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Europol seizes five million unsafe fake toys

PARIS (AFP) – Europol seized more than five million potentially hazardous counterfeit toys worth more than EUR18 million (USD20 million) between October 2021 and January 2022, the European Union (EU) police agency said on Thursday.

The haul included “counterfeit and illegal puzzle games, video games and related characters, board and card games, dolls and puppets from famous TV series, bricks for children and clothing and accessories from famous brands”, Europol said.

“The majority of fake toys were imported from East Asia to the EU, United Kingdom and the United States (US),” it said. Operation Ludus II, the second major investigation of its type, was coordinated by Europol and led by police and customs officials in Spain and Romania.

The probe involved law enforcement authorities from 21 countries – 19 European states, the US and Ivory Coast. It resulted in “the seizure of hazardous toys with a total value of more than EUR18 million”.

The first Operation Ludus was launched in 2020 after the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) warned about toys that did not conform to EU safety norms and were therefore dangerous to children.

Brunei economy to grow by 3.5pc this year: OECD report

Azlan Othman

Brunei Darussalam, which recorded weak growth for most of 2021, is set to grow by 3.5 per cent in 2022, followed by three per cent in 2023, said the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its recent report on Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India 2022 – Financing for Sustainable Recovery from COVID-19.

The economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are projected to grow by 5.8 per cent in 2022 but there are significant uncertainties from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to immediate risks such as the COVID-19, rising inflation and supply chain disruptions, said the report.

“Nevermind the impact of the war in Ukraine, the Omicron variant and potential new variants of COVID-19 are major areas of risks,” head of the Global Economy, Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs at the European Commission Moreno Bertoldi said at a webinar launch of the report.

The Ukraine war, he said, is causing a strong supply shock globally. This adds further to the inflationary pressures and disruptions that had already been triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The moves in commodity prices and financial markets since the outbreak of the war could also put the recovery of Asian economies at some risk, though we expect the overall impact to be smaller in Asia than in OECD economies,” he added.

So far, the most immediate impact for Asean economies is seen in the prices of energy and agricultural commodities.

Bertoldi warned, “It’s important to note, though, that the current price spike does not reflect in our view, real shortages in supply just yet.”

The Ukraine crisis is also having a significant negative impact on confidence, which in turn will negatively impact private consumption and business investment decisions, he said.

“Growing uncertainty could increase capital flow volatility in Asean countries and elsewhere. Governments in the region therefore need to continue to implement effective macroeconomic and structural policies to safeguard their economies and to minimise the impact of these developments on consumers and businesses,” he said.

According to the OECD report, led by head of the Asia Desk at OECD Development Centre Kensuke Tanaka, the pandemic has inflicted substantial damage on labour markets in
emerging Asia.

“This deterioration has been particularly acute in the Philippines and Vietnam. In terms of individual sectors across emerging Asia, the impact has been especially heavy for the micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. Sectors of the economy that are especially cyclical, and indeed those that rely on face-to-face interactions, have endured the gravest job losses since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.”

Tanaka said international trade was the main engine of recovery for the region in 2021, and merchandise exports in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China and India have exceeded their pre-pandemic levels in recent months.

Full-time Irving doesn’t solve all Nets issues

NEW YORK (AP) – Kyrie Irving can play home games now, so the Brooklyn Nets might be good enough to win the NBA championship.

Or they might be flawed enough to miss the playoffs entirely.

The exemption given by Mayor Eric Adams of the vaccine mandate that made Irving eligible to play in New York City should make the Nets even more explosive, perhaps too potent to be stopped four times even by the toughest defensive teams. With Irving and Kevin Durant together, the Nets can pile up the points.

They also give them up in bunches.Take Wednesday night in Memphis, for example. Irving poured in 43 points and Durant had 35. Yet, the Nets lost because they surrendered a whopping 132 points to a Grizzlies team that didn’t even have its best player, All-Star guard Ja Morant.

