NO SEA BED MINING

Switching Directions, ISA Picks an Oceanographer for its Top Post

Secretary-General of International Seabed Authority (ISA)

Courtesy ISA

Published Aug 4, 2024 7:35 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Brazilian oceanographer Leticia Carvalho has been elected as the next Secretary-General of International Seabed Authority (ISA). This brings to a close the term of predecessor Michael Lodge, who has been serving in the position since 2016. During his term in office, the little-known ISA has been thrust in the limelight over the ongoing debate on the regulation of seabed mining.

Lodge has faced immense criticism from some ISA member countries over perceived biases. Lodge has been accused of being close to executives of seabed mining companies, potentially overstepping the oversight role of ISA. In the just-concluded election cycle, Lodge’s third term in office was sponsored by the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, which supports seabed mining. Kiribati has granted a mining concession to a prominent exploration company, which could potentially mine 75,000 square kilometers of the Pacific seabed if granted ISA approval.    

Carvalho campaigned for the Secretary-General’s position by asserting that trust had been broken and ought to be restored at ISA. “The current divide of views among the state parties in the council is heavily due to the lack of trust and leadership, on top of whatever scientific gaps we may have or asymmetry of knowledge between the member countries. It is time for meaningful transformation at ISA,” said Carvalho.

The election of Carvalho has been celebrated as historic, as she is the first woman to lead ISA. She is also the first secretary-general with a background in oceanography. Carvalho is currently serving as the head of Marine and Fresh water branch of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Carvalho’s term will begin in next January and will run through December 2028. She joins the agency as member countries finalize negotiations on the deep sea mining code, a task that will likely shape her legacy.

Currently, countries are divided on seabed mining, with those that are supporting arguing that it will help boost the supplies of critical minerals needed for the global energy transition. However, the number of countries opposing the activity is steadily rising. They urge that the environmental, technical and financial aspects of seabed mining have to be clarified upfront.

In just over two years, 32 countries have come forward to oppose seabed mining. Five of these joined the list in the last week, including Malta, Tuvalu, Guatemala, Honduras and Austria.

 

Ukraine Bought Two Warships From Turkey - But Can it Take Delivery?

Courtesy Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

Published Aug 5, 2024 4:25 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Ukraine has been fighting the Russian Black Sea Fleet without having a single manned surface combatant since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, and it has had so much success that it is changing ideas about the nature of naval combat. Its exploits with unmanned drone boats have captured the world's attention, but the Ukrainian Navy has a lesser-known program to rebuild its manned fleet - starting with corvettes. 

On Friday, Turkey's RMT Shipyard launched the new corvette Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi in a high-profile ceremony, attended by Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska. 

The Vyhovskyi is the second in the series of Ukraine's two new Ada-class corvettes, after Hetman Ivan Mazepa, which is currently out on sea trials. Mazepa is named after a Ukrainian general who fought Russian Tsar Peter I, the 17th-century autocrat whose empire-building inspired Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mazepa will be the Ukrainian Navy's flagship when delivered, and will be its first fully modern warship.

In December 2020, Ukraine signed a contract with Turkey's Defense Industry Department for construction of two Turkish Ada-class corvettes, with options for two more to be built at a domestic Ukrainian yard under license. The first-in-class cost came to $200 million (at current exchange rates). 

The Ada-class is fitted for surface warfare with launchers for eight U.S-built Harpoon antiship missiles. It will be capable of launching the Italian-built MU90 torpedo for antisubmarine warfare.  

"With a vessel of this class, Ukraine will be able to protect its national interests not only in the Black and Azov Seas but also in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean," said the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a statement. 

There may be one difficulty for the Ukrainian Navy: Turkey has closed the Bosporus to all warships from nations involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Montreux Convention empowers Turkey to close the Bosporus to warships while a conflict is under way in the Black Sea - even to ships of Turkey's allies. In January, the Turkish government rejected Ukraine's request to move two ex-Royal Navy minehunters through the waterway for delivery, leaving the much-needed vessels stranded in Britain for an indefinite period.

