The Brunei Darussalam Association of Football Coaches (BDAFC) recently held its inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year 2022 at the Multi-Purpose Hall, Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (FABD) House in Jalan Pusat Persidangan, Berakas.
A total of 31 members were involved in the meeting comprising 19 members present physically and 12 attending virtually.
The meeting saw the voting of BDAFC members for the term 2022-2024.
Pengiran Serfuddin bin Pengiran Haji Md Salleh was elected President while Haji Omar bin Haji Jamil was appointed as the Deputy President I and Haji Syed Mohd Yaqub Syah bin Haji Syed Anayatullah Shah as the Deputy President II.
Other positions filled included Roney bin Morni as the Secretary while Haji Mohd Ali Rahman bin Haji Sulaiman will serve as the Treasurer.
The three newly-appointed executive committee members are Mohd Ikhmarol Izzat bin Haji Omar, Mohd Darus bin Tanjung and Pengiran Shahrom bin Haji Ismail.
The meeting also heard the annual activity report, financial report, the dissolution of the current committee members and the temporary steering committee of the first AGM as well as the handover of duties from the steering committee to the newly-elected members.
The Brunei Darussalam Association of Football Coaches’ members during their 2022 AGM. PHOTO: BDAFC
NEW DELHI (AP) – The company behind a COVID-19 vaccine touted as a key tool for the developing world has sent tens of millions of doses to wealthy nations but provided none yet to the United Nations (UN)-backed effort to supply poorer countries, a sign that inequity persists in the global response to the pandemic.
A quarter-million doses from the company were supposed to be available to the vaccine-sharing initiative, called COVAX, by March. But the UN agency in charge of deliveries said the first shipments now likely won’t be made until April or May.
The company, Novavax, got USD388 million from one of the organisations leading COVAX to fast-track the vaccine’s development and help make the shot available in poorer countries.
The investment guaranteed COVAX the “right of first refusal” to the first Novavax doses, but the deal applied only to factories in the Czech Republic, South Korea and Spain’ said spokesman for COVAX co-founder CEPI Bjorg Dystvold Nilsson. There are other factories that aren’t part of the deal – and their shots are going elsewhere. The Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, has manufactured millions of Novavax doses.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the institute, more than 28.9 million of those doses were sent to the Netherlands in January and February, while Australia received about six million doses. Indonesia also received about nine million doses in December.
Thousands of other Novavax doses were also shipped from a Netherlands factory to other European Union countries.
The delay is the latest setback for COVAX, which has been repeatedly hit by supply problems and has missed numerous targets to share doses.
Vaccine availability has been improving in poorer regions recently, but logistical problems persist.
According to data from Oxford University, only about 14 per cent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. More than 680 million doses of COVAX-provided vaccines remain unused or have expired, according to government data.
A worker moves boxes carrying Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine at SK Bioscience Co in Andong, South Korea. PHOTO: AP
The Ministry of Defence (MinDef) held Khatam Al-Quran ceremonies across all suraus under the MinDef and Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), including Pulau Baru-Baru Mosque, in conjunction with the 38th National Day celebration.
The focal point was at Defence Academy Royal Brunei Armed Forces (DA RBAF) Surau Asy-Syuhada’, with the attendance of Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Royal Brunei Land Force Commander Brigadier General Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Razak bin Haji Abdul Kadir as well as senior leadership, officers and staff from the MinDef and RBAF.
The invitation was also extended to the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF), Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) and village heads from nearby areas.
Aside from enlivening the National Day celebration, the annual event was held to instil in attendees a love and appreciation for Al-Quran.
A similar event was held at Surau Ad-Difa’ of the Bolkiah Garrison among female MinDef and RBAF personnel.
Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof joins others at the religious event. PHOTO: ADIB NOOR
CAIRO (AP) – Sudanese riot police fired tear gas on Thursday at thousands of protesters who were rallying in Khartoum against the country’s military rulers and demanding an immediate handover of power to civilians.
