourage P&G and Unilever to say “I’m in” and work with Thankyou to flip the system, Thankyou believes they need to see the collective impact of voices around the world rallying around one movement in the name of ending extreme poverty. To join Thankyou and show support, people can utilise their social media channels and follow these steps:

  • Post a photo or share the campaign social title with the caption, “I’m in, are you?”
  • Tag @proctergamble and @unilever
  • Hashtag #thankyoutotheworld
  • Share Thankyou’s video to help this spread even further

Thankyou has set virtual meetings with both P&G and Unilever to take place at the end of the campaign. On November 5, Thankyou will announce which company is “in” on one of the largest digital billboards in the world, in New York City’s Times Square.

Thankyou’s launch campaign is titled “No Small Plan” because changing the course of history by redirecting millions of consumer dollars to go toward ending extreme poverty in this lifetime is, indeed, no small plan.

 

No clear link between school opening and COVID surge, study finds

The vast majority—92%—of countries that are through their first wave of COVID-19 infections have started to reopen school systems, even as some are seeing a second surge.

LONDON — Widespread reopening of schools after lockdowns and vacations is generally not linked to rising COVID-19 rates, a study of 191 countries has found, but lockdown closures will leave a 2020 “pandemic learning debt” of 300 billion missed school days.

The analysis, by the Geneva-based independent educational foundation Insights for Education (IfE), said 84% of those 300 billion days would be lost by children in poorer countries, and warned that 711 million pupils were still out of school.

“It’s been assumed that opening schools will drive infections, and that closing schools will reduce transmission, but the reality is much more complex,” said IfE’s founder and chief executive Randa Grob-Zakhary.

The vast majority—92%—of countries that are through their first wave of COVID-19 infections have started to reopen school systems, even as some are seeing a second surge.

IfE found that 52 countries that sent students back to school in August and September—including France and Spain—saw infection rates rise during the vacation compared to when they were closed.

In Britain and Hungary, however, infection levels dropped after initial school closures, remained low during the holidays, and began rising after reopening.

Full analysis of these 52 countries found no firm correlation between school status and infections—pointing to a need to consider other factors, IfE said.

“The key now is to learn from those countries that are reopening effectively against a backdrop of rising infections,” Ms. Grob-Zakhary said.

The report said 44 countries have kept schools closed.

It found countries are developing strategies for schools during the pandemic—including some, such as Italy, France, which order temporary school closures on a case-by-case basis.

Other measures include policies on masks, class rotations, and combining remote with in-school lessons.

“This first real global test highlights what school life looks like in a COVID-world,” said Ms. Grob-Zakhary. “Understanding how countries undergoing a massive second wave are dealing with this new reality in the classroom is essential to guide future reopening decisions and to help schools remain open.” — Kate Kelland/Reuters

COVID-19 controls turn Asia into global surveillance hotspot, analysts say

Philippines among worst-scoring nations

KUALA LUMPUR — Asia has become the world’s surveillance hotspot and is at risk of serious privacy breaches as measures rolled out to contain the spread of COVID-19 become permanent in many countries, researchers warned on Thursday.

The Right to Privacy Index (RPI) published by British-based risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, rated 198 countries for privacy violations stemming from mass surveillance operations, retention of personal data, home searches, and other breaches.

According to the findings, Asia was the world’s highest-risk region for violations with a deterioration in recent years.

“Asia as a region risks sleep-walking into serious privacy breaches if there isn’t transparency when it comes to data use with respect to COVID-19 surveillance measures,” said Sofia Nazalya, a human rights analyst at Verisk Maplecroft.

Asian countries scored worse on average than nations in other regions, Singapore-based Ms. Nazalya, the author of the study, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

The pandemic has enabled authorities from China to Russia to increase surveillance and clamp down on free speech, digital rights experts say.

Many countries have tightened border controls and imposed travel bans. Some have stepped up surveillance using artificial intelligence and big data, alarming human rights activists, and data privacy experts.

Among the worst-scoring Asian nations in the Verisk Maplecroft index were Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, India, and the Philippines.

In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, China took the biggest steps to track the virus using mass surveillance, Ms. Nazalya said, citing mandatory health apps becoming permanent and an increase in use of facial recognition technologies.

“What is the point of making these apps permanent if there’s no need to,” Ms. Nazalya said. “It’s a disproportionate response to a threat that arguably is no longer as big as it was.”

Also in China, authorities have used voice-activated drones to track COVID-19 hotspots, hovering over people and berating anyone seen breaking the anti-virus controls, she added.

Cambodian authorities introduced emergency powers such as unlimited social media surveillance to tackle “fake news”, which had often targeted government critics, Ms. Nazalya said.

India, which was the only democracy to make downloading a COVID-19 tracking app mandatory with the threat of jail or fines, also plans to introduce a national database by 2021, which could worsen privacy rights, the report said.

Asian countries often lack adequate oversight of mass surveillance systems and legislation to protect privacy, data rights advocates say.

Although challenging, more governments should introduce data privacy laws and enforce them, Ms. Nazalya said, adding that businesses must not ignore the issue of deteriorating privacy rights as they bring both reputational and compliance risks.

“The first step is for there to be that crucial push for civil society to really examine what needs to be done when we look at technology, data breaches and privacy,” she said.

“(But) in terms of the government looking at data privacy, there needs to be a transparency in how data is used, stored, who has access to your private data.” — Michael Taylor/Thomson Reuters Foundation

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