This order might be different. Since the two Ada-class corvettes were bought through the Turkish government, and were built at a Turkish yard, it is unclear whether Turkey will block them as well - or whether the corvettes might remain officially neutral and "Turkish" until a handover in the Black Sea. If they are blocked, they might still be used in the Mediterranean, potentially expanding the geography of the conflict to new waters.  

Ukrainian agro-industrial conglomerate Nibulon has proposed another way to get around the Montreux Convention. The company owns a yard at Mykolaiv, and has asked Kyiv to invest in domestic production of modern warships, in hopes of reviving a shipbuilding industry that thrived during the Soviet era. 

WWIII

Manila Secures New Partnerships for Defense of its Maritime Rights

The aging outpost aboard a tank landing ship at Second Thomas Shoal. The AFP has repaired it to last for many more years, four sources told Bloomberg (file image courtesy Jay Tarriela / PCG)

Published Aug 5, 2024 6:13 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Just weeks after reaching a de-escalation agreement with the Chinese government, the Philippines has announced a flurry of defense partnerships, drills and supply operations in the South China Sea, all favoring the defense of Manila's exclusive economic zone. 

First, four security sources have confirmed to Bloomberg that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has managed to repair its rusting outpost on Second Thomas Shoal, where Chinese forces have been attempting to deny access and push Philippine troops out. The repairs have been so successful that they should be sufficient to keep the outpost going for up to ten years, the sources told Bloomberg. 

The news of the successful repair work is positive for the AFP, which has warned that the structure - a grounded WWII tank landing ship that is now eight decades old - was so decayed that it might have to be abandoned within a few years' time. China vigorously opposes the presence of the garrison within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, and has attempted to block resupply missions with force. Last week, after the announcement of a confidential de-escalation agreement with Beijing, AFP forces carried out a resupply mission to the reef without interference from Chinese forces. 

Partnership patrols with Vietnam, Japan and U.S.

On August 5, the Vietnam Coast Guard cutter CSB 8002 called in Manila for the start of joint exercises with the Philippine Coast Guard. Though Hanoi and Manila have competing views of their respective maritime boundaries in the South China Sea, they have committed to a peaceful resolution process centered on international law and negotiation - drawing an unspoken contrast with China's unilateral expansion.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, including international waters and neighboring states' exclusive economic zones. Beijing continues to reject a 2016 international arbitral ruling that affirmed the Philippines' EEZ boundaries, adopting an official policy of "non-acceptance, non-participation, and non-recognition" of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague and the rules-based implementation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. In pursuit of its own interpretation of regional maritime boundaries, China has authorized the use of force against Philippine servicemembers inside of the Philippine exclusive economic zone. Multiple Philippine nationals have been injured in clashes with the China Coast Guard since the start of 2024, when the CCG adopted tougher rules of engagement; no CCG personnel have been harmed in response. 

Vietnam has had similar run-ins with Chinese forces in the past, all centered on oil and gas E&P. China claims a large swathe of the Vietnamese EEZ, and has attempted to lay claim to its subsea resources as well. In 2014-16 a Chinese state oil firm attempted to carry out drilling in disputed waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, backed up by gray-zone forces of the Chinese maritime militia. Chinese vessels have also conducted unauthorized subsea surveys in Vietnamese waters, and have regularly harassed foreign-operated drilling rigs on Vietnamese license blocks, prompting several international partners to pull out. 

In addition to the partnership-building drills with Vietnam's coast guard, the Philippine Navy held its first bilateral drills with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force in the South China Sea last week, the service announced Friday. It also held a rare drill with the U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Mobile, near a contested reef within the western Philippine EEZ; most U.S. gray-hull patrols with the Philippine Navy have been conducted in less sensitive locations, outside of the contested area where China's unilateral claims overlap with Philippine waters. 

On Sunday, Manila also announced talks on a new defense partnership with Germany, coinciding with the first-ever visit of a German defense minister to Manila. The planned agreement covers training and weapons exports, said German minister Boris Pistorius, and is part of Germany's commitment to "maintaining rules-based order, securing freedom of navigation and protecting trade routes." 

