Express yourself

Features

June 6, 2023

Muhammad Zulkarnain with his pride and joy

Daniel Lim

When it comes to the local car culture, for some, it is about self-expression through the looks and designs, reflecting the vehicle owners’ preferences.

These one-of-a-kind displays can be seen in shows where owners bring their creative vehicles to share with others with those who share their passion and love, while working with departments and agencies to ensure that the vehicles comply with road rules and regulations.

Such vehicles were among the highlights at the recent Darussalam MotoFest, a car and motorbike show at the Mumong Sports Complex.

Muhammad Zulkarnain bin Haji Hamdan, an owner of a custom Toyota Vios and member of the Vios Society Brunei, was one of the participants.

“I started becoming interested in cars when I was a kid, and when I grew up, the hobby grew with me,” he said in an interview with the Bulletin.

On the communities in Brunei, he said there are a number of groups passionate about their cars and how they express themselves.

Cars on display at the Darussalam MotoFest. PHOTOS: DANIEL LIM

“I think it is quite a sight to see people who share the same love and passion for cars to get together and share it,” he said.

In addition to participating in the local car show, Muhammad Zulkarnain has also competed and won several international car shows.

While there is a large number of car enthusiasts and fans across the Sultanate, Muhammad Zulkarnain also noted the importance of safety when modifying vehicles.

“Not every modification is safe. But as long as we stay within the rules and regulations set by authorities and be respectful of others, it is possible to enjoy the freedom of expressing ourselves through our cars,” he said.

Having participated in the car show as well as having many like-minded visitors taking a look and appreciating his work, he hopes that the car culture can flourish.

“I hope that everyone involved will enjoy appreciating and seeing the cars here, and I also hope that this will be an opportunity to showcase how to properly and safely enjoy the hobby of cars as well as motorcycles,” he said.

Meanwhile, organiser and Family United Event Management (FUEM) operation manager Haji Julaihi bin Haji Junaidi said, “Car shows such as Darussalam Motofest are not only an opportunity for car enthusiasts to showcase their pride and joy, but also for others to appreciate and enjoy the works of art.”

In organising the car show, he made sure of the safety of everyone involved.

“We worked with authorities to ensure that the vehicles on display abide by road rules and regulations. If they don’t, they are not permitted to drive to the venue.”

Being one of the largest car shows in the Belait District, Haji Julaihi said the event signalled the return to the norm as it was the first of its kind held after the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“As it was the first time that we hosted an event after COVID-19, we hope that the show has helped to establish a closer relationship between car and motorbike enthusiasts in sharing their passion with others,” he said.

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

BB Daily Digital

June 6, 2023

Chinese naval ship docks at Muara Port

National

June 5, 2023

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) training ship, Qi Jiguang (Hull 83), docked at the Muara Port on Monday with 500 people and with a Lion Dance troupe greeting its arrival.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy ship Qi Jiguang during the lion dance performance.
PHOTO: JAMES KON

Ambassador-designate of China to Brunei Darussalam Xiao Jianguo attended along with Defence Attache of the Chinese Embassy, Senior Colonel Dai Qilin and Assistant Chief of Staff Capability and Development of the Royal Brunei Navy Commander Shahairil bin Haji Mohd Shahlan as well as the RBN brass band.

More details on Tuesday’s Borneo Bulletin

Man gets jail, whipping for possessing self-made rifles

National

June 5, 2023

A 34-year-old local was sentenced on Monday to six years and six months’ jail with three whippings after he was found guilty of a charge of possessing two self-made rifles at home without license.

The defendant was arrested at his residence in Jalan Kecil Birau, Tutong.

More details on Tuesday’s Borneo Bulletin

Six injured as car rams into crowd in Switzerland

World

June 5, 2023

GENEVA (AFP) – Five children and a woman were injured when a car accidentally rammed into people gathered for a target shooting festival in Switzerland, police said.

A woman frantically looking for help for an injured child drove into the square in Menieres, in the western Swiss canton of Fribourg, on Sunday where a shooting festival was taking place.

