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Dončić trade

Luka Dončić was all smiles when he was formally introduced as a Laker the other day. He said all the right things as he faced members of the media — that he looked forward to wearing purple and gold, that working with erstwhile face of the franchise LeBron James “is just like a dream come true,” and that he understood both the privilege and the pressure of playing “for the greatest club in the world.” For all his optimism, however, it was likewise clear that he bore no small measure of regret for having been deprived of the opportunity to continue making history with the Mavericks.

Indeed, Dončić had been only too willing and ready to stay put in Dallas, which hitherto served as his home since being taken third overall in the 2018 draft. He confirmed the obvious: He said he gave absolutely no indication that he would not affix his Hancock on the $345-million supermax deal for which he would be eligible in the offseason. Yet, instead of certainly, what the Mavericks dealt him — and, to be fair, the rest of the National Basketball Association — was shock. At 25, he already boasted of a sterling resume, and was a mere seven months removed from a Finals appearance.

Immediately after the trade, the Mavericks, through general manager Nico Harrison, took pains to explain why Dončić had to be shown the door. And while the temptation to defend himself amid all the speculation about his conditioning, or lack thereof, was undoubtedly great, he chose to, in his words, “take the high road,” instead choosing to underscore “my amazing moments in Dallas with all my teammates, coaches, and, most importantly, the fans. They always supported me, and it was an amazing journey.”

Dončić went full bore during practice on Thursday, and, barring any setback, is slated to make his debut in a Lakers uniform over the weekend. How he will mesh with James and his new teammates remains to be seen. In any case, it’s clear that he figures to let his performances on the court do the talking for him. Little wonder, then, that fans and, yes, even casual observers of the pro scene cannot wait to see him burn rubber against the Mavericks in two and a half weeks. The first significant stop on his revenge tour figures to be a doozy.

 

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.

Panama Canal denies United States’ claim of preferential crossing rights

A container ship crosses the Gulf of Suez towards the Red Sea before entering the Suez Canal, April 24, 2017. — REUTERS

WASHINGTON/PANAMA CITY — The Panama Canal Authority on Wednesday denied the US State Department’s claim that US government vessels would be able to cross the canal without paying fees, likely ratcheting up tensions after President Donald Trump threatened to take back control of the crossing.

The canal authority, an autonomous agency overseen by the Panamanian government, said in a statement that it had not made any changes to charge fees or rights to cross the canal, adding its statement was directly in response to the US claims.

The US State Department had said earlier in the day that Panama’s government had agreed to no longer charge crossing fees for US government vessels, in a move that would save the US millions of dollars a year.

“With total responsibility, the Panama Canal Authority, as it has indicated, is willing to establish dialogue with relevant US officials regarding the transit of wartime vessels from said country,” the canal authority responded.

Panama has became a focal point of the Trump administration as the president has accused the Central American country of charging excessive rates to use its trade passage, one of the busiest in the world.

“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” Mr. Trump said last month.

Mr. Trump has also repeatedly claimed that Panama has ceded control of the canal to China, which Panama and China deny.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino earlier this week as part of a trip through Central America, with Mr. Mulino vowing to pull out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Mr. Mulino has also repeatedly dismissed Mr. Trump’s threat that the US retake control of the canal, which it largely built and administered for decades.

But the US and Panama signed a pair of accords in 1977 that paved the way for the canal’s return to full Panamanian control. The United States handed it over in 1999 after a period of joint administration. — Reuters

Year begins with warmest January despite shift towards cooling La Niña

The sun sets in Boracay island, Aklan, Jan. 31, 2025. — PHILIPPINE STAR/RUSSELL PALMA

BRUSSELS — Last month was the world’s warmest January on record, continuing a streak of extreme global temperatures despite a shift towards the cooling La Niña weather pattern, European Union (EU) scientists said on Thursday.

January extended a run of extraordinary heat, in which 18 of the last 19 months saw an average global temperature of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a monthly bulletin.

That was despite the world shifting from the El Niño warming pattern — which helped make 2024 the world’s warmest year on record — and turning towards its cooler La Niña counterpart, which involves the cooling of equatorial Pacific waters, and can curb global temperatures.

“The fact that we’re still seeing record temperatures outside of the influence of El Niño is a little surprising,” said Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which runs the C3S service.

El Niño peaked more than a year ago, Ms. Burgess noted.

The global average temperature in January was 1.75C higher than in pre-industrial times.

