NEW YORK (AP) – Rockers Kiss have announced the final shows of their last tour: The band plans to hang up their platform boots after two back-to-back shows at Madison Square Garden in New York at the end of 2023.
The last leg of the band’s 17-date North American tour kicks off in October in Texas and hits California, Washington, Canada, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland and then culminates in their hometown’s famous venue on December 1 and December 2.
“Kiss was born in New York City. On 23rd Street. Half a century ago. It will be a privilege and honour to finish touring at Madison Square Garden, 10 blocks and 50 years from where we first started,” said the band in a statement.
The band is currently made up of original members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons as well as Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer. Their best-known songs include Rock and Roll All Nite, I Was Made for Lovin’ You and Detroit Rock City.
Members of Kiss Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Paul Stanley and Eric Singer on drum, performs at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, United States. PHOTO: AP
LONDON (AFP) – Alejandro Garnacho and Fred struck late as Manchester United came from behind to beat West Ham 3-1 and reach the FA Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday but Tottenham were stunned by Championship side Sheffield United.
In the evening’s other fifth-round ties, fourth-tier Grimsby embarrassed Premier League strugglers Southampton 2-1 and Burnley beat 10-man Fleetwood 1-0.
Manchester United, who made six changes to the team that started Sunday’s League Cup final win against Newcastle, lacked fluency in front of an expectant Old Trafford crowd.
United goalkeeper David de Gea thwarted Michail Antonio when the West Ham forward bore down on goal midway through the opening period and Emerson Palmieri flashed an inviting ball across the box.
United manager Erik ten Hag brought on Casemiro for Scott McTominay at half-time but the home side remained sluggish.
Said Benrahma made them pay in the 54th minute, rifling the ball past De Gea after the home defenders stopped, thinking the ball had gone out for a throw-in.
The goal prompted Ten Hag to introduce top-scorer Marcus Rashford but Antonio had a glorious chance to double West Ham’s lead, only to be denied again by De Gea.
Casemiro had the ball in the net in the 72nd minute but his header from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
United finally drew level five minutes later when Fernandes sent in a corner and Nayef Aguerd headed into his own goal.
The home side – still on a high after ending their six-year trophy drought at the weekend – poured forward in search of a winner.
They got their reward when Argentine teenager Garnacho produced a superb right-footed curler in the 90th minute to edge United ahead followed by a stoppage-time strike by Fred.
ANN/THE NATION THAILAND – The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) said it will ask the Defence Ministry for THB200 million to salvage the stricken HTMS Sukhothai from the Gulf of Thailand.
After receiving the budget, the RTN will select a contractor for the salvage mission, said RTN spokesman Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin, adding that the goal was to bring the ship back to shore in as perfect condition as possible.
Divers and a remote submersible have located the ship lying 50 metres underwater on the seabed.
“Further damage to the ship during the salvage operation could undermine the investigation into the cause of sinking,” Pokkrong said. “We believe the estimated cost of THB200 million is suitable for this operation, which requires a high level of expertise.”
The investigation into the sinking is being led by RTN Chief-of-Staff Admiral Chonlathit Nawanukhro. The probe has questioned hundreds of Navy personnel, both HTMS Sukhothai crew and rescuers. Initial findings announced last month are that water entered the ship during stormy conditions, cutting power to the engines.
The corvette-class ship sank in a storm some 32 kilometres off the coast of Bang Saphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan on December 18 last year.
A total of 105 crew were on board. Seventy-six crewmembers were rescued and brought safely to shore. The bodies of 24 sailors have been found and five remain missing.
On Wednesday the Defence Ministry issued a statement that the five missing crew are presumed dead.
Royal Thai Navy spokesman Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin speaks to media. PHOTO: THE NATION THAILAND
LONDON (AP) – When European Union (EU) chief Ursula von der Leyen visited Britain last week, some joked on social media: Can you please bring us some tomatoes?
People in the United Kingdom (UK) have had to ration salad staples like tomatoes and cucumbers for the past two weeks amid a shortage of fresh vegetables. Shelves of fresh produce in many stores have been bare, and most major supermarkets have imposed limits on how many salad bags or bell peppers customers are allowed to buy.
Officials blame the problem on recent bad weather in Spain and North Africa, saying the shortages could persist for up to a month.
But many people were quick to point out that other European countries don’t seem to be suffering the same challenges, leading some to wonder if it was a consequence of Britain’s divorce from the EU.
Britain’s government has rejected the suggestion that Brexit is to blame.