The car slammed into a group of people, injuring a woman and five children, Fribourg police said.

Several ambulances transported the injured to surrounding hospitals after the accident, which happened shortly before 3.30pm.

“Initial information indicates that the driver entered the festival square transporting a child who had been injured during a private activity,” the police said.

“For a reason to be determined by an investigation, she accidentally hit and injured people on the square before coming to a halt.”

The driver, who was not injured, was taken to a police station for questioning.

Air travel to soar near record in 2023

Business

June 5, 2023

ISTANBUL (AFP) – Airlines will fly 4.35 billion passengers this year, close to the 2019 record as the industry bounces back from the COVID pandemic, an industry group said on Monday.

The sector will also be back in the green, with net profits forecast to reach USD9.8 billion in 2023, or double previous estimates, boosted by the end of China’s COVID restrictions, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

A Spirit Airlines plane docked at a terminal at Orlando International Airport, United States. PHOTO: AP

The association added that its 2022 losses were half as bad as previously estimated at USD3.6 billion.

“Airline financial performance in 2023 is beating expectations,” IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement during the association’s annual general meeting in Istanbul.

“Stronger profitability is supported by several positive developments. China lifted COVID-19 restrictions earlier in the year than anticipated,” Walsh said.

While jet fuel prices remain high, they have moderated over the first half of the year, he added.

Inflation surged worldwide as the situation in Ukraine in February 2022 sent energy costs soaring, but oil and natural gas prices have fallen since then.

“On the cost side, there is some relief,” Walsh said.

“Economic uncertainties have not dampened the desire to travel, even as ticket prices absorbed elevated fuel costs,” he added.

The pandemic devastated the airline industry, which lost USD137 billion when countries imposed lockdowns and closed borders in 2020.

The sector lost another USD42 billion in 2021 and was still in the red last year as China, a major market, continued to enforce COVID restrictions that were finally lifted in December.

Mexico president’s ruling party rolls to win in country’s most populous state

World

June 5, 2023

Mexico Elections — Mexico state gubernatorial candidate for the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) Delfina Gomez celebrates her electoral victory during local state elections in Toluca, Mexico state, Mexico on June 4. PHOTO: AP

MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexico’s most populous state turned its back on decades of single-party rule, deciding to move forward with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s ruling Morena party over the long-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

The preliminary forecast from electoral authorities on Sunday night indicated a victory for Delfina Gómez in the State of Mexico that was confirmed a short time later by Alejandra del Moral’s concession speech. Official ballot counting continued through the night.

The result was a new low for the PRI, which governed Mexico uninterrupted for 71 years until losing power in 2000 and had ruled the State of Mexico for even longer until its loss Sunday.

A representative sampling of voting stations just hours after polls closed indicated Gómez was likely to win between 52.1 per cent and 54.2 per cent of the ballots, compared with 43 per cent to 45.2 per cent for del Moral, according to the National Electoral Institute. It said the sampling forecast had at least 95 per cent certainty.

By midnight with more than half of ballots counted, the margin was holding.

“There is going to be a different governance,” Gómez said late Sunday night before cheering supporters in the state capital of Toluca. The state’s first female governor-to-be stressed her commitment to the mothers of missing people and victims of femicide, and called for the public to denounce corruption.

The PRI-led coalition did hold onto the governorship in the sparsely populated northern border state of Coahuila, where with 80 per cent of ballots counted, the PRI coalition candidate Manolo Jiménez led by 35 points over the Morena challenger.

But losing the State of Mexico was a heavy blow to its political fortunes.

Mexico state gubernatorial candidate for the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) Delfina Gomez celebrates her electoral victory during local state elections in Toluca, Mexico state, Mexico on June 4. PHOTO: AP

The contest was closely watched, too, because of its potential implications for next year’s presidential elections. Even without having selected its nominee yet, Morena is considered the frontrunner in that national election and will be even more so with control of the State of Mexico.

