The TVET Regional Centre, SEAMEO VOCTECH hosted a courtesy visit by German Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Gerda Winkler on Wednesday.
The visit not only enabled the regional organisation to be introduced to the ambassador, but also offered an opportunity for the centre and the envoy to discuss bilateral ways to enhance and strengthen cooperation and collaboration in projects for the benefit of the region.
Centre Director Alias bin Haji Abu Bakar highlighted the close relationship the centre has with fellow German colleagues and strategic partners. Germany is an associate member country of SEAMEO that has provided supports in the fields of education, science and culture, particularly technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
The centre has been collaborating with German development agency GIZ for joint conferences and regional meetings since 2006. The relation was further enhanced through a joint project with GIZ-RECOTVET, enabling the centre to develop and establish a successful regional knowledge platform known as SEA-VET.Net in 2018.
Among the outcomes were regional policy dialogues, collaborative consultancy services on research, standards development, the skills development awards for ASEAN, and publications including the Regional TVET Teacher Standard for ASEAN, and co-organisation of training of TVET Master Trainers on Industrial Revolution 4.0 related topics.
The centre director also shared that the centre’s joint efforts with the German Asia-Pacific business Association will be facilitated through the setting up of a dedicated private sector page on the SEA-VET.Net platform.
“We are glad to have this opportunity to convey our appreciation to the German government for the ongoing collaborative project with GIZ-RECOTVET. We look forward to the continuous support on TVET expertise, especially for the research project on ‘the Readiness of TVET Institutions for IR 4.0 in Southeast Asia’ currently underway,” he said.
Meanwhile, the German ambassador commended the centre on its achievements and expressed gratitude to the centre director, management and staff for their hospitality. Both parties also engaged in a brief dialogue session to identify potential areas for TVET development.
German Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Gerda Winkler with Centre Director Alias bin Haji Abu Bakar. PHOTO: SEAMEO VOCTECH
In line with aims and goals in energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy, several initiatives and activities have been implemented in Brunei Darussalam. This was shared during a recent interview with officers from the Ministry of Energy (ME).
Special Duties Officer II from the Renewable Energy Unit of the Sustainable Energy Division at the ME Nurul Hadinah binti Yahaya noted that the ministry has committed to increase the capacity of renewable energy to at least 300 megawatts by 2035.
“Towards this end, the ministry has prepared a plan of the implementation for the use of renew-able energy, by giving the main focus to energy in generation, especially from photovoltaics.”
“Among the future plans that will be implemented include the construction of small, medium and large scale projects, implementing collaborative projects with relevant stakeholders, including private parties and non-governmental agencies as well, and also continuation to de-ployment of solar projects in rural areas.”
Currently, the ministry has made plans to develop a 30 megawatt solar project at Kampong Belimbing in Mukim Kota Batu through a public-private partnership (PPP) concept.
Nurul Hadinah also said the government through the ME is providing a Net Metering programme that can increase the implementation of small and medium scale solar systems for all sectors.
The ministry is currently conducting the second phase of the programme, which is open for the government, commercial, residential and industrial sectors to participate.
“With this Net Metering programme, solar technology owners will be able to channel the excess power generated from their solar PV system to the national grid. So the excess in generation will be recorded in the meters that are installed and can later be used especially at night,” shared Nurul Hadinah. “The programme hopes to encourage the installation of renewable energy technologies in the government, residential, industrial and commercial sectors.”
Regarding how these initiatives align with the government’s net zero 2050 goals, she said, “In supporting and upholding the government’s aspirations towards this reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the ME will implement several initiatives as outlined in the ministry’s strategic plan.”
“In the context of renewable energy, having a solar system installed and using it for your own consumption will definitely reduce our reliance on the conventional supply from the grid. As the volume grows, we eventually reduce and release a portion of stress at our power plants in producing the electricity from the national gas. This certainly reduces our emissions to the environment and assists the country in climate change mitigation eventually.”
Meanwhile, Economic Officer from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Unit under the Sustainable Energy Division at the ME Md Rifdi bin Haji Sahari spoke on education and awareness for the public with regards to adoption of sustainable practices.
“Currently, since we are facing this COVID-19 pandemic, most of our socialisation is towards social media and websites so that it will reach all age groups.”
Md Rifdi also mentioned the Standards and Labelling Order (SLO), which he explained introduced a labelling scheme that aims “to directly educate the people in selecting electrical products. For instance, for the first phase, it’s air conditioning.”