Copernicus assesses that La Niña has not yet fully developed, and the world is currently in neutral conditions between the two phases. Other data models can vary, with US scientists indicating last month that La Niña conditions had formed.

Even if La Niña does fully emerge, Ms. Burgess said its cooling effect may not be enough to temporarily curb global temperatures —  which are also affected by factors like the extreme heat seen in other ocean basins, and the main driver of climate change: emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

“By far and away the largest contributing factor to our warming climate is the burning of fossil fuels,” she said.

Scientists at Berkeley Earth and the UK Met Office have said they expect 2025 to be the third-warmest year on record — cooler than 2024 and 2023 because of the shift towards La Niña, though uncertainties remain about how the phenomenon will develop.

Globally, average sea surface temperatures in January were the second-highest on record for the month, exceeded only by January 2024. — Reuters

Australia passes tough hate crime laws with mandatory jail time for Nazi salutes

STOCK PHOTO | Image by rawpixel.com from Freepik

SYDNEY — Australia passed tough anti-hate crime laws on Thursday, including mandatory minimum sentences for terror offenses and displaying hate symbols, in a bid to tackle a recent surge in antisemitism.

The laws will impose minimum jail sentences between 12 months for less serious hate crimes, such as giving a Nazi salute in public, and six years for those found guilty of terrorism offenses.

“I want people who are engaged in antisemitism to be held to account, to be charged, to be incarcerated,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who had initially opposed mandatory minimum sentences for hate crimes, told Sky News.

The government’s hate crimes bill was first introduced to parliament last year, creating new offenses for threatening force or violence against people based on their race, religion, nationality, national or ethnic origin, political opinion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status.

Recent months have seen an escalation of attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars of Jewish community members across the country, including the discovery of a caravan laden with explosives with a list of Jewish targets in Sydney.

Mr. Albanese has been criticized by the center-right opposition party for being weak on crime and failing to address the rise in antisemitism.

The Liberal-National coalition began calling for mandatory minimum sentences to be added to the hate crimes bill last month.

Home Affairs minister Tony Burke, who introduced the amendments enabling the provisions late on Wednesday, said the changes were the “toughest laws Australia has ever had against hate crimes.”

The state of New South Wales, where most of the antisemitic attacks have taken place, said on Wednesday it would also strengthen its hate speech laws to reflect those already in place in Western Australia and Victoria. — Reuters

Two years after quake disaster, Turkey’s painful recovery continues

A woman stands near a collapsed building after an earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey Feb. 6, 2023. — REUTERS

ANKARA — Two years after the deadliest and most destructive earthquake in modern Turkish history, hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced, with many still living in temporary housing, as rebuilding efforts lag behind initial targets.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6, 2023, and its aftershocks rattled 11 Turkish provinces and parts of northern Syria, killing more than 55,000 people and injuring more than 107,000.

The disaster reduced entire towns to rubble, including homes, hospitals, and historical landmarks, with Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Adiyaman hardest hit.

The government has pledged to build 650,000 homes, with President Tayyip Erdogan promising in the weeks after the tremor that 319,000 would be delivered within a year.

“We are fortunate to have delivered 201,431 independent units to their rightful owners less than two years after the earthquake,” Mr. Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting on Monday.

Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said $75 billion had been spent on rebuilding across the quake region.

The critical phases of reconstruction have been completed, he said, adding that housing and business projects were progressing rapidly.

Many residents, however, remain in makeshift conditions, while others have left their home provinces entirely, disrupting communities and livelihoods.

Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition CHP, said only 30% of the pledged reconstruction had been completed. The housing completion rate in Hatay, one of the worst-hit provinces, was only 18%, he said.

“Only three out of ten who believed in Mr. Erdogan now have homes, while the other seven are still in containers or seeking refuge in the homes of relatives,” Mr. Ozel said on Tuesday.

“How can they look into the eyes of those they forced to live in containers for two years and say, ‘We have kept all our promises, thank God’?”

LINGERING HARDSHIPS
International and local aid groups say a full recovery remains far off, with thousands of Turks still facing barriers to returning home.

The Hatay Earthquake Victims’ Association said in a report that more than 400,000 people remain in container-home cities, facing poor sanitation, inadequate healthcare, and an uncertain future.

It also raised concerns about asbestos exposure from unregulated demolitions and land seizures under emergency decrees.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that millions of people in Turkey and Syria were still struggling to rebuild their lives. It called the pace of reconstruction “far too slow” for such a disaster.

Delays in reconstruction hurt long-term stability and risk depopulation of the region, some aid groups say.