The State of Mexico hugs Mexico City on three sides, encompassing urban sprawl and rural ranches, as well as stunning inequality, violence and corruption. For decades it has been the heart of the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

Political scientist Georgina de la Fuente of the Tecnologico de Monterrey university noted that Sunday’s results highlight several things: the PRI has been defeated, though perhaps not as soundly as expected; Morena is not invincible; and parties are going to have to reconfigure their agreements. She added that the smooth elections also confirmed the effectiveness of Mexico’s electoral system, whose authorities had come under heavy fire from López Obrador.

The loss of the State of Mexico could spell the end of the PRI’s political relevance on a national stage, a stunning reversal for a party that ruled Mexico uninterrupted for seven decades.

Turnout was only about half of eligible voters in the State of Mexico.

“It doesn’t seem like the elections have excited” people, said Miguel Agustín López Moreno, a political scientist and social worker in Ecatepec, one of the state’s largest municipalities. He was uncertain the situation for residents would change significantly, attributing the party’s success in large part to the amount of resources it invested in the state.

Adair Ortiz Herrera, a 21-year-old information systems student from Coyotepec, a rural area in the northern part of the state, said before the results were known Sunday that he was sure “a new direction” was coming. “My vote is to end the current government’s hegemony,” he said.

Asian stocks follow Wall St up after strong US jobs report

Business

June 5, 2023

South Korea Financial Markets — A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea on June 5. PHOTO: AP

BEIJING (AP) – Asian stocks followed Wall Street higher on Monday after strong US hiring data suggested a possible recession might be further away, while smaller wage gains stoked hopes inflationary pressures are weakening.

Tokyo’s benchmark gained almost 2 per cent. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul also rose.

Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index leaped 1.5 per cent on Friday, putting it on the verge of entering what traders call a “bull market” after rising nearly 20 per cent in seven months.

Government data Friday showed employers hired more people than expected in May, suggesting the economy is strong despite repeated rate increases to cool inflation. Wage gains slowed, suggesting pressure for prices to rise might be weakening, which would reduce the need for the Federal Reserve to cool business activity with more rate hikes.

“Markets appear poised to ride last week’s upward momentum as bubbly risk appetite finds a comfort pillow in hopes for a US soft landing,” said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management in a report.

The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo advanced 1.9 per cent to 32,106.94 and the Shanghai Composite Index added less than 0.1 per cent to 3,232.77. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 0.3 per cent to 19.011.82.

The Kospi in Seoul was 0.6 per cent higher at 2,615.35 and the S&P ASX 200 in Sydney jumped one per cent to 7,214.90.

India’s Sensex opened up 0.5 per cent at 62,860.24. Singapore gained while Jakarta declined. Markets in New Zealand and Thailand were closed for holidays.

A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea on June 5. PHOTO: AP

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose to 4,282.37 on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 2.1 per cent to 33,762.76 and the Nasdaq composite gained 1.1 per cent to 13,240.77.

Industrial companies, energy producers and banks rose. Exxon Mobil advanced 2.3% as prices for crude oil climbed on hopes that a resilient economy would burn more fuel.

The Labor Department’s monthly jobs report showed a slowdown in wage increases even though hiring strengthened. While that may discourage workers who are trying to keep up with rising prices, investors believe slower wage gains will mean less upward pressure on inflation.

Unemployment also rose by more than expected last month, moving up to 3.7 per cent from a five-decade low. That implies a more slack in the job market and seems to conflict with hiring data, which come from a separate survey.

Following the report, traders were largely expecting the Fed to hold interest rates steady at this month’s meeting. That would be the first time it hasn’t hiked rates in more than a year.

Higher rates have also hurt many smaller and mid-sized banks, in part because customers have pulled deposits in search of higher interest at money-market funds.

Several high-profile bank failures since March have shaken the market, leading Wall Street to hunt for other possible weak links. Several under the heaviest scrutiny rallied following the jobs report. PacWest Bancorp leaped 14.1 percent to trim its loss for the year to 66.6 per cent.

Fed officials have also warned a pause on rate hikes at this month’s meeting won’t necessarily mean the end to increases.