Chinese state-owned opinion outlet Global Times objected to Pistorius' remarks. Citing an anonymous expert on Chinese foreign affairs, GT called the German minister's public support for Philippine maritime rights "a blatant provocation against China that exacerbates tensions." 

"Support for the Philippines at the cost of damaging ties with China brings no benefits to Berlin," warned GT. "There is great potential and space for rational and pragmatic cooperation between China and Germany, which is mutually beneficial and win-win."

 

U.S. Kills Houthi Drone Expert in Iraq

A Houthi drone over the Red Sea (file image courtesy Marine Nationale)

Published Aug 5, 2024 10:29 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

U.S. forces unknowingly killed a Houthi drone expert in an airstrike in Iraq last week, multiple defense officials have told the Washington Post. 

Houthi commander and unmanned-systems expert Hussein Abdullah Mastoor al-Shabal was in a meeting with Iraqi militants in Musayib, Iraq last week when U.S. forces bombed the building. The Pentagon believes that the local militants were planning to attack American bases in Iraq, and it only became aware of al-Shabal's identity after the strike. 

The organization involved in the meeting, Kataib Hezbollah, is a part of the official Iraqi security establishment. It denied any plans to strike American forces, and said that the meeting was about using surveillance drones to protect religious pilgrims. 

Like the Houthis, Kataib Hezbollah receives backing from the government of Iran. Houthi forces have repeatedly used drones to attack merchant ships and warships off the coast of Yemen; the group has targeted more than 70 vessels with UAVs, USVs and missiles since last November, and many ships have been attacked multiple times. 

Russia tried to send arms to Houthis 

Last week, multiple sources informed CNN that the Russian government attempted to supply weapons to the Houthi faction, and only held off after pressure from the government of Saudi Arabia. Houthi attacks on shipping have upended global trade routes, raised rates for containerized freight, and killed or injured multiple seafarers, despite a U.S.-led campaign to suppress the attacks. The Kremlin wanted to help the Houthis in order to retaliate against the U.S. for aiding Ukraine, sources told CNN, despite the negative repercussions for all other nations that trade through the Red Sea. 

While diplomatic pressure was enough to convince Russia to hold off on giving arms to Houthi fighters, the U.S. military believes that Russia has dispatched advisors to Yemen. In late July, Houthi fighters declared a military exercise zone in the southern Red Sea, and several Russian ships stopped within the zone to rendezvous with a Houthi boat. Individuals disembarked from one of the Russian ships and boarded a Houthi launch, then headed for Yemen. 

Even without Russian help, Houthi units retain a powerful punch, even after months of combat with the U.S. Navy. On Saturday, the group struck a Greek-owned boxship with a ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden. On Monday, American forces thwarted multiple attempted attacks: U.S. Central Command shot down three UAVs over the Gulf of Aden, one UAV over Yemen, and one drone boat, one UAV and one anti-ship ballistic missile over the Red Sea.

 

Bad Weather Hampers Clean-Up and Salvage Efforts on South African Beach

Ultra Galaxy broke in two and the deckhouse was ripped free in the storms (SAMSA)

Published Aug 6, 2024 12:38 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Officials provided an update on the clean-up and salvage efforts for the cargo ship Ultra Galaxy (13,800 dwt) that grounded and later broke up on a remote part of the South African coast north of Cape Town. Teams are continuing to struggle with difficult weather conditions which broke the vessel and are hampering efforts to retrieve the oil that remains onboard.

“It is not called the Cape of Storms for no reason,” Richard Robertson, general manager of Smit Salvage told reporters at a briefing on the coast. He said in 10 days of operation they have only had one “really calm” day. After the briefing, the coast was battered yet again by another winter storm over the weekend.

The focus of the operation remains on locating and removing oil that remains aboard the Ultra Galaxy. The first of the series of winter storms hit the vessel with tremendous force said Robertson reporting at its peak waves were at 22 feet hitting the vessel at 15-second intervals. 