It was the latest in dozens of rallies since the October military coup upended Sudan’s transition to democracy after nearly three decades of authoritarian rule under President Omar al-Bashir.
Protests erupted also elsewhere on Thursday, including in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman and in the cities of Madani, Nyala and Atbara. Videos of protesters beating drums, waving Sudanese flags and chanting anti-military slogans circulated on social media.
There were also videos showing protesters hurling stones at police in the capital, Khartoum, as riot police fired tear gas. There were no immediate reports of any casualties on Thursday.
Around 90 people, including 15 children, have been killed since the coup, according to Sudan Doctors Committee, which tracks protester casualties.
The protest was called by the Sudanese Professionals’ Association and the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, an alliance of political parties and groups which spearheaded the uprising that culminated in al-Bashir’s ouster in 2019.
The October 25 military takeover has triggered near-daily protests. Authorities have launched a deadly crackdown, including firing live ammunition and tear gas at crowds in the streets and knocking the country’s Internet and mobile signal offline to keep people from gathering.
Sudanese anti-coup protesters take part in ongoing demonstrations against the military rule in Khartoum. PHOTO: AP
PORTO, PORTUGAL (AP) – The Portugal fans at the Estádio do Dragão looked stunned when the referee returned from the video review booth and pointed to the penalty spot.
Were they about to witness another late collapse at home that could jeopardise the national team’s hopes of making it to the World Cup?
The 85th-minute penalty gave Turkey a chance for an equaliser after Portugal had opened a two-goal lead in their European qualifying playoff semifinal. But Burak Yılmaz’s spot kick sailed over the crossbar, letting Portugal off the hook.
The hosts went on to score again in stoppage time for a 3-1 victory on Thursday that moved Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal a step closer to the World Cup.
“We can’t let that happen. We had the game under control,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. “We lost some intensity but in the end the players responded well. Had that penalty gone in, it could have been difficult for us.”
It was a 90th-minute goal against Serbia in November in Lisbon that relegated Portugal to the qualifying playoffs to begin with, having blown a chance to finish as group winner.
Ronaldo’s hopes of reaching a 10th straight major tournament will now come down to a winner-takes-all game against North Macedonia, which earned a stunning 1-0 win at Italy to end the European Champion’s hopes of making it to the World Cup.
“Now we have to focus on North Macedonia,” Santos said. “If they managed to beat Italy, that means it’s going to be very difficult for us as well.”
Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo kicks the ball during the World Cup 2022 qualifying semi-final. PHOTO: AFPFans wave Portuguese flags while the video screen shows Portugal coach Fernando Santos. PHOTO: AP
Portugal is trying to qualify for the World Cup for the sixth straight time.
The 37-year-old Ronaldo has played in the showcase event four straight times. He also played in four consecutive European Championships, winning the title in 2016.
Ronaldo is the only player to have scored at least once in the finals of nine top tournaments in a row, a streak that started at Euro 2004 in Portugal.
Otávio opened the scoring in the 15th off the rebound of a shot by Bernardo Silva onto the post, and Diogo Jota added to the lead with a header in the 42nd after an assist by Otávio.
Yılmaz pulled Turkey closer with a goal from inside the area in the 65th, but the national team’s second highest all-time scorer missed the chance to equalise when his shot from the penalty spot went over the crossbar.
A video review had awarded the penalty for a foul by José Fonte on Enes Unal.
“I haven’t spoken to Yilmaz yet,” Turkey coach Stefan Kuntz said.
“He needs to let himself go. (The penalty) was an important opportunity for the team, but sometimes you need luck, and that did not happen for us.”
Portugal sealed the victory with substitute Matheus Nunes scoring on a breakaway four minutes into stoppage time.
The Turkish side, which was second to the Netherlands in its qualifying group, was trying to make it to the World Cup for the third time after appearances in 1954 and 2002, when it finished third after losing to eventual champion Brazil in the semifinals.