In energy markets, benchmark US crude rose USD1.06 to USD72.80 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained USD1.64 on Friday to USD71.74. Brent crude, the price basis for international oil trading, advanced USD1.05 to USD77.18 per barrel in London. It added USD1.85 the previous session to USD76.13.

Prices rose after Saudi Arabia took the unilateral step Sunday of saying it will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy. The move is meant to support sagging crude prices after two earlier cuts in supply by major producing countries in the OPEC+ alliance failed to push prices higher.

The dollar rose to 140.05 yen from Friday’s 139.94 yen. The euro fell to USD1.0697 from USD1.0712.

Ruzaini crowned Volt Run winner

Sports

June 5, 2023

Local runner Ruzaini Mahadi emerged winner in the 11km Men’s Open of the Volt Run: Apex after clocking a time of 39:18.47s at the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien in the capital yesterday.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad with Ruzaini Mahadi. PHOTO: FADHIL YUNUS

Muhammad Amirul Hamdi bin Jamil came second after registering a time of 39:49:61s, while Muhammad Haziq Syazwan bin Hermanti settled for third place with a time of 40:38.22s.

Meanwhile, Siti Nur Amirah binti A.Zaini clinched top place in the 11km Women’s Open after clocking a time of 52:46.93s.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad with Siti Nur Amirah binti A.Zaini. PHOTO: FADHIL YUNUS

Erin Liam took the runners-up spot with a time of 59:16.88s while Nur Farazida Abdullah completed the podium in third place with a time of 59:28.77s.

Ruzaini told the Bulletin, “I feel grateful after getting first place in the 11km Volt Run race.”

The newly-crowned winner added, “I am very pleased with my performance after recording a time of 39:18s.

Ruzaini, who already competed in numerous races in recent times, also outlined his plans to continue his training in preparation for future competitions.

The Volt Run: Apex which was organised by Mortar Events Sdn Bhd underlined the importance of supporting the local community through health and sports.

Yesterday’s race marked the sixth event of the Volt series of athletic challenges under Mortar Events.

The event attracted over 300 runners split into two distances- 11km and 5km. It was also held in tandem with Bandarku Ceria.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad presented prizes to the winners.

The 11km route took runners along the Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Mosque before heading into the roundabout along the vicinity of the Prime Minister’s Office.

There, runners reached a checkpoint before making their way back to Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien where they past through familiar sights such as the Royal Regalia.

Rescuers in Japan search for 3 missing in or near rivers swollen by heavy rains

World

June 5, 2023

Asia Storm — Cars are submerged on a flooded intersection due to strong rain in Toyokawa, Aichi prefecture, central Japan on June 3. PHOTO: AP

TOKYO (AP) – Rescue workers in Japan searched on Monday for three people who went missing in or near rivers swollen by heavy rains last week that left one person dead and dozens injured.

A man in his 60s who was pulled from a flooded car Friday in the central city of Toyohashi was pronounced dead over the weekend.

In Wakayama prefecture, a woman was seen being swept into a swollen river while driving and an older man who went to check on a friend in a riverside neighbourhood is also believed to have been swept away. Rescuers also are searching for a person who lived beside a swollen river and was missing in the central prefecture of Shizuoka.

On Monday, residents were cleaning up in flood-hit parts of Iwata city in Shizuoka, where a river bank was breached and dozens of homes were flooded. The residents, helped by volunteers, shoveled out mud that gushed into their houses, washed the floors and brought out mud-smeared furniture.

Cars are submerged on a flooded intersection due to strong rain in Toyokawa, Aichi prefecture, central Japan on June 3. PHOTO: AP

Heavy rain also caused widespread damage in the Tokyo region. In Toride city in Ibaraki prefecture northeast of Tokyo, more than 600 homes were flooded, and 85 residents were safely evacuated by boats, local media reported.

The heavy rains that fell on Japan’s main islands late last week were intensified by Tropical Storm Mawar, which was a super typhoon when it hit Guam in May.

Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said on Monday in addition to the one dead and three missing, more than 40 people were injured in the rain, flooding and strong winds. Ten of those injured were on the southern island of Okinawa earlier in the storm.

Borneo Bulletin OnlineThe Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak

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