But shoppers aren’t happy, and Environment Secretary Therese Coffey’s suggestion that consumers should “cherish” British produce and eat more turnips instead of imported food drew widespread mockery.
A girl walks by empty fruit and vegetable shelves at an Asda in east London, United Kingdom. PHOTO: AP
Experts said Brexit likely played a part in the food shortage, though a more complex set of factors, including climate change, the UK’s overreliance on imports during the winter, soaring energy costs and the competitive pricing strategies at British supermarkets are more salient explanations.
A look at some of the factors contributing to what one European broadcaster has called Britain’s “vegetable fiasco”:
COLD WEATHER, HIGH ENERGY BILLS
Unusually cold temperatures in Spain and heavy rain and flooding in Morocco, two of the biggest tomato suppliers to the UK have led to poor yields and are cited as the primary cause of the shortage.
In Spain, farmers blame recent freezing temperatures following record heat and dry conditions last year.
In the southern province of Almeria, which grows 40 per cent of Spain’s fresh vegetable exports, the production levels of tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants fell by over 20 per cent during the first three weeks of February compared with the same period in 2022, according to FEPEX, an organisation representing Spanish fruit and vegetable exporters. The group said the situation is improving.
Heat and drought in Europe last year also are affecting vegetable harvests in other countries, including Germany.
Separately, the Netherlands, another major tomato producer, has seen a drop in output because skyrocketing energy bills tied to Russia’s war in Ukraine meant many growers couldn’t justify the cost of turning on the LED lights in their greenhouses this winter.
Vegetable growers in the UK have reported that they, too, were forced to leave their greenhouses empty.
Managing director at the Green House Growers based in southern England Richard Diplock, said his energy costs are some six times higher compared with previous winters.
“We made the decision that we couldn’t afford to heat the greenhouses in December and January, and we’ve held back planting until February. Lots of tomato growers are in a similar position,” he said.
BLAMING BREXIT
The shortages in Britain and contrasting pictures of full vegetable shelves in supermarkets in mainland Europe led to a degree of Brexit schadenfreude in some EU news outlets.
Experts say extra bureaucracy and costs associated with Brexit have played a part, though they stress it’s not a main factor.
“One hypothesis for fewer exports to the UK is that if supply is constrained, why would you go to extra paperwork (to export to Britain)?” said a professor of agricultural change at the University of Exeter Michael Winter.
“If transaction costs are greater for exporting to one country compared to another, that’s going to dictate where you go”.
“Brexit has exaggerated the problem, without a doubt,” Winter added. “But I don’t want to overplay that. It’s more to do with climate change and lack of investment in our industry.”
SUPERMARKET PRICING
Farmers said another factor is how Britain’s biggest supermarkets have sought to stay competitive by keeping prices as low as possible even as food costs have spiked, a major driver of inflation that’s at the highest levels in decades.
In some EU countries, like Germany, there are no empty shelves, but the prices for fresh vegetables have shot up massively.
British supermarkets are reluctant to pay more or charge customers so much, Diplock said.
“Being in the UK, you know every week the price of a cucumber is GBP0.75 (USD0.90) no matter what time of year it is,” Diplock said.
“North African and Spanish producers will see a better return for supplying European supermarkets.”
“WHERE’S THE INVESTMENT?”
Even if energy costs hadn’t risen so much, British growers would not come close to making up for the shortfalls in imported produce, Diplock said. During the winter, domestic UK production only accounts for five per cent or less of tomatoes and cucumbers sold in British supermarkets.
The National Farmers’ Union has warned for months that overreliance on imported fresh produce leaves the UK vulnerable to unpredictable weather events and other external factors like the war in Ukraine.
Farmers also have complained about the lack of government investment in the sector and funding to help them cope with painfully high energy bills.
The government has spent billions to help consumers and businesses as European natural gas prices soared to record highs on Russia’s curtailed supplies.
“The bigger question is why have we, in this country, neglected horticulture,” Winter said.
BEIJING (AP) – Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s agenda for the annual meeting of the ceremonial legislature: Revive the economy by encouraging consumers to spend more now that severe anti-virus controls have ended, and install a government of loyalists to intensify Communist Party control over the economy and society.
Xi, China’s most powerful figure in decades, has no formal role in the National People’s Congress (NPC), which will convene a meeting of its full membership on Sunday. But he looms over every event: the 69-year-old awarded himself a third five-year term as party general secretary in October, possibly making himself leader for life.