He shared that with the SLO, when people go to a shop, they can easily recognise the labelling from the ME that says whether an electrical appliance has a 2-star or 5-star rating, for example. The better the star rating, the higher the efficiency an electrical appliance has. “If it is only 1-star, it shows that it is less efficient, meaning that it is still efficient, but not comparable to the 5-star rating.”
From this labelling, the consumer can easily recognise what kind of electrical appliances could bring savings to their monthly bill, he said.
Nurul Hadinah added, “Under the renewable energy context, there are a few platforms that we have been using for education and aware-ness among the public so as to gain adaption of sustainable practices. For example, the Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition (MYCE) held last year and that will be held annually. That is one of the platforms that we will be using for this purpose.”
Another initiative is an environmental tour project coorganised last year by the ME and Green Brunei in collaboration with the Mitsubishi Corporation. “The tour programme is part of a multi-sectoral educational awareness programme to support the national climate change mitigation plans under the Brunei Darussalam National Climate Change Policy (BNCCP).”
Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) and the Brunei Darussalam National Council on Climate Change (BNCCC) in December announced the intention to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the first quarter of 2022.
Asked on BIBD’s role through the MoU in terms of energy conservation and renewable energy initiatives, Hadinah said, “BIBD is a key en-abler in accelerating the efforts in energy saving and renewable energy.”
“Relating back to the high costs of energy saving appliances and also high costs of renewable energy systems, BIBD can actually play a role as a financial provider, offering services such as green financing which can be flexible with attractive rates, to help the public who wish to contribute to sustainable practices but are concerned about the financial part of the processes, due to the high initial costs. So I think from this part, BIBD is actually a key enabler for this purpose,” she added.
With regards to BIBD’s role in education and awareness, Md Rifdi said, “In this first phase, BIBD is actually concentrating on awareness among the public, especially the younger generation, to acknowledge what the potential energy sources are, like renewable energy, for instance.”
“BIBD is emphasising what kind of efforts within energy savings people may practice every day. For instance, the no-cost initiatives such as switching off an air conditioner when not in use and switching off the lights when going out of the house.”
Nurul Hadinah added, “Like other platforms that we’ve been using for education purposes which are MYCE and the education tour pro-gramme, BIBD could be a major platform that we can use for the purpose of sharing the ministry’s efforts in renewable energy.”
Acknowledging that equipment and installation of solar systems can incur high costs, BIBD has shared that it is looking at a number of alternatives, where one of the endeavours is the provisioning of specific products to offer green financing services in the future.
Mohd Rifdi bin Haji SahariNurul Hadinah binti Yahaya
Highlights
Renewable energy, conservation and efficiency
The Ministry of Energy has corn-mitted to increase the capacity of renewable energy to at least 300 megawatts by 2035.
Future plans to be implemented include the construction of small, medium and large scale projects, collaborative projects with relevant stakeholders and a continuation to the deployment of solar projects in rural areas
The ministry has made plans to develop a 30 megawatt solar project at Kampong Belimbing in Mukim Kota Batu through a PPP concept.
The ministry is providing a Net Metering programme that hopes to encourage the installation of re-newable energy technologies in the government, residential, industrial and commercial sectors.
The Standards and Labelling Order (SLO) aims to directly educate people in selecting efficient electrical products, enabling consumers to easily recognise what kind of electrical appliances could bring sav-ings to their monthly bill.
Memorandum of Understanding
Through an MoU, BIBD and the BNCCC will work collaboratively towards realising Brunei’s climate action aspirations, and in support of the country’s national climate change mitigation initiatives.
BIBD is a key enabler in accelerat-ing the efforts in energy saving and renewable energy.
BIBD also has a role as a platform for education and awareness on efforts in renewable energy.
MIAMI (AFP) – Daniil Medvedev shrugged off the possibility of being barred from this year’s Wimbledon on Thursday after the status of Russian players at the tournament was called into question by the British government.
British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston told a Parliamentary hearing last week the government could require Medvedev to provide assurances he did not support Russian President Vladimir Putin before being allowed to compete at Wimbledon.
