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Russian budget carrier Pobeda to downsize Boeing fleet

MOSCOW (AFP) – Russian budget airline Pobeda – a subsidiary of flag carrier Aeroflot – will significantly reduce its Boeing fleet following sanctions, Russian media reported on Friday.

Pobeda will downsize its fleet of Boeing 737-800s from 41 to 25 aircraft due to a lack of parts, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a letter to employees from Acting Head Andrei Yurikov.

“We made a strategic decision… to maintain flight safety and for the sake of our common future we will reduce the fleet to 25 aircraft,” Yurikov said in the letter cited by RIA Novosti.
The same letter was quoted by business publications RBC and Kommersant.

The remaining aircraft would not fly until the end of the year so there would be enough spare parts for the company “until lost supply chains are restored”, Yurikov added.

Yurikov said that measures will also be taken to retain employees, including through “a shortened work week or furlough scheme”.

Western capitals have slapped Russia with a slew of sanctions over its military operation in Ukraine since February 24.

As part of the response, Russian carriers were banned from the airspace of the entire European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Russian airlines Aeroflot and S7 have announced a suspension of all international flights, while Russia’s largest airport, Sheremetyevo in Moscow, said it was cutting back its services as passenger traffic dropped.

Aeroflot’s passengers planes are parked at Sheremetyevo airport outside Moscow, Russia. PHOTO: AP

US will give airlines a break on takeoff rights in NYC, DC

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal officials are extending pandemic relief that helps big airlines keep coveted takeoff and landing rights for international flights this summer at busy airports in New York City (NYC) and Washington, DC.

The move by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will let leading airlines keep their dominant positions at major airports into late October, even if they drop some international flights.

Normally, airlines that fail to use their assigned rights, or “slots”, at John F Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York, and Reagan National Airport outside Washington, risk losing them. However, regulators waived that rule in March 2020 when airlines cut flights due to the pandemic.

The FAA has extended the slot-use waiver four times, with the last grace period set to expire today. Instead, the FAA will extend the waiver for international flights only through October 29, it said in a decision scheduled to be published in the Federal Register next week.

The agency cited “the evolving and highly unpredictable situation globally” around COVID-19.

The FAA will also extend relaxed rules regarding flight schedules at Newark (New Jersey) Liberty Airport, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles International and San Francisco International.

The waivers were supported by the trade group for large US airlines plus Lufthansa, British Airways and other big international carriers. Smaller airlines often oppose such measures, which they said make it harder for them to grow at the busiest airports.

A Delta Air Lines plane taxis down a runway at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York. PHOTO: AP

Foreign worker licence applications and renewals to speed up, says minister

Azlan Othman

Various agencies have speeded-up the process for new and renewal applications for Foreign Workers Licences to address the foreign labour shortage in the country, especially in the retail industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong said at the daily press conference yesterday. “The matter has been handled by several ministries and discussions have been made with the JobCentre Brunei, Labour Department and regulators on the need to bring in foreign labour.

“From the discussions, a co-ordinated plan has been made to speed-up applications to renew the Foreign Workers Licences and new applications for the licence,” Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar said. “I will share the procedures carried out at the Labour Department in an effort to speed up their applications for the employers and employee agencies to work closely,” the minister added.

“There is a consensus among the JobCentre Brunei, the Labour Department and regulators whereby certain sectors, particularly food security sectors like agriculture, fisheries, agrifood construction and retail should be prioritised, and the time to process applications in these sectors has been speeded-up,” Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar said.

“After the discussions, the JobCentre Brunei has issued clearance letters which will be forwarded by employers or the workers’ agencies to the Labour Department. We approved 71 applications on March 21, 158 on March 22, 95 on March 23, and 110 on March 24.”

Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong. PHOTO: JAMES KON

‘Open the schools’: Afghan girls protest in Kabul

KABUL (AFP) – About two dozen girls and women chanting “open the schools” protested in the Afghan capital yesterday against the Taleban’s decision to shut their secondary schools just hours after re-opening them this week.

Thousands of jubilant girls across Afghanistan had flocked to learning institutions on Wednesday – the date the Education Ministry had set for classes to resume.

But just hours into the first day, the ministry announced a shock policy reversal that left youngsters saying they felt betrayed and foreign governments expressing outrage. “Open the schools! Justice, justice!” chanted protesters yesterday, some carrying school books as they gathered at a city square in Kabul.

They held banners that said: “Education is our fundamental right, not a political plan” as they marched for a short distance and later dispersed as Taleban fighters arrived at the scene.

The protest was the first held by women in weeks after the Taleban rounded up the ringleaders of initial demonstrations held after they returned to power in August.

The Taleban have not given a clear reason for their decision, which came after a meeting late Tuesday of senior officials in the southern city of Kandahar, the Taleban’s de facto power centre and spiritual heartland. It followed months of work by some foreign countries on a plan to support the payment of teachers’ wages.

Afghan secondary school girls have now been out of education for more than seven months.