The Ultra Galaxy, which was a 124.56-meter-long (409 feet) general cargo vessel, built in 2008, broke into two ahead of Frame 35 reports Robertson. The deckhouse with the accommodations was entirely ripped from the vessel. Surveys of the hull show additional stress fractures in several places.

The vessel had a total of approximately 500 tonnes of fuel aboard when it grounded, including 320 tonnes of low sulfur and 120 marine gas oil. Salvage team members are being airlifted onto the wreck by helicopters, a challenge on its own as the vessel lies at a 115-degree angle with safety lines strung for the team. They are drilling into the tanks to locate the oil and determine how much remains aboard.

Fuel tank 2 they determined has breached and tank 1 has also leaked a substantial amount.  The diesel fuel tank which had 35 tonnes appears so far largely intact. Before the storms, helicopters had been able to airlift off the vessel eight tonnes of lubricating oil. Smit has also positioned a platform vessel with equipment that was to be used to pump the fuel off the vessel. Robertson said once the fuel is located it will take 48 hours of heating before it can be extracted from the tanks.

More than 200 residents from the area are working with the team on cleaning the shoreline. Officials reported that more than 200 tonnes of debris including oil as well as the bags that held the fertilizer cargo have been collected on the beach. The vessel’s hatch covers also washed ashore during the storms.

The focus of the operation remains on removing the oil and other pollutants and cleaning the beaches. Once the vessel has been cleaned and stabilized, a wreck removal contract will be awarded.

Is the media 'catastrophizing’ the stock market hit?

SPACE

Serbia prepares to send its first satellite into space 

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By Tatyana Kekic in Belgrade August 6, 2024

Serbia is set to send its first satellite into orbit, joining the ranks of 106 countries with space programmes, according to a report from the Serbian daily Politika on August 5.

The satellite, named "Mosaic", represents a significant milestone for Serbia's burgeoning space ambitions, marking the country’s entry into the global space community.

Mosaic is scheduled for launch between late 2025 and early 2026 and is expected to remain in orbit for two to three years.

The mission will focus on observing the Sun in the X-ray domain, a task that is impossible from Earth due to the protective properties of the planet's atmosphere.

Dr. Milan Stojanovic, project manager and scientific associate at the Astronomical Observatory in Belgrade, outlined the additional capabilities of Mosaic in an interview with Politika.

“There will also be a small camera on the satellite that will record Serbia from afar,” said Stojanovic. “Although there are higher resolution images from Google or some other satellites, they are not always available to us. This way, we will receive images of our country once a day.”

According to Stojanovic, another goal of the mission is to develop expertise in the complete process of satellite technology, from component procurement to the launch itself. He said that this experience would lay the groundwork for future, larger-scale projects.

The "Mosaic" satellite belongs to the class of small satellites known as "CubeSats", measuring 10x10x10 centimetres. These nanosatellites are composed of three cubes that can be combined into a single unit.

Serbia’s Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation is the primary financial supporter of the project, with additional backing coming from Serbian experts abroad.

Thailand’s former PM contender awaiting court decision on whether to dissolve party

August 06, 2024 
By Rattaphol Onsanit

Former leader of the Move Forward party, Pita Limjaroenrat, is shown during an interview at Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 1, 2024.

WASHINGTON —

Thai progressive leader Pita Limjaroenrat and his Move Forward party won the biggest bloc in the country’s House of Representatives in elections last year. But Pita’s bid to become the country’s prime minister failed to receive enough support in the parliament.

Pita spoke recently with VOA about a ruling expected this week by the Constitutional Court in Thailand on whether to dissolve the Move Forward party and to ban Pita and other party executives from politics. Prosecutors have alleged party officials violated the constitution by campaigning for an amendment of a law, known as Article 112, which shields the country’s royal family from defamation.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: How would you describe your feeling ahead of the ruling?