The move comes amid Russia’s growing sporting isolation on the global stage in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
While the ATP and WTA have allowed Russian players to continue to play at tournaments, Huddleston said he would be uncomfortable with an athlete “flying the flag for Russia” at Wimbledon, adding he had already discussed the issue with the All England Club.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Miami Open on Thursday, Medvedev was reluctant to be drawn on the subject, saying he was taking the season “tournament by tournament”.
“Don’t have any response to Wimbledon,” Medvedev said. “I will need to see what happens next.
Daniil Medvedev of Russia hits a backhand return. PHOTO: AFP
“I try to take it tournament by tournament. I mean, there are always different rules, regulations in order to play or not to play.
“Right now I’m here in Miami. I can play and I’m happy to play tennis, the sport I love. I want to promote the sport all over the world. We’ll have tough moments and good moments.
“That’s going to be the same with every tournament. So the next one after this one is Monte-Carlo, you know, where at this moment I’m a resident there, so I love this tournament also. I can play it normally and I’m happy to play it.”
Medvedev has previously stated his desire for ‘peace’ but has not made specific remarks about the war in Ukraine.
“I think everybody knows what’s happening, so it’s basically of course impossible to ignore it,” he said on Thursday.
“I always said I’m for peace. I want everybody to be safe, healthy, myself included, other people included, everybody in the world. Sometimes it’s not possible, but, yeah, that’s what I want.”
Medvedev meanwhile suggested he would accept any sanction applied to Russian players, saying he was prepared for whatever transpired.
“Every country can set their own rules,” he said. “Maybe tomorrow somebody’s gonna announce, I don’t know, that we don’t want any more tennis tournaments.
“Say one country has a Grand Slam, and maybe some other Masters events are gonna say ‘We don’t want any more tennis in our country.’ That’s how life is.
“It’s very tough in life to talk about what is fair and not fair. So I of course do have my own opinions on different topics, but I prefer to speak about them with my family, with my wife, where we can sometimes disagree but we can discuss.”
AP – SailGP, the global league co-founded by software tycoon Larry Ellison, could have a team owned and operated by cryptocurrency enthusiasts as soon as the start of its fourth season in late 2023.
SailGP announced a multi-year partnership on Thursday with blockchain development platform NEAR that will allow sailing and cryptocurrency fans to engage with their favourite teams and athletes in new ways.
The announcement came ahead of SailGP’s Season 2 finale, the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix, which will culminate with tomorrow’s USD1 million, winner-take-all podium race.
SailGP features most of the world’s top sailors, including America’s Cup winners and Olympic gold medalists, who race aboard wingsailed, 50-foot catamarans that can reach 60mph while skimming above the waves on hydrofoils.
SailGP will expand from eight to 10 national teams for its third season. While the agreement with NEAR is expected to have many benefits for fans, including NFTs, the highlight would be ownership of a sailing team by a community of token-holders known as a decentralised autonomous organisation (DAO).
The SailGP DAO would differ from traditional sports team structures in which a single owner or a small group calls the shots, said SailGP co-founder Russell Coutts and NEAR Foundation CEO Marieke Flament. The DAO could involve people from all over the world who vote on everything from the management structure to the length of the skipper’s contract and could even decide whether there should be a woman steering the boat.
“That’s in some ways why this is so exciting,” Coutts said. “This is groundbreaking technology, a groundbreaking initiative. We don’t believe it’s been done before, especially on this scale. And when you think about it, with our events being all over the world, as well, we’re not just in one particular territory. That’s of interest as well.”
WARSAW, POLAND (AP) – United States (US) President Joe Biden’s visit to Poland as his final stop in Europe this week offers a chance to underscore the US commitment to protect a key North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) member on Ukraine’s doorstep and to thank Poles for their generous welcome to refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion.
But Poland is also a complicated ally whose populist leaders are accused by some European partners of riding roughshod over democratic norms, and many liberal Poles will be seeking a sign that the US remembers its role in promoting democracy.
The two-day visit starting yesterday follows a trio of emergency war summits in Brussels. It brings Biden to a country that has accepted the lion’s share of the more than 3.5 million Ukrainians who have fled the month-old war. More than 2.2 million have entered Poland and many propose to stay there.
Poland also hosts thousands of additional US troops, beyond the thousands deployed on a rotational basis since Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014.
Polish assistance to Ukrainians has won praise near and far. Not only have shelters and schools opened their doors to refugees, with 90,000 children registering to attend classes, but many regular Poles have welcomed Ukrainians into their homes. In some cases, they’re taking in friends and in others, complete strangers.