In Hatay, in southernmost Turkey, empty streets, shuttered businesses, and demolition work still define the city, which was once a bustling mixture of cultures and religions, and a draw for tourism.

Ankara says its response to the earthquake has been effective and on track.

Mr. Kurum, the government minister, said 423,000 homes and workplaces will be handed over to survivors by the end of 2025, adding that Turkey had allocated 584 billion Turkish lira ($19 billion) for recovery efforts. — Reuters

Second bird flu strain found in US dairy cattle  — USDA

REUTERS

US dairy cattle tested positive for a strain of bird flu that previously had not been seen in cows, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday, ramping up concerns about the persistent spread of the virus.

The H5N1 virus has reduced milk output in cattle, pushed up egg prices by wiping out millions of hens, and infected nearly 70 people since April as it has spread across the country.

Genome sequencing of milk from Nevada identified the different strain, known as the D1.1 genotype, in dairy cows for the first time, the USDA said. Previously, all 957 bird flu infections among dairy herds reported since last March had been caused by another strain, the B3.13 genotype, according to the agency.

Reuters reported news of the detection of the second strain on Wednesday ahead of USDA’s announcement.

The second strain was the predominant genotype among wild birds this past fall and winter and has also been found in poultry, the USDA said. It was identified in dairy cattle through an agency program that began testing milk for bird flu in December.

“We’re seeing the H5N1 virus itself be smarter than all of us,” said Beth Thompson, South Dakota’s state veterinarian.

“It’s modifying itself so it’s not just staying in the poultry and the wild waterfowl. It’s picking up a home in the mammals.”

Wild birds likely transmitted the second strain to cattle in Nevada, said J.J. Goicoechea, Nevada’s Agriculture director. Farmers need to ramp up safety and security measures to protect their animals, he said.

“We obviously aren’t doing everything we can and everything we should or the virus wouldn’t be getting in,” he said.

The Nevada Department of Agriculture said on Jan. 31 that herds in two counties had been placed under quarantine due to bird flu detections.

It is important for the USDA to contain the outbreak in the state quickly, so the strain does not spread to dairy cattle elsewhere, said Gail Hansen, a veterinary and public health consultant.

Last year, bird flu spread across the country as infected cattle were shipped from Texas after the virus first leapt to cows from wild birds.

“We didn’t get a hold on it before,” Ms. Hansen said. “We want to avoid that same scenario from happening in Nevada.”

Dairy herds that were formerly infected may be at risk again from the second strain, experts said.

“Now it looks like we have new strains of virus that may escape some of the immunity associated with the other strains of viruses that could exacerbate the epidemics among animals and wildlife,” said Gregory Gray, a University of Texas Medical Branch professor studying cattle diseases.

“It’s alarming.” — Reuters

Stunting rate in the Philippines still “alarming”

One in four Filipino children under the age of five is affected by stunting, a form of malnutrition. Dr. Jose V. Dimaano Jr., Abbott’s nutrition medical affairs director for Pacific Asia, talks more about stunting in the Philippines.

Interview by Patricia Mirasol
Video editing by Jayson Mariñas

South Korean ministries block DeepSeek on security concerns, officials say

FREEPIK

SEOUL – South Korea’s industry ministry has temporarily blocked employee access to Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek due to security concerns, a ministry official said on Wednesday, as the government urges caution on generative AI services.

The government issued a notice on Tuesday calling for ministries and agencies to exercise caution about using AI services including DeepSeek and ChatGPT at work, officials said.

State-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power said it had blocked use of AI services including DeepSeek earlier this month.

The defense ministry has also blocked access to DeepSeek on its computers that are for military use, officials said on Thursday.

The foreign ministry has restricted access to DeepSeek in computers that connect to external networks, Yonhap News Agency said. The ministry said it cannot confirm specific security measures.

DeepSeek did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

It was not immediately clear if the ministries had taken any actions against ChatGPT.

The ban makes South Korea the latest government to warn about or place restrictions on DeepSeek.

Australia and Taiwan have banned DeepSeek this week from all government devices over concerns that the Chinese artificial intelligence startup poses security risks.

Italy’s data protection authority ordered DeepSeek in January to block its chatbot in the country after the Chinese startup failed to address the regulator’s concerns over its privacy policy.

Some other governments in Europe, the U.S. and India are also examining implications of using DeepSeek.

South Korea’s information privacy watchdog plans to ask DeepSeek about how the personal information of users is managed.

Chinese startup DeepSeek’s launch of its latest AI models last month sent shockwaves through the tech world. The company says its models are on a par with or better than products developed in the United States and are produced at a fraction of the cost.

