Tuesday, September 17, 2024
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Strong winds wreak havoc

Photo shows a big tree fall & block the whole section of the road

A sudden gust of wind reaching speeds of up to 60km/h swept across the country on Tuesday afternoon, uprooting trees and causing damage to several vehicles.

Numerous reports of trees falling onto roads were received by the Bulletin, with images and videos circulating widely on social media. One video also captured a roof being blown off a building during the storm.

Photo shows a big tree falling and blocking a section of Jalan Perdana Menteri. PHOTOS: RAFI ROSLI
Photo shows a tree partially blocking a section of Jalan Menteri Besar.

Earlier in the day, the Brunei Meteorological Department had issued an Amber Weather Warning, alerting the public to the risk of flooding in low-lying areas across all four districts: Brunei-Muara, Tutong, Temburong, and Belait.

The unexpected burst of strong winds and heavy rain caught many households off guard. Some rushed to their balconies to save laundry as the downpour soaked areas that were initially sheltered.

The roof of a house blown off by the strong winds at Kampong Kiulap. PHOTO: LYNA MOHAMMAD

The storm also caused heavy traffic in several areas, including in the capital and Berakas as trees were uprooted and blocked main roads and highways. The Fire and Rescue Department was kept busy throughout the afternoon, working to clear fallen trees and debris to prevent accidents and ensure the safety of road users.

In addition to trees, roofs were seen either partially or completely blown off, alarming nearby residents. Fortunately, the extreme weather was brief, and no serious injuries were reported.

Debris, including fallen trees and other windblown objects, was scattered across main roads and highways, leaving cleanup crews with much work to do after the storm passed. – JAMES KON & LYNA MOHAMMAD

Yamaha Motor president injured in apparent assault by daughter

Y
SHIZUOKA, Japan (Bernama-Kyodo) – The president of Yamaha Motor Co sustained an arm injury Monday after his adult daughter allegedly attacked him with a kitchen knife at their house in central Japan, Kyodo News Agency reported, citing local police.
 
The police arrested Hana Hidaka on suspicion of attempted murder of her father Yoshihiro, 61, by assaulting him with the weapon at around 3 am Monday at the house in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, they said.
 
The police responded to a call by the 33-year-old daughter, who told them that her father beat her.
 
Yamaha Motor Co.’s headquarters in Japan. PHOTO: JIJI PRESS/AFP
She had also called the police at around 5.30 pm the previous day, they added.
 
An official of the Iwata-based company that manufactures motorcycles and other vehicles said it will refrain from commenting on the allegation as it is “a private matter that is under investigation.”

 

Beyblade champion named

Winners of the competition in a group photo.

Amiruddin bin Haji Abdi Manaf from the Jakusha Bladers team emerged as the Beyblade champion and took home the grand prize of a 32″ Television in the Beyblade X ‘3 on 3 Open” competition organised by DBos Beys Beyblade Brunei Darussalam held at Aman Hill Shopping Center in Kampong Sungai Tilong on Tuesday.

In second place was Danish Irfan bin Riwi from the DBos Beys team and in third place was won by Mimi Nazuwan bin Ibrahim from the Jakusha Bladers Team. The fourth place went toMuhd ​​Aqil Atthar bin Mohammad Aqim.

Consolation prizes were won by UGX Junaidi bin Hj Md Yussof, DB Muhammad Syafen Auta bin Mainor Azizi, JB Amiruddin bin Haji Abdi Manaf and DB Sallehuddin bin Sabli.

Winners of the competition in a group photo. PHOTOS: DBos Beys Beyblade Brunei Darussalam 
Beyblade X ‘3 on 3 Open’ competition. 

In the ‘2 on 2 Kid’ competition, the champion was Muhd ​​Aqil Atthar bin Mohammad Aqim, second place was won by Muhammad Syafen Auta bin Mainor Azizi, while the third place went to Muhammad Al Raffiz Rizqi. The fourth place went to Irtiyah Az Zahraa.

In the fight for the ‘Jakusha Bladers League for the year 2024/2025’, the SA Bladerz Team continued to lead the league table with 104 points, followed by the Jakusha Bladers Team with 91 points, the DBos Beys Team with 67 points, and the Underground X Team with 44 points.