Pita Limjaroenrat: Content. I'm very happy with what I have achieved. It's true that it's a very much a roller-coaster political ride, from an election winner to a parliamentarian at risk of being banned for either 10 years or potentially for the rest of my life. But I have chosen to look at it from where I have come from. It's an honor for me to serve my country and to have done my best in the past three or four years. As a rookie leader, as a new party, to be able to bring about change and hope, within the hearts of the Thai people.

VOA: In the opinion column that you penned for The Economist on Aug.1, you wrote, “Move Forward and I have become the latest casualties of such judicial overreach…. The elite's judicial overreach and other quick fixes designed to preserve status quo will not always work in the long run.” Why does the tone differ from being “content?”

Pita: I wanted to point out that this is quite systematic. I'm trying to tell the readers from my penmanship that I'm not the first one. I'm the last casualty; that means I'm not the first one. And there has been 33 political parties [put] in the graveyard in the past 20 years. So if you look at it from a macro perspective, that means, you know, it's quite a systemized way of keeping elected politicians at bay. Thirty three political parties, 249 politicians being stripped away of their political rights. So, you know, I'm not taking it personally, just for me. And I'm trying to tell the readers that the stakes are not just about my personal political future nor about only the future of my party, but it's really all about democracy as a whole in this country.

I'm not giving up and I'm not losing hope. I still remain optimistic because I travel all around the country meeting young people who are still very much alive and very much ready to cast the ballots in the voting booth. So ballots over battles, ballots over bullets.

VOA: What about the impact of the verdict specifically in shaping the conversation about Article 112 in Thailand?

Pita: You know, finally, as a country, as a society, we should be able to have a safe space, or a mechanism, to make sure that diversity or diverse views or conflicts get dissolved away. And that's why we thought that parliament would be the best place to find that consensus.

VOA: The court case draws international attention. What does this court fight mean to your ambition for Thailand’s global stature?

Pita: The international community is concerned in terms of similar values, which go beyond borders. But to me, personally, I feel like the definition of constitutional monarchy, the Thai way, has to be developed within the Thai society itself.

It's a kind of governance that finds that kind of proportion, or the kind of balance, with the constitution, which is about the people and the monarchy. And each country is different. So I'm not trying to look outside of Thailand and define that definition.

VOA: What political bargains have you made? Any areas that you think should not be compromised?

Pita: I think I am flexible in terms of operations, but very consistent in terms of principles. You know, the more I wait, the more I wait to become the leader of the country, I feel the need to double down on the reform agendas that I have made, whether it's demilitarization, whether it's de-monopolization, whether it's decentralization.

I’m willing to be flexible on various things. For example, I remember when I was forming the coalition and there was a questioner asking that, ‘if I join your coalition and the quota is supposed to be this X amount of ministers, can I have two more? Because I felt like that's a mark that would switch me from not joining your coalition, to joining your coalition.’ I said, ‘fine, as long as you promise to us, through that MOU, that you will deliver X and X policies that you and I campaign on, before people cast the votes for us.’ So that is an example of a flexibility I'm willing to do. But not like a reversal, or flip-flop politics.

VOA: If this is one of the last remarks you will share to your constituents before you’re banned from holding a political office, what would you say?

Pita: Keep moving forward. ... I can speak on behalf of the people on various things as long as, you know, there are people who are willing to listen to me. Keep moving forward.

So parliament might not be my playground and Thailand doesn't want me, but all over the country will be my playground. ASEAN will be my playground. Asia will be my playground. And the world will become my playground until we can meet again.

China rallies around Pan Zhanle after claims his 100m free swim was not ‘humanly possible’

China's Pan Zhanle after winning the 100m freestyle in world-record time at the Paris Olympics. 

Aug 02, 2024

HONG KONG – China’s state media, athletes and netizens have rallied to support Olympic swimming champion Pan Zhanle, after critics, including an Australian swim commentator, said that his world-record swim in the 100 metres freestyle on July 31 was not “humanly possible”.

The 19-year-old smashed his own world record, shaving 0.40 seconds off the previous mark he set at the World Championships in Doha in February, to humble rivals Kyle Chalmers of Australia and Romania’s David Popovici.