President Andrzej Duda, who is allied with a right-wing political party accused of eroding democratic norms, is set to welcome his American counterpart to Rzeszow, a city some 70 kilometres from the border with Ukraine. Biden plans to be briefed there on the humanitarian efforts to help Ukrainians and to meet with US troops.
United States President Joe Biden speaking in Brussels. PHOTO: AP
AP – Whether out of necessity due to staffing shortages, out of respect for social distancing or perhaps just to save money, one of the primary amenities that sets a hotel apart from your home – daily housekeeping – is disappearing.
The days of returning to a wrinkle-free duvet are likely gone. Forget fresh towels, and accept that your trash might never get taken out during your stay.
The trend of no more daily housekeeping – while largely initiated by COVID-19 – has become the norm at many hotels. During the pandemic’s early days, when transmission was more of a mystery, many hotels cut housekeeping services to reduce contact between strangers. But more than two years later, housekeeping still hasn’t returned.
Marriott’s policies vary by property, but housekeeping is usually offered only upon request, with all rooms cleaned automatically every sixth night.
Hilton’s default is no more daily cleanings at most properties unless requested. Walt Disney World reduced service to light housekeeping every other day.
Guests stand at the front desk at the Embassy Suites by Hilton hotel in Seattle. PHOTO: AP
That entails towel replacement and trash removal but doesn’t necessarily include services you might expect, like getting your bed made.
Other hotels have schedules, like the Hotel Solares in Santa Cruz, California: Three-night stays or fewer don’t get service, while six-night stays or fewer are cleaned once. The hotel recommends you leave trash outside your door.
Those service reductions aren’t always welcome.
“Guests don’t want to have to ask every time they need their trash emptied or dirty towels replaced,” said D Taylor, international president of Unite Here – a United States (US) and Canada hospitality workers’ union – in a prepared statement. “Without cleaning, what stops a hotel from being just a more expensive Airbnb?”
WHY CUT HOUSEKEEPING?
In many cases, the cutbacks may be more about money than safety. For some hotels, there’s not enough money to cover the cost. For others, it’s an opportunity to make more of it.
LABOUR AND MATERIAL COSTS ARE AT MASSIVE HIGHS
The nationwide labour and materials shortage in the United States (US) has hit hotels particularly hard. For instance, the leisure and hospitality industry lost 8.2 million jobs in March and April 2020 which is an employment decline of 49 per cent, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics. While there has certainly been rehiring hope (travel-related jobs are now among the fastest-growing sectors lately), the industry is still about 1.5 million jobs short of its pre-pandemic levels.
Meanwhile, supply chain and inflation issues are ongoing. Hotels reported a 79 per cent cost increase of cleaning and housekeeping supplies, according to a November 2021 American Hotel and Lodging Association survey of about 500 hotel operators.
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGHER PROFITS
Other hotel operators have explicitly stated it’s about money.
“The work we’re doing right now in every one of our brands … is about making them higher-margin businesses and creating more labour efficiencies,” Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta said during a February 2021 investor earnings call. “When we get out of the crisis, those businesses will be higher margin and require less labour than they did pre-COVID.”
HOW TO CONTINUE GETTING HOUSEKEEPING ON YOUR VACATION
Research before booking: Hotels typically post cleaning procedures online. Look for pages on individual hotel websites labelled something like ‘amenities’, or ‘COVID-19 safety’. If the cleaning calendar is not up to par, consider booking elsewhere.
Book high-end hotels: Most high-end hotels are notably absent from this trend. Some Hilton brands, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts, still offer daily housekeeping. Most Four Seasons offer twice-daily housekeeping.
But that’s not always true. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – frequently deemed Walt Disney World’s most opulent resort – offers housekeeping only every other day, like all Disney resorts. Nightly rates range from USD757 to USD4,428, according to theme park data site TouringPlans.com.
Request service: Of course, booking high-end hotels might be an unrealistically expensive solution. But here’s another trick that can work at even budget hotels: Ask nicely.
Be polite, and staff might take pity on your mess. After all, they don’t want stinky odours of days-old seafood takeout emitting from your room either. And the beach sand you tracked in could easily spread if not promptly vacuumed anyway.