Sarawak to establish Islamic Technical College

KUCHING, 15 Sept -- Premier Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg berucap pada Majlis Pelancaran Kembara Kasih Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM) 2024 dan Majlis Perasmian Pusat Sokongan Sosial Setempat (PSSS) bergerak di Waterfront Sarawak hari ini. --fotoBERNAMA (2024) HAK CIPTA TERPELIHARA
MUKAH (Bernama) – The Sarawak government plans to establish an Islamic technical college, providing Muslim children in the state with the opportunity to pursue technical education while learning the teachings of the Quran, said Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
 
While he did not provide additional details, Abang Johari stressed the importance of studying both the hereafter and worldly knowledge to uplift the dignity of Islam, ensuring the Muslim community earns respect and admiration from others.
 
“We deliver our dakwah through the concept of dakwah bil hal (preaching by displaying good deeds and behaviours),” he said.
 
“We must fulfil our religious obligations, serve as role models, and continue to improve our lives and status through quality education,” he added.
 
FILE – Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. PHOTO: BERNAMA
He made these remarks during the state-level Maulidur Rasul gathering and parade at Setia Raja Square on Tuesday.
 
Abang Johari also expressed his gratitude to all Muslims in the state for supporting the government in fostering unity among the state’s multi-racial and multi-religious communities.
 
The event was attended by 122 contingents, representing government departments, agencies, the private sector, and non-governmental organisations.
 
Also present were the Yang Di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and his wife Toh Puan Fauziah Mohd Sanusi as well as government leaders who participated in the parade. 

Ministry urges removal of non-halal brushes from shelves

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The Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA), through the Syariah Affairs Department, has conducted an inspection on “Bannou Cake” brand brushes and shoe brushes labeled as “German Brushes” sold at local business premises. The inspection revealed that the brushes were made from pig hair, which is not permissible for use by Muslims.

The discovery was made following an analysis conducted by the Department of Scientific Services, Ministry of Health. In light of this, the Department of Syariah Affairs is urging business owners and managers to immediately withdraw these brushes from sale to protect the Muslim community.

Photo of the Bannou Cake” brand brushes and shoe brushes labeled as “German Brushes”. PHOTO: MoRA

The Ministry also advises Muslims in the country to refrain from purchasing or using these brushes.

Business owners, managers, traders, suppliers, and importers are reminded to remain vigilant when importing and selling products to the public. “It is crucial to ensure that all items on sale, especially in supermarkets and shops, are Halal and free from any non-Halal elements to safeguard the well-being of the Muslim community,” MoRA said in the press release.

The Ministry expressed its gratitude to the public for bringing this matter to their attention and encourages individuals to continue reporting any instances of non-Halal products being sold openly. Complaints or information can be reported directly to the Halal Food Control Division at their hotline (7166222) or by contacting the division in the respective districts. – AZLAN OTHMAN

Police chief in Kolkata sacked after protests over doctor’s murder

KOLKATA (AFP) – Indian authorities in Kolkata have sacked the city’s police chief and top health ministry officials after furious protests at the brutal rape and murder of a doctor.

The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor’s bloodied body at a state-run hospital in the eastern megacity on August 9 has stoked nationwide anger at the chronic issue of violence against women.

The murder has triggered protests across India and repeated strikes by medics demanding safer conditions for women.

While many protests and strikes have since calmed in the rest of India, regular demonstrations continue in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced the removal of the Kolkata police commissioner and two health departments officials after a meeting with medics late Monday.

“We have agreed to remove the director of health services and director of medical colleges,” Banerjee told reporters after the meeting.

“Vineet Goyal, commissioner of Kolkata police, will also be removed, as demanded by the junior doctors.”

She also urged the doctors to return to work, saying emergency operations were being affected by their strike.

But Aniket Mahato, spokesman of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front protest group, said they would not stop demonstrations until investigations in the case were completed.

One man has been detained for the murder, but West Bengal’s state government has faced public criticism over the handling of the investigation.

“We reached an agreement on certain points, but disagreement remains,” Mahato told AFP.

Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of the city on Monday, chanting slogans and demanding justice for the victim.

India’s Supreme Court last month ordered a national task force to examine how to bolster security for healthcare workers, saying the brutality of the killing had “shocked the conscience of the nation”.

The gruesome nature of the attack has invoked comparisons with the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus.

It became a major political issue, and was seen as one factor in the subsequent success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in elections.

The BJP is the ruling party nationwide, but in West Bengal, the state government is led by the All India Trinamool Congress.

Antibiotic-resistant infections could kill tens of millions by 2050

Side view doctor with gloves holding pills and bottle on gray background. horizontal
LONDON (Bernama-PA Media/dpa) — More than 39 million people could die from antibiotic-resistant infections between now and 2050, new global analysis estimates, the German news agency (dpa) reported.
 