Pan finished in 46.40sec to take China’s first swimming gold in Paris. His win came after he “completed rigorous doping test programmes prior to and during the Games with zero positive results”, China Daily said on Aug 2.

The teen, who said he had been given the cold shoulder by some of the other swimmers, insisted he took 21 doping tests from May to July.

“I cooperated with all the testing procedures and stayed confident that I am competing fair and clean,” he said.

“I did a lot of aerobics and endurance training to strengthen my push and kick in the final split. We have also adopted a scientific underwater monitoring and analysing system to review our techniques and strokes, so that we can train better and more effectively.”


Australian coach and commentator Brett Hawke had posted on his Instagram that “it’s not humanly possible to beat that field by a body length”.

His comments were widely shared on China’s Weibo platform, with one user commenting: “It’s so cool to see them incompetent, angry and breaking their defences.” “He is praising us, saying that position is impossible but sorry we did it,” said another.

The Chinese swim team have been under intense scrutiny since revelations in April that 23 of the country’s swimmers tested positive for a banned heart medication in 2021 but were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) accepted the findings of a Chinese investigation that the results were due to contamination from a hotel kitchen, and an independent review backed its handling of the case.

A World Aquatics audit also concluded there was no mismanagement or cover-up by the governing body.

Pan’s name was not among the Chinese swimmers listed in the reports by The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD.

“The Chinese swimming team underwent more tests in two weeks than foreign athletes did in an entire year,” China’s Global Times newspaper added.

Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei, who has won three bronzes in Paris, responded to questions about Pan during a press conference on Aug 1, saying: “Why are Chinese athletes questioned when they swim so fast? Why didn’t anyone dare to question (Michael) Phelps when he won?” 

REUTERS

Swimming-China's Pan says other swimmers unfriendly in Paris pool

Paris 2024 Olympics - Swimming - Women's 100m Freestyle Victory Ceremony - Paris La Defense Arena, Nanterre, France - July 31, 2024. Gold medallist Zhanle Pan of China celebrates after winning and establishing World record.

 REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo

Aug 01, 2024

PARIS - China's Pan Zhanle said he had been given the cold shoulder by some of the other swimmers at the Paris Olympics, in comments made after he won the men's 100-metre freestyle on Wednesday.

Pan smashed his own 100m freestyle world record, shaving 0.40 seconds off the previous mark he set at the World Championships in Doha in February, to humble a slew of champion rivals in Paris.

He finished a massive 1.08 seconds ahead of Australia's Kyle Chalmers, who had to settle for silver.

"When I finished the 4x100m freestyle relay the other day, I said 'hi' to Chalmers, but he totally ignored me," Pan said in a TV interview shortly after Wednesday's race. "Also (Jack) Alexy from the U.S.

"When we were training, our coach was standing by the pool side and he turned in such a way that the water splashed right onto the coach. I felt he looked down on us a little."

Relations between China's swimming contingent and some other nations have been frosty in Paris, but Chalmers, the 100-metre freestyle champion at Rio 2016, said he had no issue with Pan.

"I find it a bit weird," Chalmers said with regard to Pan's comment.

"I gave him a fist pump before the relays ... and then my focus went to my teammates and my own racing. We had a laugh together at warm down last night - but no issues from my end."

Alexy, who came seventh, has not responded to Pan's remarks.

The Chinese swim team has been under intense scrutiny since revelations in April that 23 of the country's swimmers tested positive for a banned heart medication in 2021 but were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

The World Anti-Doping Agency accepted the findings of a Chinese investigation that the results were due to contamination from a hotel kitchen, and an independent review backed WADA's handling of the case.

A World Aquatics audit concluded there was no mismanagement or cover-up by the governing body and Pan's name was not among the Chinese swimmers listed in the reports by the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD.

China's anti-doping agency (CHINADA) has since accused the New York Times of politicising doping issues and said the publication was trying to "affect the psychology" of Chinese athletes at the Olympics.