For hotels where housekeeping is available on request, you can generally ask at check-in. Other hotels require you to request it each day.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Some economists have pegged a new word to this phenomenon where, rather than raise prices, companies cut services previously provided: skimpflation. Skimpflation could mean reduced staff, thus longer lines or phone hold times. It might entail the end of free headphones on airplanes or restaurant bread service.
And for many travellers, skimpflation in the form of no more daily housekeeping has become a particularly unpleasant and – quite literally – messy trend.
THE WASHINGTON POST – That can’t be real. Of course it’s real. This is a national park known for alligators. Do you think they’re going to have a fake one at the entrance of a trail?
But it’s so big! Maybe it’s a statue to let people know what to look for?
Those thoughts spun through my mind as we cycled from the parking area to the 15-mile loop at Shark Valley Visitor Center in Everglades National Park in South Florida.
Upon closer inspection – but not too close – I concluded that the alligator was definitely real. About eight feet long and lying in the grass alongside the trail, it was a scaly harbinger of things to come.
My early-January visit was my second in 30 years. All I remembered from before was that the trail was paved, that there was a lookout tower at the end and that I’d had to cycle around (and I mean way around) a sunbathing alligator that was blocking my path. That left a lasting impression.
This time my wife was with me, and I’d all but promised her we’d see alligators.
We had only 24 hours to spend in the Everglades and were determined to see as many of the prehistoric-looking creatures as possible. Such a vow is much easier to keep during the dry season, December through April, so I intended to try.
Sometimes gators and visitors ‘share the road’” along the 15-mile scenic loop at Shark Valley Visitor Centre, Everglades National Park, Florida. PHOTOS: THE WSHINGTON POST
I’ve lived on and off in Florida’s Tampa Bay area for some 50 years, so I’ve admired occasional alligators along riverbanks, in lakes and even on golf courses.
I have a healthy fear of them and would never swim in fresh or brackish water, nor walk my dog along a lake or canal.
But Shark Valley, much farther south and inside a 1.5-million-acre wetlands preserve, is on
another level.
Only about one hour west of downtown Miami and about 90 minutes southeast of Naples, it’s chock full of gators, which you can easily spot while biking, hiking or going on the park’s two-hour narrated tram tour.
“But is it safe?” you ask.
Human conflicts with alligators are rare and generally not serious.
Most alligator attacks on humans are attributed to illegal feeding, which makes the animals bolder and more likely to attack rather than flee, according to the National Park Service.
Over the past 10 years, the entire state of Florida, thought to have about 1.3 million alligators, has averaged eight unprovoked bites per year – bites serious enough to require medical treatment – according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Between 1948 and 2021, only 26 unprovoked biting incidents have been deadly.
The likelihood of being seriously injured during an unprovoked alligator incident in Florida is roughly one in 3.1 million, according to the wildlife commission. In other words, the odds are greatly in your favour.
Shark Valley and the much shorter (0.8-mile) Anhinga Trail at Royal Palm’s Ernest F Coe Visitor Center in Homestead are considered the prime gator-viewing trails in Everglades National Park.
If you’re comfortable riding 15 miles on a bicycle, that’s the best way to see the sights at Shark Valley, because you’re able to complete the loop and stop where and when you want.
You can bring your own bike or rent coaster-style bikes from the park concessionaire. On the other hand, the benefit of the tram tour is the ongoing narration by a park naturalist.
The loop goes in both directions. We were lucky to start counterclockwise, with a canal on our right side, meaning it was easier to scan the waterways while riding.
Of course, a guaranteed way to spot gators is to stop where other visitors are congregating with their cameras clicking. My wife, an obsessive photographer, started off shooting every gator we encountered. Some were in the water, some lazing near it and others resting closer to the trail.
By the time the count reached 20 or so, she was only stopping for the big guys or the cute little babies, which pile onto each other like puppies. We gave up on counting at about 50. In the canals, we also loved seeing rows of sunning turtles, as well as majestic shorebirds, including egrets, several types of herons, a wood stork and anhingas, their wings outstretched to dry. Clusters of wildflowers bloomed here and there, along with cheerful, white “swamp lilies”.
On the other side of the path were fields of swaying saw grass and hardwood hammocks – dense stands of broad-leafed trees that grow on a slight rise of only a few inches.
At the 65-foot-tall Shark Valley Observation Tower, we enjoyed panoramic views over the Everglades and of the cyclists moving along the ribbon of trail below.