Turkey’s last major achievement was making it to the semifinals of Euro 2008, when it lost to Portugal in the group stage.
AP – Uber, hit by driver shortages and a surge in food delivery requests during the pandemic, will list New York City taxi cabs on its app, a partnership that until recently would have been unthinkable with both camps fighting ferociously for the same customers.
After a period in which waits for an Uber ride grew longer due to a driver shortage, the partnership will boost the number of rides available, and it gives NYC cab drivers access to a massive pool of commuters with an Uber app on their phones.
There had been hints tensions between Uber and taxi services had begun to thaw as Uber expanded aggressively into the very lucrative food delivery business and needed a growing supply of delivery drivers.
During the pandemic, Uber’s food deliveries outpaced rides given to humans as millions sheltered at home. Gross bookings for delivery services at Uber reached USD13.4 billion in the final quarter of 2021. That’s compared with USD11.3 billion in gross bookings for Uber rides.
The agreement announced on Thursday comes amid the back drop of more cities moving to regulate the explosive growth of Uber and other app-based ride services, including New York City, which placed a temporary cap on new licences for ride-hailing services in 2018.
New York City is the largest American market for Uber.
A passenger gets into a taxi in New York. PHOTO: AP
The New York City Workers Alliance (NYCWA), a group that represents taxi drivers and has been critical of Uber and other ride-hailing apps, said it would push for negotiations.
“After its business model has shown the failures to protect drivers from ridership downturns and rising gas prices, Uber is returning to its roots: yellow cabs,” the executive director of the NYCWA Bhairavi Desai said in a prepared statement on Thursday.
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission said on Thursday that it’s always interested in tools that can provide more economic opportunities for drivers.
“We are excited about any proposal to more easily connect passengers with taxis and look forward to learning more about this agreement between Uber and the taxi apps and ensuring it complies with TLC rules,” said acting commissioner Ryan Wanttaja.
One industry analyst who follows Uber closely went so far as to call the marriage of longtime competitors “pure genius”.
Uber lacked drivers in New York City and taxi drivers lacked the business due to the popularity of ride-hailing apps. “I think they realised that they both need each other over the short term,” said senior analyst for Argus Research Bill Selesky.
Uber Technologies Inc has incorporated taxi drivers around the world into its system for the past several years. In Spain, the company has integrated taxis in Madrid, Málaga, Valencia and Barcelona. It’s teamed in Colombia with TaxExpress, which has more than 2,300 active drivers.
Half of all Uber taxi trips in Latin America come from the TaxExpress partnership in Colombia. Uber also has relationships with taxi software and fleet operators in Austria, Germany, Turkey, South Korea and Hong Kong.
In New York City, Uber is teaming with tech platforms Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT) and Curb to eventually have all New York City taxi cabs available on its app.
Anyone with the Uber app will have access to thousands of yellow taxis that operate on the CMT/Arro platform. Taxi drivers will see Uber-originated fares on their driver monitors which they already use to service e-hails from the Arro taxi app.
“Uber has a long history of partnering with the taxi industry to provide drivers with more ways to earn and riders with another transportation option. Our partnerships with taxis look different around the world, and we’re excited to team up with taxi software companies CMT and Curb, which will benefit taxi drivers and all New Yorkers,” senior vice president, Mobility and Business Operations at Uber Andrew Macdonald said in a prepared statement.
CMT said on Thursday that taxi drivers on its platform, which includes the taxi app Arro, will gain access to Uber’s customer base, giving them the opportunity for a higher volume of trips and expanded revenue. CMT said a beta version for taxis will be rolled out this spring and reach the general public this summer.
Curb, which offers a ride-hailing app for licenced taxi and for-hire rides in North America, said the new agreement with Uber will start in New York City, but that the partnership will expand to its nationwide network over the coming months.