Afghan women and girls take part in a protest in front of the Ministry of Education in Kabul. PHOTO: AFP

Messi ponders future after Argentina down Venezuela

BUENOS AIRES (AP) – Lionel Messi said he will reconsider his future in soccer later this year but said it’s likely “many things will change” after the World Cup in November and December in Qatar.

Messi’s comments came after Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0 early yesterday in the remaining match of the penultimate round of South American World Cup qualifying.

“I don’t know what I will do after the World Cup. I am thinking about what is coming,” Messi said. “After Qatar I will have to reassess many things.”

He added his doubts had nothing to do with past frustration playing for Argentina. He won his first title with the team last year – the Copa America in a final against Brazil. “It has been a while that I am happy here, since before winning the Copa. I am thankful for all this they make me feel every time I come to Argentina,” Messi said.

Asked about him continuing with the national team after Qatar, Messi, who turns 35 in June, said, “I don’t know, the truth is I don’t know. I think about that is coming, which is close, Ecuador (on Tuesday). The preparation matches in June and September.”

Argentina´s Lionel Messi controls the ball surrounded by Venezuelan players during the South American qualification football match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. PHOTO: AP

“Let’s hope these go the best way possible. But for sure after the World Cup many things will change.”

Messi, who was recently booed by Paris Saint-Germain fans, appeared pleased after scoring the third goal of the match yesterday and receiving enthusiastic support from the spectators at the La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires.

Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay have already secured the region’s four direct spots in Qatar later this year. Peru (21 points), Colombia (20) and Chile (19) will play in the last round on Tuesday for fifth place, which qualifies for an international playoff with an Asian team.

Argentina opened the scoring with Nico González from close range in the 35th minute after a low cross by Rodrigo de Paul. Ángel di Maria, another player who is under fire in France, netted the second in the 79th minute, lobbing the Venezuelan goalkeeper after an assist by
De Paul.

Messi and Brazil star Neymar have both faced criticism in France after their club’s loss to Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

774 new COVID cases, third day under 1,000

James Kon

For the third day in a row, the daily new COVID-19 cases in the Sultanate were under the 1,000 mark as 774 new cases were detected yesterday. Of the new cases, 671 were from ART results uploaded to the BruHealth app while 103 were from 1,238 RT-PCR laboratory tests performed in the past 24 hours.

With the latest detections, the national tally for confirmed COVID-19 cases is 130,611.

Meanwhile in the past 24 hours, two COVID-19 fatalities were recorded. One was categorised as death due to COVID-19 and had only received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The other fatality was categorised as death not due to COVID-19.

The update of the COVID-19 situation in the country was shared by Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar during the daily press conference yesterday.

Also in attendance was Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong.

Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar. PHOTO: JAMES KON

In light of the fatalities, Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham said, “Representing the Ministry of Health as well as the people of Brunei Darussalam, we express our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. May the deceaseds’ families be given patience and may their souls be placed among the pious and receive blessings.”

The minister also revealed that the number of cases in Category 4 is now 10 after the addition of one case. Meanwhile, the total number of cases in Category 5 remains at one.

The total number of cases in Categories 4 and 5 is 4.2 per cent of the treatment capacity of the categories at the National Isolation Centre. A total of 2,344 cases have recovered, bringing the total number of recovered cases in Brunei Darussalam to 122,905 and the total active cases to 7,504.

The bed occupancy rate in isolation centres nationwide is 3.3 per cent with 133 active cases in isolation centres and hospitals. A total of 7,371 positive cases are undergoing home self-isolation.

As of March 25, under the National Vaccination Programme, 60.6 per cent of the country’s total population has received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

No violations were reported during the movement restriction order from midnight to 4am yesterday.

Grab introduces temporary fee to help drivers with higher operating costs

SINGAPORE (CNA) – Grab said on Friday that it will introduce a temporary fee for its transportation services from April 1, to help its drivers defray higher operating costs.

The driver fee of SGD0.50 per ride extends to all transport services except the standard taxi service and is expected to last until May 31, Grab said in a press release.

The fees will “fully” go to the driver-partners, it added.

The temporary fee is in addition to Grab’s ongoing commission rebate and fuel discount schemes, said the operator.

The fee does not apply to Grab’s other services, such as its food delivery or GrabMart service.

The SGD0.50 driver fee extends to all transport services except the standard taxi service. PHOTO: CNA

“Our priority is to ensure that our driver-partners earn a sustainable income on our platform,” said Head of Transport for Grab Singapore Alvin Wee.

Wee said that the company has heard from drivers on the rising fuel prices and the impact on their earnings and has been “exploring different ways to support them”.

“We hope the driver fee, together with the ongoing commission and fuel rebate programmes will help to defray their operating costs. We will also continue to monitor the situation,” he added.

Grab’s announcement comes after that of TADA and Gojek, which are also introducing temporary fees to support private-hire car drivers amid rising fuel prices. TADA passengers will see a SGD0.50 flat fee added to all rides with trip fares of up to SGD18, while SGD0.80 will be added to rides from SGD18.10.