The two-week gathering of 2,977 NPC members is the year’s highest-profile political event, but its lawmaking work is limited to endorsing ruling party decisions. Its more important function is to provide a platform to publicise government plans and give members instructions to take home to cities and provinces.
Xi and other leaders say their priority is to reassure consumers and entrepreneurs it’s time to spend and invest after restrictions that kept millions of people at home, temporarily shut down Shanghai and other industrial centres and wiped out jobs were lifted in December.
The economy faces challenges ranging from weak global demand for exports and lingering United States (US) tariff hikes in a feud over technology and security to curbs on access to Western processor chips due to security fears. At home, the workforce has been shrinking for more than a decade, putting pressure on an economy that still relies on labour-intensive industry.
Economic growth fell to three per cent in 2022, the second-weakest level since at least the 1970s.
People walk by vendors at their stores at a tourist shopping street in Beijing, China. PHOTO: AP
The ruling party needs to “fully release consumption potential”, Xi said at the party’s annual planning meeting, according to a text published on February 16.
Xi gave no details but said Beijing should encourage spending on electric cars and medical and elderly care, home improvement, culture and sports. He warned at the December meeting that work “will be complicated”.
A consumer-led rebound might take longer than stimulus spending or igniting a boom in real estate investment. But Chinese leaders are trying to avoid options that would push up debt they worry already is dangerous high.
Forecasters expect Premier Li Keqiang, the top economic official, to announce a growth target of five to 5.5 per cent in a speech on Sunday on plans for the year. Li, an advocate of free enterprise, is due to be replaced as premier at the congress after being sidelined as No. 2 party leader in October.
The International Monetary Fund and some private sector forecasters expect much weaker annual growth, as low as 4.4 per cent.
“It takes time to say whether the economy will turn around,” said Song Huimin, a supermarket owner in the city of Jinzhou. He said sales are better than six months ago but not back to pre-COVID levels.
“People want to consume, but they still don’t have enough income,” Song said. “Some people still are out of work.”
THE WASHINGTON POST – Confit is a French verb traditionally meaning to cook food in its own fat. Duck confit, in which duck legs are immersed in duck fat and then slowly braised until they’re meltingly tender, is a classic of the genre.
But all sorts of foods can be confited, in either their own fat or another type of fat. In this recipe for roasted chicken thighs with leeks and lemons, I stretch the definition slightly.
You start with bone-in, skin-on thighs, which tend to be fattier than other cuts of chicken.
Salt the thighs, front and back, and then slide your finger under the skin to loosen it. This will allow the oven’s hot air to circulate beneath it. I find that this produces an especially crisp chicken skin cap on each thigh.
Chicken can be roasted on top of virtually any vegetable, fruit or starch. Here, I wanted something that would absorb and then cook in the fat of the chicken as it renders out into the pan. Leeks were a natural choice.
As the chicken’s fat and juices drip down onto the alliums, they don’t just roast – they confit in that fat, their many layers softening into satin in the oven’s heat.
Inspired by another classic dish, leeks vinaigrette, I added slices of lemon to the pan. The peel scents the chicken, and the tart, fruity juices of the citrus mingle with the fat from the bird to produce a rough vinaigrette.
There’s little I enjoy more than sneaking a bit of crisp chicken skin and dipping a piece of crusty bread into the pan juices of this easy weeknight roast. As the cook, you deserve a little treat before sharing the pan with everyone else.
Confit can also refer to candying, as in confit fruits, in which whole or cut-up fruit is slowly simmered in sugar syrup until the fruit’s moisture is partially or fully replaced by the syrup, turning nature’s candy into actual candy.
ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH LEEKS AND LEMONS
Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: One hour
Two to four servings
In this one-pan meal, the bone-in, skin-on thighs release their fat into the pan, which confits the leeks and lemons that perfume the meat as it roasts.
Here, leeks are sliced crosswise into concentric circles. If your leeks are especially dirty, you may need to cut off the stem and then cut them in half lengthwise to rinse each layer under cool water. Serve with crusty bread for soaking up the pan juices.
To make this vegetarian, replace the chicken with mushrooms, such as portobello or hen of the woods. Rub them with a touch of white miso and toss them in the oil and salt as you do the leeks and lemons.
Instead of leeks, you could use sliced onions or quartered shallots. You could also use chopped carrots, if alliums aren’t your thing.
Storage Notes: Refrigerate for up to four days. Reheat in a skillet on the stove, skin side down, to re-crisp the skin, if desired.