South Korean chat app operator Kakao Corp has told its employees to refrain from using DeepSeek due to security fears, a spokesperson said on Wednesday, a day after the company announced its partnership with generative artificial intelligence heavyweight OpenAI.

Korean tech companies are now being more careful about using generative AI. SK Hynix , a maker of AI chips, has restricted access to generative AI services, and allowed limited use when necessary, a spokesperson said.

Naver, a major South Korean web portal, said it had asked employees not to use generative AI services that store data outside the company. – Reuters

Malaysia says forced displacement of Palestinians would be ethnic cleansing

REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia sees any proposal for the forced displacement of Palestinians as constituting ethnic cleansing and a violation of international law, the foreign ministry said on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a U.S. takeover of Gaza.

“Malaysia strongly opposes any proposal that could lead to the forced displacement or movement of Palestinians from their homeland. Such inhumane actions constitute ethnic cleansing and are clear violations of international law and multiple UN resolutions,” the statement said.

The ministry said it supported a two-state solution as the path to lasting peace and stability.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and has long advocated for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Malaysia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said he maintains good relations with the political wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas but has no connection with its military wing.

Neighboring Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, said late on Wednesday it rejected “any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians or alter the demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

Any such action would obstruct a two-state solution being realized, the ministry said, saying Indonesia called on the international community to ensure respect for international law. – Reuters

Google scraps diversity-based hiring targets

REUTERS

Alphabet’s Google is scrapping its goal to hire more employees from underrepresented groups and is reviewing some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, joining a slew of U.S. businesses scaling back diversity initiatives.

“In 2020, we set aspirational hiring goals and focused on growing our offices outside California and New York to improve representation,” Fiona Cicconi, Alphabet’s chief people officer, said in an email to staff on Wednesday, a copy which was reviewed by Reuters. “…but in the future we will no longer have aspirational goals.”

Google had for years been among the most vocal companies pushing for more inclusive policies in the wake of protests against the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in 2020.

In 2020, CEO Sundar Pichai set a goal to have 30% more of its leaders from underrepresented groups by 2025. At the time, about 96% of Google’s U.S. leaders were white or Asian, and 73% globally were men.

In 2021, it began to evaluate executive performance on team diversity and inclusion after a prominent leader of artificial intelligence research said the company abruptly fired her after she criticized its diversity efforts. Google’s chief diversity officer Melonie Parker said in a 2024 interview with BBC that the company had hit 60% of its five-year goals.

On Wednesday, an Alphabet spokesperson said the company did not have updated figures regarding Pichai’s goals.

Alphabet’s annual filing with the U.S. SEC on Wednesday showed it omitted a line saying it was “committed to making diversity, equity and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve.”

That statement appeared in annual reports from 2021 to 2024. The spokesperson said the line was removed to reflect its review of DEI programs.

“This is a real attack on gains that workers have made in the tech industry through movements fighting against racism, gender and LGBTQ discrimination, going all the way back to the civil rights movement. This is part of a troubling right-wing, anti-worker trend developing within tech companies that AWU (Alphabet Workers Union) is committed to fighting against,” said Parul Koul, a software engineer and the union’s president, in a statement.

 

FEDERAL CONTRACTOR

Google, which sells cloud computing and other services to the U.S. government, also said it was reviewing policy changes by President Donald Trump aimed at curbing DEI in the government and among federal contractors.

“Because we are a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes to our programs required to comply with recent court decisions and U.S. Executive Orders on this topic,” Ms. Cicconi said in the email.

The company will maintain internal employee groups such as “Trans at Google,” “Black Googler Network” and the “Disability Alliance,” which the company has said inform decisions around products and policies.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Wednesday about the memo.

Facebook parent Meta Platforms said in January in an internal memo it was ending its DEI programs, including those for hiring, training and picking suppliers.

Amazon also said it was “winding down outdated programs and materials” related to representation and inclusion, in a memo to its employees, seen by Reuters.

Conservative groups, fortified by a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that invalidated affirmative action in university admissions, have condemned DEI programs and have threatened litigation against companies implementing them. – Reuters

China challenges Trump tariffs at WTO, package shippers warn of chaos

COLLECTIONS - GETARCHIVE

WASHINGTON – China filed a World Trade Organization complaint on Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 10% tariff on Chinese imports and his cancellation of a duty-free exemption for low-value packages, arguing the actions are “protectionist” and break WTO rules.