Meanwhile, a SGD0.50 flat fee will be added to all Gojek rides that are less than 10km in distance, while trips that go beyond 10km will have a SGD0.80 flat fee.

Shanghai won’t lockdown despite COVID spike

SHANGHAI (AFP) – Shanghai yesterday recorded a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, but a member of the city’s pandemic task force said officials were determined to avoid a full lockdown over the damage it would do to the economy.

Millions of Chinese in affected areas have been subjected to city-wide lockdowns by an Omicron-led outbreak that has sent daily case counts creeping ever-higher, though they remain insignificant compared to other countries.

Shanghai, however, has aimed to ease disruption with a more targetted approach marked by rolling 48-hour lockdowns of individual neighbourhoods and large-scale testing while largely keeping the metropolis of 25 million people running. At a daily Shanghai press conference yesterday, officials alluded to the importance of avoiding a full lockdown of the huge port city.

“If Shanghai, this city of ours, came to a complete halt, there would be many international cargo ships floating in the East China Sea,” said a medical expert with the city’s pandemic task force Wu Fan.

“This would impact the entire national economy and the global economy.” Wu made the comments as city officials also announced that they would begin handing out self-testing kits to Shanghai residents, in the latest sign that the government was expanding its pandemic response.

The northeastern province of Jilin also said yesterday that it had begun distributing 500,000 of the rapid-antigen kits.

Shanghai and Jilin have been the areas hardest hit by the outbreak, which took off in early March.

China had largely kept the coronavirus – which first emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 – under control through its strict zero-tolerance measures.

Health workers walk down a street in Jing’an district, Shanghai. PHOTO: AFP

Two day blood donation drive attracts large number

Lyna Mohamad

The Mabohai Shopping Complex expressed gratitude following the overwhelming response from donors at the Mabohai Shopping Complex Blood Donation Drive, held on Thursday and yesterday at the complex’s event stage.

The drive was held in collaboration with the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Blood Donation Centre. Donations began at 10am and ended beyond the complex’s closing time of 3pm to accommodate the steady stream of donors, resulting in 111 successful donors over two days.

Manager of Mabohai Shopping Complex Yee-Man Cheng noted that with the critical shortage of blood of all types in the national blood bank, the complex was delighted to host a blood drive to answer the call of the RIPAS Hospital Blood Donation Centre for a venue at short notice. “We are delighted with the response from the public and we wish to thank all donors.

“We thank you for the generous spirit and know that the recipients and their loved ones will always remember people like you who donated to save lives.

“Look out for news of future blood donations at Mabohai Shopping Complex by following our social media platforms,“ she added.

The drive extended past the complex’s closing time of 3pm to accommodate the influx of donors. PHOTO: LYNA MOHAMAD

Swiatek becomes new WTA World number one

MIAMI (AFP) – Poland’s Iga Swiatek clinched becoming the new world number one in women’s tennis yesterday by defeating Swiss player Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-0 at the WTA Miami Open.

Swiatek will move into the top spot vacated by Australian Ashleigh Barty after the three-time Grand Slam champion announced her retirement this week.

“Pretty surreal,” Swiatek said. “On one hand, these are the most special moments that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life, but on the other hand, that match was just another match.”

The 20-year-old Warsaw-born star had to win her second-round match at the South Florida hardcourt tournament to ensure she would replace Barty in the next rankings next month.

After the victory, there was a brief on-court ceremony where Swiatek was cheered and honoured by tournament director James Blake and former WTA number one Lindsay Davenport.

“I never really imagined that moment because, truth to be told, I was working day-by-day and playing tennis well, but I never had the strong belief that it can actually happen,” Swiatek said. “So it’s even more surreal for me.”

Iga Swiatek returns a shot to Viktorija Golubic. PHOTO: AFP

She didn’t feel slighted by the manner of it all, coming suddenly after Barty’s shock farewell. “I loved every moment of it,” Swiatek said.

“It doesn’t matter for me if there were fireworks. The crowd was really supportive. They were really excited. I’m just soaking everything in because I didn’t have any expectations.”

Swiatek will be the first Polish woman to reach the rankings summit, eclipsing the old mark for players from her homeland she shared with former world number two Agnieszka Radwanska.

Poland’s first Grand Slam singles title was won by Swiatek at the 2020 French Open.

Swiatek has enjoyed a blistering start to the season, winning WTA titles at Doha and Indian Wells, and is now on a career-best 12-match win streak.

She’s also the first player since Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in 2009 to win five or more titles before turning 21.

Swiatek becomes the 28th woman to reach the WTA pinnacle and the youngest since Wozniacki in 2010, but she doesn’t expect much to change for her with the climb to the top.

“I think it’s going to be a little bit different. Maybe the hype is going to be a little bit bigger, but I’m ready for it. And honestly, it’s part of the job,” Swiatek said.

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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.

© 2013 Borneo Bulletin Online - The Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak

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