Researchers say “now is the time to act” to protect people across the world from the threat posed by resistance to drugs that are used to treat infections.
 
The data indicates that more than 1 million people died from drug-resistant infections globally each year between 1990 and 2021.
 
The new worldwide analysis by the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (Gram) project found that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) deaths among children aged under five fell by 50 per cent over this time period.
 
However, they increased by more than 80 per cent among people aged 70 and older.
 
The findings, published in The Lancet, highlight the need for measures that combine infection prevention, vaccination, minimising inappropriate antibiotics use and research into new antibiotics to mitigate the number of AMR deaths that are forecast for 2050.
 
For illustration purposes only. PHOTO: FREEPIK
 
The study also estimates 1.91 million people could potentially die as a direct result of AMR in 2050, an increase of almost 70 per cent per year compared to 2022.
 
Over the same period, the number of deaths in which AMR bacteria play a role will increase by almost 75 per cent from 4.71 million to 8.22 million per year.
 
AMR occurs when bacteria and diseases evolve to no longer respond to drugs designed to treat the infection.
 
Study author Mohsen Naghavi, team leader of the AMR research team at the Institute of Health Metrics (IHME), University of Washington, US, said: “Antimicrobial medicines are one of the cornerstones of modern healthcare and increasing resistance to them is a major cause for concern.
 
“These findings highlight that AMR has been a significant global health threat for decades and that this threat is growing.”
 
Kevin Ikuta, of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and affiliate professor at IHME, said the fall in deaths from sepsis and AMR among young children over the past three decades is an incredible achievement, but the threat to older people will only increase as populations age.

He added: “Now is the time to act to protect people around the world from the threat posed by AMR.”

Estimates for the new study were produced for 22 pathogens (organisms that cause disease), 84 pathogen-drug combinations, and 11 infectious conditions (including meningitis, bloodstream infections and other infections) among people of all ages in 204 countries and territories.

The estimates were based on a wide range of sources, including hospital data, death records and antibiotic use data.

Study author Stein Emil Vollset, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and affiliate professor at IHME, said: “By 2050, resistant infections could be involved in some eight million deaths each year, either as the direct cause of death or as a contributing factor.

“To prevent this from becoming a deadly reality, we urgently need new strategies to decrease the risk of severe infections through vaccines, new drugs, improved healthcare, better access to existing antibiotics and guidance on how to use them most effectively.”

Colin Brown, deputy director at UKHSA responsible for AMR, said: “This report is another reminder that antibiotic resistance is a threat to all of us – not just in the future but now.

“If more infections continue to become resistant to treatment, lives will continue to be lost and we need universal action to turn this tide.

“We can all help by only taking antibiotics if you have been told to do so by a healthcare professional.

“Do not save some for later or share them with friends and family. Treat antibiotics with respect and they will be there to help us all in the future.”

The researchers estimate that AMR deaths will increase steadily in the coming decades, with 1.91 million annual deaths directly due to AMR projected by 2050 – a 67.5 per cent increase from the 1.14 million deaths in 2021.

By the middle of the century, AMR is also projected to play a role in a broader 8.22 million deaths – an increase of 74.5 per cent from the 4.71 million associated deaths in 2021.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described AMR as “one of the top global public health and development threats”.

The new research suggests that future deaths from AMR will be highest in south Asia – which includes countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh – where a total of 11.8 million deaths directly due to AMR are forecast between 2025 and 2050.

In a separate comment piece, also published in The Lancet, experts have warned that without immediate action, humanity will face a potentially disastrous escalation in resistance in fungal disease.

The piece was coordinated by scientists at the University of Manchester, the Westerdijk Institute and the University of Amsterdam.

According to the scientists, most fungal pathogens identified by the WHO – accounting for around 3.8 million deaths a year – are either already resistant or rapidly acquiring resistance to antifungal drugs.

Norman van Rhijn, from the University of Manchester, said: “Most people agree that resistant bacterial infections constitute a significant part of the AMR problem.

“However, many drug resistance problems over the past decades have also been the result of invasive fungal diseases largely under recognised by scientists, governments, clinicians and pharmaceutical companies.

“The threat of fungal pathogens and antifungal resistance, even though it is a growing global issue, is being left out of the debate.”

Elsewhere, scientists led by a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge say monoclonal antibodies – treatments developed by cloning a cell that makes an antibody – could help provide an answer to AMR.

They have developed a monoclonal antibody drug, using a technique involving genetically engineered mice.

In the study published in Nature Communications, the team was able to show that these monoclonal antibodies were able to prevent infection with Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacteria associated with hospital-acquired infections.