Beijing’s request for U.S. trade consultations came as confusion reigned among shippers and retailers over Trump’s closure of the “de minimis” exemption for package imports valued under $800 and widely used by e-commerce firms including Shein, Temu and Amazon.

A Customs and Border Protection official said all small packages from China and Hong Kong needed to have customs entries on file prior to arrival and there was the potential for some cargo to be sent back without this paperwork.

The WTO said China submitted a request for consultations with the U.S. on the tariffs. China argues in the document that Trump’s new duties aimed at halting the flow of fentanyl opioids and their precursor chemicals to the U.S. “are imposed on the basis of unfounded and false allegations concerning China.”

It said the duties are discriminatory, only applying to goods of Chinese origin, and are inconsistent with the U.S.’s WTO obligations.

The request for consultations is the start of a dispute process that could lead to a ruling that Trump’s duties violated trade rules in the same manner that a 2020 WTO ruling found that his first-term China tariffs broke trade regulations.

But such a victory would be unlikely to bring Beijing relief because the WTO’s Appellate Body has been largely inoperable for years, as the U.S. has blocked the appointment of appellate judges over what it views as judicial overreach by the body. This has prohibited a final decision in the 2020 case.

 

PACKAGE CHAOS

The U.S. Postal Service said on Wednesday it would again accept parcels from China and Hong Kong, reversing a temporary suspension that threatened to disrupt millions of package imports every day.

“We’re all running around like headless chickens at this moment in time, trying to second-guess what’s going to happen,” said Martin Palmer, co-founder of Hurricane Commerce, a cross-border e-commerce data provider. “And in two weeks’ time we may be back to normal.”

The Trump administration has blamed the de minimis exemption for allowing fentanyl and its precursor chemicals to enter the U.S. unscreened. Recent Reuters reporting has also found that drug traffickers are exploiting the exemption.

USPS said in a statement it was working with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to minimize disruptions to deliveries.

 

NO TRUMP-XI TALKS

On Wednesday, there was still no call scheduled between Mr. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the new U.S. tariffs and Beijing’s retaliatory measures, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Mr. Trump said on Tuesday he was in no hurry to speak with Mr. Xi as the tariff took effect just after midnight Eastern Time.

China responded with targeted tariffs on imports of U.S. coal, liquefied natural gas, crude oil and farm equipment, and opened an anti-monopoly investigation into Alphabet’s Google.

The launch of the new trade war caught the retail and shipping sectors flat-footed.

“There has really been absolutely zero time for anyone to prepare for this,” said Maureen Cori, co-founder of New York-based consultancy Supply Chain Compliance. “What we really need is direction from the government on how to handle this without warning or notice.”

Currently, de minimis parcels are consolidated so customs can clear hundreds or thousands of shipments at once, but they will now require individual clearances, significantly increasing the burden for postal services, brokers and customs agents, Cori said.

The provision was initially intended as a way to streamline trade, and its use has surged with the increase in online shopping.

About 1.36 billion shipments entered the United States using the de minimis provision in 2024, up 36% from 2023, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

 

TARIFF UNCERTAINTY

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday defended Mr. Trump’s tariff strategy in his first media interview since taking office, saying it was aimed at bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., including for industries that have largely left U.S. shores.

U.S. Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday pointed to the large policy uncertainty around tariffs and other issues arising from the early days Trump’s administration as among the top challenges in figuring out where to take U.S. monetary policy in the months ahead.

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee warned that ignoring the potential inflationary impact of tariffs would be a mistake, whereas Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin said it remains impossible at this early stage to know where cost increases from any tariffs might be absorbed or passed along to consumers. – Reuters

Philippines Senate head says cannot hear impeachment complaint against vice-president until June

Senate President Francis G. Escudero — SENATE PRIB

MANILA – The Philippine Senate can only act on the impeachment complaint against Vice-President Sara Duterte on June 2 when Congress resumes after the midterm elections, Senate President Francis Escudero told a briefing on Thursday.

Mr. Escudero said the senators who will act as jurors need to swear an oath while Congress is in session before they can convene as an impeachment court.

“Legally, it cannot be done,” Mr. Escudero said.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday impeached Duterte, the daughter of the country’s firebrand former leader Rodrigo Duterte.

The impeachment complaint stemmed from allegations Duterte misused public funds while she was vice president and education minister, amassed unexplained wealth, and threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the first lady and the lower house speaker. She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

She became the second-most-senior elected official in the Philippines to be impeached after former President Joseph Estrada in 2000. – Reuters

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