INGREDIENTS
– Three tablespoons olive oil
– Three large leeks (one and a quarter pounds total), cleaned, trimmed and sliced into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
– One large lemon, sliced into thin rounds, seeds picked out
– Four bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
– Fine salt
– Freshly cracked black pepper
– Crusty bread, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
Pour the oil into a nine-by-13-inch pan, add the leeks and lemon, and gently toss to coat.
Pat the thighs dry and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. Gently loosen the skin to let a little air in – this will help it get crispy as it roasts. Place the chicken thighs, skin-side up and evenly spaced, atop the leeks and lemons.
Roast for 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh registers 160 to 165 degrees. Let rest for at least five minutes; then serve with crusty bread.
FORT LAUDERDALE (AP) – A Florida man left paralysed when a police officer shot him after mistaking his handgun for his stun gun filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the city, the officer and others, saying, “my life got destroyed”.
Michael Ortiz is seeking unspecified millions of dollars from the city of Hollywood, Florida, and Officer Henry Andrews, 50, who is also facing a misdemeanour charge for the 2021 shooting – one of several over the last 20 years where officers said they mistook their gun for their Taser. The federal civil rights lawsuit also names officers Dionte Roots and Jhonny Jimenez, who were subduing Ortiz when Andrews shot him.
Ortiz, speaking at a press conference, said not only has his own life been destroyed, but so has his mother’s as she has to change his diapers and provide other care. He had called 911 for help while suffering from a mental health crisis before he was shot while handcuffed on the ground.
“She is treating me like I am six months old,” said Ortiz, 43, who is paralysed from the chest down and uses a wheelchair. He owes USD3 million in medical costs and will need lifetime care.
Florida-based civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Ortiz along with attorney Hunter Shkolnik, said it’s an “injustice” that Andrews has been charged with only a misdemeanour.
Michael Ortiz speaks at a news conference in Fort Lauderdale, United States. PHOTO: AP
“Michael Ortiz needed a helping hand and what he got was a bullet to the back,” Crump said.
Crump represents many victims nationwide of alleged police misconduct, including the families of Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. “There should have been greater accountability for the officer.”
Hollywood officials declined comment. Attorney Jeremy Kroll, who represents Andrews in the misdemeanour culpable negligence case, said another lawyer will be hired to represent the officer in the lawsuit.
“In responding to a difficult and chaotic situation, Officer Andrews intended to deploy his taser and mistakenly discharged his firearm.
“There was absolutely no intent to harm in this case. He and his family continue to have Ortiz in their thoughts and prayers,” Kroll said in a statement.
It could not be determined if Roots and Jimenez have attorneys who could comment. They have not been charged criminally.
ALLENTOWN (AP) – A Pennsylvania man faces federal criminal charges after he checked in a suitcase with an explosive device hidden in the lining on a flight to Florida, United States, authorities said on Wednesday.
Marc Muffley, 40, is charged with possessing an explosive in an airport and possessing or attempting to place an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors allege that the material was found in a suitcase Muffley had checked in on Monday at Lehigh Valley International Airport to Allegiant Air Flight 201, bound for Orlando Sanford International Airport in Florida, United States.
Authorities said Muffley was paged over the airport’s public address system and shortly thereafter he was seen leaving the airport.
He was traced to a Lansford address where he was arrested by the FBI on Monday night.
Alleged suspect Marc Muffley at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allenstown, United States.
PHOTO: AP
Dell Technologies has long been a pioneer in IT industry, leading the way in innovation and empowering customers to achieve their business goals and over the years. Their end-to-end solutions for enterprise customers have resulted in tangible benefits, such as improved performance and reliability, streamlined operations, and reduced costs.
This was said by Netcom Managing Director Vincent Goh at the ‘Power Innovation Everywhere with Dell Technologies’ event hosted by Netcom Computer House as the local authorised Dell distributor yesterday at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom of The Empire Brunei.
He also shared that Dell has made progress in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and its expertise in the field enables organisations to extract valuable insights from massive volumes of data, driving meaningful business outcomes.
The success, he added, is due to Dell’s significant investments in the Dell Technologies AI Institute, which in collaboration with experts from various business units, strategic partners, and customers in AI and machine learning projects.
Being one of the leading IT distributors, Netcom recognises the importance of collaboration and networking in the local IT sector, encouraging customers from the public and private sector to seize the opportunity to engage with Dell speakers, network with IT vendors, reconnect with peers, and explore possibilities.
“We are thrilled to have hosted this event in partnership with Dell Technologies.