It’s games like that which make the Nets, who hope to still add Ben Simmons to improve their leaky defence, the most intriguing team in the league in the final days of the regular season.

They could win it all. They could lose once in the play-in tournament and be eliminated. “If they can ever line it up man, where both dudes are playing and playing at a high level, it’s going to be very, very scary, especially when Ben plays,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. “If” is an apt assessment of the Nets.

An everyday Irving provides a big boost. But Simmons still isn’t even practicing because of a herniated disk in his back, and who knows how much a player even of his ability can help after sitting out all season.

Irving has always been a spectacular offensive force, almost unmatched in his ability to create shots off his dazzling dribbling packages. His performance this season seems even more remarkable given how difficult it is to keep a rhythm with his inability to play at home.

The game on Wednesday was the first time he’d played in nine days since he had a career-high 60 on March 15 in Orlando.

Had the mandate remained in place, Irving would have been eligible to play in only two of the Nets’ final nine games, with six scheduled at home and one across town against the New York Knicks.

Easing of Singapore’s COVID-19 measures timely, healthcare system can ‘cope well’

SINGAPORE (CNA) – People in Singapore may be seen without a mask outdoors from March 29, a departure from a sight that has marked the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Singapore prepares to ease COVID-19 restrictions on group sizes, household visitors, travel and workplace measures, health experts told CNA the move is timely given that the peak of the Omicron wave is over.

Previously there was uncertainty over how big the wave would be, as well as concerns over the number of hospitalisations and their effect on the overall healthcare system.

“Now that the number of cases in general wards is about half the level it was at the peak, we have much more confidence about being able to handle any relaxation of measures, which is why I think it’s the right time,” said vice dean of research at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health Associate Professor Alex Cook.

Professor Josip Car from Nanyang Technological University pointed to Singapore’s high vaccination and booster rates.

Given that a “significant proportion” of the population has developed some immunity post-infection in the past months, this is an appropriate time to ease restrictions, added founding director of the Centre for Population Health Sciences at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Professor Car.

“We can expect no negative surprises and that the health system will be able to cope well with infection cases,” he said.

Saturday, March 26, 2022

26 nabbed in gambling raid

The Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) detained 26 individuals suspected of being involved in gambling activities on March 24. Detectives and police officers detained the suspects, believed to be involved in Paikaw type gambling activities, at a residence near Jalan Sungai Pandan, Kuala Belait. More details in Saturday’s Borneo Bulletin.

Muslims urged to reap benefits of Ramadhan

As the nation is about a week away from welcoming the holy month of Ramadhan, religious authorities urged Muslims to intensify pious acts and increase Sunnat prayers, reading Al-Quran, Zikir, I’tikaf (spend their days and nights at the mosque) and Qiyamullail (nightly vigil). More details in Saturday’s Borneo Bulletin.

Swift action stops fire from spreading

Swift action by firefighters prevented a fire from spreading at a store in Kampong Sungai Hanching on Wednesday night. A team of firefighters with a fire engine from the Lambak Kanan Fire Station led by Acting Station Officer Haji Tarip and the Berakas Fire Station led by DSO Haji Sofri bin Haji Bolaji with the assistance of a water tanker from the Beribi Fire station led by ABK 167 Pengiran Jefri responded to the fire incident, according to the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD). More details in Saturday’s Borneo Bulletin.

Post-COVID symptoms may persist in some cases

COVID-19 cases who have completed their isolation may still feel the long-term effects of COVID-19 or even develop new symptoms related to COVID-19 in a condition known as post-COVID, said Infectious Diseases Consultant at the Ministry of Health (MoH) Dr Hajah Riamiza Natalie binti Haji Momin at a press conference on Thursday on post-COVID conditions. More details in Saturday’s Borneo Bulletin

US, EU announce new partnership to undercut Russian energy

BRUSSELS (AP) – The United States (US) and European Union (EU) on Friday announced a new partnership to reduce the continent’s reliance on Russian energy, the start of a years-long initiative to further isolate Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine. More details in Saturday’s Borneo Bulletin.

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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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