The Times said it was confident in the accuracy of its reporting.

"Today I finally beat them all," Pan continued, after earning China's first swimming gold in Paris.

"In such a challenging pool, I broke the world record - this is a tremendous performance and a great start for team China."

REUTERS

Pan Zhanle’s record should not be questioned, says Ben Proud

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Swimming - Men's 100m Freestyle Semifinal 2 - Paris La Defense Arena, Nanterre, France - July 30, 2024. Pan Zhanle of China reacts after the race. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo

Aug 01, 2024

PARIS – China's Pan Zhanle has no questions to answer about his sensational 100 metres freestyle swimming world record at the Paris Olympics, British sprint specialist Ben Proud said on Aug 1.

Pan smashed his own record with a time of 46.40 seconds in the last race of the night at the La Defense Arena on July 31. Australian silver medallist Kyle Chalmers was a massive 1.08 seconds behind.

"I think 46.4 changes swimming, for sure," Proud told reporters after winning his 50 metres heat.


"It's a huge drop, it's fantastic and it shouldn't be questioned.

"It was a great swim by a good athlete and all the other stuff should be taken care of behind the scenes by the people who are in charge. I mean, we sat and watched and just thought wow. I'm not going to swear but...

"It was just a phenomenal swim and to do that in the final against the best in the world, winning by a second, is something you won't see very often."

The Chinese swim team have been in the spotlight since revelations in April that 23 of its athletes competed at the 2021 Olympics despite testing positive for a banned heart medication.

The World Anti-Doping Agency accepted the findings of a Chinese investigation that the results were due to contamination from a hotel kitchen, and an independent review backed Wada’s handling of the case.

The affair has hung over the Olympic meet and Pan complained after his gold medal on July 31 that he had been given the cold shoulder by some rivals.

"We all do our thing, and for me I'm the only person I can trust flat out. Whatever happens behind the scenes, that's out of my control," said Proud, the 2022 world champion at 50 metres freestyle.

"I just love to watch people swim and swim well and, yeah, to be a part of it." 

REUTERS

Australia’s cap on overseas students damaging, universities say

Australian universities have warned of mass job losses if the government moves too quickly to impose caps on international student numbers. 

Aug 06, 2024

CANBERRA – Australian universities have warned of mass job losses if the government moves too quickly to impose caps on international student numbers, with one industry body calling the proposed policy an unprecedented “ministerial overreach.”

The Australian government is currently holding consultations over a plan to cap the number of international students that domestic universities can accept.

The policy is intended to address community concerns over high post-Covid-19 migration numbers which are aggravating a national housing shortage, as well as some questions over the quality of service provided by Australia’s tertiary institutions.

However in a fiery Senate hearing into the new laws, Universities Australia chief executive officer Luke Sheehy said the policy could lead to 14,000 job losses in the sector and cost the economy as much as A$4.3 billion (S$3.71 billion).

“The sector is our second biggest export behind mining – worth almost A$50 billion to our economy and supporting around 250,000 jobs,” Mr Sheehy said in a statement to the committee in Canberra on Aug 6. “No other major export industry is treated the way international education is right now.”

The government initially announced plans to cap international students numbers in the 2024 federal budget, which came after months of efforts by then-Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil to rein in fraud related to short-term and student visas.

In July, Australia announced it would be ramping up visa application fees for international students by 125 per cent, bringing the total cost to A$1,600 per application.

The final details of the policy have yet to be confirmed, with a parliamentary inquiry into the proposed legislation due to report back by Aug 15.

The caps are expected to come into effect on Jan 1, 2025.

Mr Andrew Norton, an expert in higher education at the Australian National University, said in a new report released in August that it would be better for the government to wait and see the flow on effects of its already-implemented policy reforms before cracking down further on international students.

“On its current trajectory, the government will cause much more damage than is necessary to achieve its policy goals. Its mistreatment of people hoping to study in Australia will harm the country’s reputation,” Mr Norton said in a paper published to ANU’s Migration Hub. BLOOMBERG