ABOVE & BELOW: Netcom Managing Director Vincent Goh speaks at the event; a speaker delivers a presentation; and among the attendees at the event. PHOTOS: LYNA MOHAMAD & SYAHMI HASSAN
“This event was a unique opportunity for attendees to learn about Dell’s latest technological advancements in unlocking the value of data, powering innovation with Dell EMC PowerEdge 16G Servers, optimising all workloads with Dell EMC Midrange Solutions and data protection.
“It also gave us an opportunity to showcase our commitment to supporting our partners in their technology journeys,” said the managing director.
The event saw Dell Technologies Data Analytics Workload Specialist Vasanth Pandiaraj, as the key speaker, who delivered a talk on the value of data.
This was followed by Solutions System Engineer of Dell Technologies Cheng Pua on ‘Power your innovation with Dell PowerEdge 16G Server’ while Chief Technology Officer – Asia Pacific and Japan Field, Robert Stevanoski on ‘Optimise all workload with Dell midrange storage solutions and data protection’.
The aim of the event was to provide attendees with insights into how they can leverage Dell Technologies solutions to unlock the full potential of their data and drive innovation within their organisations.
The keynote speeches focussed on how organisations could unlock the value of their data through the convergence of analytics, AI/machine learning, data science, and IT while also covered helping organisations leverage the power of data, computing, and storage to drive innovation, improve efficiency, and ensure data protection.
RIYADH (AFP) – Long partial to heavy lunchtime platters of meat and rice, Asim al-Shammari has recently turned to lighter fare from a self-described diet restaurant, swayed by Saudi Arabia’s anti-obesity push.
Roughly one in five Saudi adults is obese, according to an in-depth study published by the World Bank last year that described the problem as “alarming”.
The Global Obesity Observatory places the kingdom at number 17 in its international rankings of obesity prevalence, three slots below the United States and near neighbours Qatar and Kuwait.
But the Vision 2030 reform agenda spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman includes goals for bringing down both obesity and diabetes by decade’s end.
The effort is being helped by a raft of new restaurants offering healthier alternatives to some traditional Saudi fare, including the spot where a financial analyst Shammari, tucked into a plate of chicken, rice and carrots one recent afternoon.
“I used to eat burgers, shawarma or kabsa while I was at work,” said the 28-year-old, referring to a rice dish usually served on large shared plates.
ABOVE & BELOW: A restaurant staff member prepares a diet meal; and a chef cooking a meal for a customer in Riyadh. PHOTOS: AFP
“This increased obesity, especially with eight-hour office work and lack of movement.” For decades, Saudis spent much of their free time in restaurants and shopping malls, and food was a chief source of entertainment in the closed-off kingdom, where high temperatures limit outdoor activities for much of the year.
In 2019, the health ministry started requiring restaurants to include calorie information on menus to encourage healthy eating.
Fast food options from international favourites like McDonald’s to local chains like AlBaik remain ubiquitous in the kingdom’s main cities, but they are starting to face more varied competition.
25-year-old doctor Saad al-Hader, said he used to bring meals from home in order to eat something besides junk food, but the proliferation of new health-conscious eateries has made his life easier.
“The popularity of these restaurants, and the fact that they are close to workplaces, makes it easier to stick to healthy eating,” he told AFP as he dined on salmon and grilled potatoes. A growing number of restaurants are offering meal plans that send salads and other healthy meals to clients’ homes and workplaces.
One such plan provides a meal a day for a month for SAR450 (USD120).
Lebanese national who runs a restaurant called Reshape in the Saudi capital Riyadh Basil Chehayeb, said he had opened two new branches in the past 18 months to keep up with demand. The restaurant provides meals each day to about 500 subscribers, most of whom are Saudis.
“Saudis have changed their lifestyle and are now attending sports clubs and eating healthy foods,” he said. Efforts by restaurants and other private sector businesses to promote healthy eating have been supplemented by other health-minded interventions.
The Saudi Sports for All Federation now organises regular events like the Riyadh Marathon, which this year drew thousands of runners to the streets of Riyadh.
Officials have also begun work on a 135-kilometre Sports Boulevard in the capital featuring foot, cycle and horse-riding paths.
Beginning with the current academic year, the Saudi health ministry has banned the sale of soft drinks in schools.
The message seems to be getting through, at least among young people, said public health consultant Lamia al-Brahim.
“Obesity is a serious health problem” but “it is very noticeable now that health awareness is increasing among the young generation”, she said. “Societal behaviour changes need a long time, and these efforts start from within the home, then the school and then the government agencies.”