More work is now needed to understand the mechanism by which the drug protects against infection, as this could allow the team to develop an even more effective treatment.

 

Smoking tops in-flight offences in S Korea

Airplane interior showing an illuminated No Smoking sign, emphasizing safety and regulations. Clean, modern no smoking with empty blue seats.
SEOUL (Bernama-Yonhap) – Smoking accounted for more than 80 per cent of in-flight illegal acts reported by South Korea’s 10 carriers in the past five years, government data showed Tuesday, according to Yonhap News Agency.
 
In the five years through July this year, 1,509, or 80.8 per cent, out of 1,868 illegal acts were related to smoking onboard, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
 
For illustration purposes only. PHOTO: FREEPIK

Under South Korean law, a fine of up to KRW10 million (USD7,500) will be imposed once in-flight smoking, including e-cigarettes, is found.

Smoking during flights is banned as it may ignite fires, wear down the in-flight air filtration equipment and also cause discomfort to other passengers.

Other illegal acts include illegal filming, violence, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment, the ministry said.

Financially distressed man jailed for mosque vandalism

PHOTO: ENVATO

A 51-year-old local man, Wahid bin Mazid, was sentenced to 10 months’ jail on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a charge of mischief for damaging properties at the Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Kampong Katimahar.

Magistrate Syarifah Nur Baqiyah binti Malai Shahran heard from Prosecutor Mohammad Syafie Habibuallah bin Edi Mirhan that on the night of September 8, Wahid had gone to the mosque, armed with a machete, seeking financial assistance.

After not being able to find anyone to assist him, Wahid became frustrated and proceeded to damage two sets of glass sliding doors leading to the prayer area, one glass door of the mini library, and multiple sliding windows.

The incident was reported by mosque personnel early the next morning, and CCTV footage identified Wahid as the culprit. Wahid admitted to his actions during the police investigation, citing anger and stress due to his financial difficulties as his motive. The total damage amounted to BND403.

Wahid, who is unemployed and has prior convictions for property offences, was arrested following the police investigation and the seizure of the machete used in the crime. – FADLEY FAISAL

Over 95,000 Japanese aged over 100, mostly women

People walk in the pedestrian zone of Tokyo's Ginza district during the "Respect for the Aged Day" public holiday on September 16, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

TOKYO (AFP) – The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has hit a record high of more than 95,000 — almost 90 per cent of them women — government data showed Tuesday.

The figures further highlight the slow-burning demographic crisis gripping the world’s fourth-biggest economy as its population ages and shrinks.

As of September 1, Japan had 95,119 centenarians, up 2,980 year-on-year, with 83,958 of them women and 11,161 men, the health ministry said in a statement.

People walk in Tokyo’s Ginza district during the “Respect for the Aged Day” public holiday on September 16, 2024. PHOTO: AFP

On Sunday separate government data showed that the number of over-65s has hit a record high of 36.25 million, accounting for 29.3 per cent of Japan’s population.

The proportion puts Japan at the top of a list of 200 countries and regions with a population of over 100,000 people, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

Japan is currently home to the world’s oldest living person Tomiko Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908 and is 116 years old, according to the US-based Gerontology Research Group.

The previous record-holder, Maria Branyas Morera, died last month in Spain at the age of 117.

Itooka lives in a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture in western Japan, the ministry said.

She often says “thank you” to the nursing home staff and expresses nostalgia about her hometown, the ministry said.

People walk in the pedestrian zone of Tokyo’s Ginza district during the “Respect for the Aged Day” public holiday on September 16, 2024. PHOTO: AFP

“I have no idea at all about what’s the secret of my long life,” Japan’s oldest man, Kiyotaka Mizuno, who is 110, told local media.

Mizuno, who lives in Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture in central Japan with his family, gets up at 6:30 am every morning and eats three meals a day — without being picky about his food.

His hobby is listening to live sports, including sumo wrestling, the ministry said.

Japan is facing a steadily worsening population crisis, as its expanding elderly population leads to soaring medical and welfare costs, with a shrinking labour force to pay for it.

The country’s overall population is 124 million, after declining by 595,000 in the previous, according to previous government data.

The government has attempted to slow the decline and ageing of its population without meaningful success, while gradually extending the retirement age — with 65 becoming the rule for all employers from fiscal 2025.

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Borneo Bulletin is the leading English daily in the country. It was first published by Brunei Press. Today, Borneo Bulletin has become the foremost source of information on local and foreign affairs, and the region’s business news.

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