Drivers on the Curb platform will be able to receive and accept Uber trip offers through their existing in-vehicle systems, in addition to Curb app demand and traditional street hails.
KAMPALA, UGANDA (AP) – Ethiopia’s government on Thursday announced what it called an “indefinite humanitarian truce” in its war-ravaged Tigray region, saying the action was necessary to allow unimpeded relief supplies into the area.
“The government calls upon the donor community to redouble their generous contributions to alleviate the situation and reiterates its commitment to work in collaboration with relevant organisations to expedite the provision of humanitarian assistance to those in need,” authorities said in a statement issued by the Government Communication Service.
The government statement said Tigray’s forces must reciprocate the truce for the humanitarian situation to improve in the region.
It urged fighters loyal to Tigray’s fugitive leaders “to desist from all acts of further aggression and withdraw from areas they have occupied in neighbouring regions.”
It was not immediately possible to get a comment from Tigray’s leaders.
It was not clear if the immediate humanitarian truce is a step toward a comprehensive cease-fire.
A damaged tank stands abandoned on a road near Humera, Ethiopia. PHOTO: AFP
Ethiopia’s government has faced growing international pressure to ease restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid into Tigray. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian who considers the Tigray region home, has repeatedly urged Ethiopian authorities to allow unfettered humanitarian access into Tigray.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States strongly supports the declaration of an indefinite humanitarian truce.
“This commitment to a cessation of hostilities should be a critical step towards the resumption and sustainment of humanitarian assistance to the people in Tigray and all Ethiopian regions and communities in need,” Blinken said in a statement.
“It should also serve as an essential foundation of an inclusive political process to achieve progress towards common security and prosperity for all the people of Ethiopia.”
Months of political tensions between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the Tigray leaders who once dominated Ethiopia’s government exploded into war in November 2020.
The war is believed to have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the displacement of millions.
Although the war has subsided in several places, notably within the Tigray and Amhara regions, concerns remain in the northeastern Afar region.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Devonte’ Graham unravelled his braids and let his hair, as well as his shot, flow freely.
Graham hit five three-pointers on his way to a season-high 30 points, CJ McCollum scored 25 and the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Chicago Bulls 126-109 on Thursday.
“It was good, man, to see the ball go in, play with confidence. It was fun,” Graham said, but sounded reluctant when asked if he’ll keep his hair unbraided.
“For now, I guess, until I play bad,” said Graham, a fourth-year pro out of Kansas. “I used to have this little nappy head in college. I guess everybody’s just surprised by it now.”
Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 19 rebounds for the Pelicans, who won for the fourth time in six games as they try to solidify their hold on a Western Conference play-in spot.
Zach LaVine scored 39 points and Coby White added 23 for Chicago, which played without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan and lost for the fifth time in six games. The slumping Bulls are in danger of sliding out of a top-six seed in the East (the seventh and eighth seeds have to host the play-in round).
“It’s frustrating, obviously, we’re just trying to figure out how to get back into a rhythm,” LaVine said.
“No one is going to help us. We’ve done enough talking. We’ve done enough of trying to pep talk and rallying to keep guys’ spirits up, but we just have to get it done now.”
New Orleans Pelicans guard Devonte’ Graham shoots. PHOTO: APChicago Bulls centre Nikola Vucevic (9) screens New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones. PHOTO: AP
Pelicans undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a driving layup, floater and three-pointer in succession to help fuel a pivotal surge in which New Orleans built a 15-point cushion.
Graham’s deep three-pointer and Valanciunas’ 10-foot turnaround capped the spurt and made it 107-92 with 6:26 to go.
Javonte Green and Alex Caruso each hit a three-pointer to help Chicago pull to 109-102 before Graham hit a momentum-halting driving layup as he was fouled. Graham added two more free throws to give him five straight points.
“We need that from him, especially in a game like tonight,” Alvarado said. “Wasn’t shocked. That’s who he is. He better keep that hairstyle because I guess that’s what it is.”
McCollum’s bank shot made it 116-102 with 2:01 left and Chicago removed its starters soon after.
LaVine scored 16 points in the first quarter, when he hit five of his first six shots, including all three three-pointers he attempted, and helped Chicago build a lead as large as nine.
But the Pelicans erased the deficit in the second. Graham’s 29-foot three-pointer, followed by his driving floater while being fouled, put New Orleans up 52-50. The Pelicans were ahead by four late in the period on Herb Jones’ putback, but White drained his fourth of five three-pointers on the night to pull Chicago to 63-62 at halftime.
Swatch has collaborated with Omega to imagine an innovative Swatch take on the Speedmaster Moonwatch.
The unexpected, provocative and visionary partnership, a first between Swatch and Omega, is the culmination of a trend of collaborations between luxury and street brands to create innovative new products that blend the best of both worlds.
The brands have drawn their design inspiration from space, to create a collection of eleven Swatch models named after planetary bodies, from the giant star at the centre of the solar system to the dwarf planet at its periphery.
All of the Swatch designs are in the brand’s patented BIOCERAMIC, a unique mix of two-thirds ceramic and one-third material derived from castor oil. Although colours like pink and pale blue offer strong clues that these are not your standard Omega Speedmaster watches, a hard-core Moonwatch fan would be hard-pushed to find the difference in the overall look.
The key Moonwatch design features are all there. The asymmetrical case, the famous tachymeter scale with dot over ninety and the distinctive Speedmaster subdials, which all work perfectly.
Omega’s Moonwatch is legendary and a must-have for collectors. Swatch’s witty BIOCERAMIC MoonSwatch collection makes the iconic design accessible to fans everywhere. It’s a down to earth take on the watch that went to the moon, which is a perfect representation of Swatch’s joy of life and innovation philosophy.
The new collection comes in rarely seen colours. Each MoonSwatch feature its own mission statement, inspirational engravings and joint OMEGA X SWATCH logos on the dial and crown.
Darussalam Assets Sdn Bhd has extended its sponsorship for two special needs students at Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam (Pusat Ehsan) for the fifth consecutive year.
Permanent Secretary (Investment) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) and Darussalam Assets Chief Executive Officer Haji Khairuddin bin Haji Abdul Hamid, Darussalam Assets’ Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Hajah Rahayu binti Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Razak, Pusat Ehsan Board of Trustees member Audrey Choo Wah and School Principal of Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam Nurussa’adatul binti Saifulbahri attended the cheque presentation at the Darussalam Assets office.
Darussalam Assets has been a long-standing benefactor of the ‘Special Needs Student Adoption Scheme’ since its 2017 launch.
Through the Student Adoption Scheme, sponsors are given the opportunity to invest in the life, growth and long-term development of students, providing them access to additional learning support, rehabilitation services, activities, facilities and transportation expenses required.
The supplementary support hopes to help students tap into their full potential to be recognised as skilled individuals, in line with Pusat Ehsan’s vision of enabling the special needs community to live a meaningful life among society.
Darussalam Assets, through its corporate social responsibility initiatives, aims to inspire social and economic changes by offering sustainable support and development for the community in line with its aim to be a responsible corporate citizen.
Over the years, Darussalam Assets has had the honour to witness the life-changing progress students have made as a result of the Student Adoption Scheme, and hopes that other private sector organisations will follow suit.
Pusat Ehsan Board of Trustees member Audrey Choo Wah and Permanent Secretary (Investment) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy and Darussalam Assets Chief Executive Officer Haji Khairuddin bin Haji Abdul Hamid with the sponsorship as School Principal of Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam Nurussa’adatul binti Saifulbahri (L) and Darussalam Assets’ Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Hajah Rahayu binti Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Razak (R) look on. PHOTO: Darussalam Assets