On the way back, we saw several more alligators in the grass, including one not far off the trail that opened its jaws as we gaped in its direction. We assumed it was smacking its lips, but we later learned that’s how they cool down.
We also saw gator dung, which we recognised from an exhibit at the visitor centre. Final estimated gator count? Maybe 70. At any rate, too many to keep track. On the way to Everglades City, farther west and where we’d stay for the night, we stopped at Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery in Ochopee. Butcher, a landscape photographer, is to the Everglades what Ansel Adams was to Yosemite.
His large-format black-and-white wilderness scenes moodily capture the Everglades’ wonder and fragility.
At the gallery, open daily, visitors can purchase prints and gifts, as well as sign up for a swamp walking tour. In Everglades City, which has a population of about 425, we checked in to our motel, then raced down to even tinier Chokoloskee to catch the sunset over the bay.
Early the next morning, we met Meg Chamberlain, aka. Ranger Meg, a kayak guide with Everglades Adventures. From spring to fall, she’s a park ranger and naturalist in Montana.
We’d booked the first tour out, at 7.30am, hoping to see more wildlife and fewer people.
Chamberlain took us and our fellow paddlers, a couple visiting from California, to a roadside launch at Turner River.
This popular paddling destination includes open ponds, mangrove tunnels and saw grass fields.
Although this was only Chamberlain’s first full season in the Everglades, she’d already become a crack gator spotter.
Not long after we’d launched, she pointed out a smallish alligator with its snout just sticking out of the water, which I would have missed.
We marvelled at the birds, cypress trees, orchids and bromeliads. Chamberlain said visitors are usually surprised to find such variety in a swamp. The highlight was paddling through a mangrove tunnel, where branches are so thick and low that it’s easier to push yourself off them than to use a paddle. Over the course of the three-hour tour, the gator count came in at just under a dozen, with some in the water and others on land.
Chamberlain later told me she’d been a little nervous when starting the job, but figured if she could co-exist with grizzly bears, she could handle alligators.
“As you learn more about their behavior, you feel more comfortable,” she said. “Still, it’s important to keep a healthy level of fear.”
The Californians, both experienced kayakers, had made a few half-joking comments about getting eaten by gators along the way. I found out after the tour that they’d been more than a little nervous.
“Before the paddle, we had serious trepidation,” said Andrew Smothers. “It’s probably not a good idea to Google ‘alligator kayak attacks’ the night before your first paddle with them.”
The tour quelled their fears.
“We realised they are mostly calm sunbathers and not aggressive,” he said. “After the tour, I was on a high the rest of the day. I’d totally do it again.”
Heading home, we stopped at the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park to see virgin cypress trees and mellow out before the drive north. When we got back to the parking area, a group from New York was huddled near a canal.
“Look, there’s an alligator!” one young man called out to me.
I stopped myself from saying, “Been there, done that.”
Instead, I directed him to Shark Valley to see more. Many, many more.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA (AP) – Two days, two wins and making it look easy.
Naomi Osaka sure seems like herself again. The former world number one is through to the third round at the Miami Open, easily handling 13th-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday. It was every bit as one-sided as the score made it seem, with Osaka winning 89 per cent of first-serve points and 61 of the 100 points played in the match overall.
“It means a lot to me,” said Osaka, unseeded in Miami after falling to number 77 in the world because she’s missed considerable time to focus on her mental health in recent years. “She’s the first high-seeded player I’ve beaten this year.”
Osaka’s win set the tone for a day where 11 seeded women were ousted from the tournament, a stunning series of results headlined by Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu defeating top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-4. Begu had lost 17 of her last 18 matches against top-10 players entering on Thursday.
Also gone: number three seed Anett Kontaveit. She lost to Ann Li, a 21-year-old American who got her first win over a top-10 opponent — a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 triumph.
Naomi Osaka returns a shot during the 2022 Miami Open. PHOTO: AFP
The Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) 1102 Rover Scout Crew held its 5th annual general meeting (AGM) for the 2021-2022 session via the Zoom application yesterday.
UNISSA 1102 Rover Scout Leader Skip Dr Mohammad Alif bin Haji Sismat officiated.
Brunei-Muara District Scout Commissioner, UNISSA Rover Scout Trainer Skip Zainudin bin Haji Ishak and members of the UNISSA 1102 Rover Scout Crew were present.
Skip Dr Mohammad Alif in his opening speech conveyed his appreciation to the 2021-2022 Session Supreme Committee and UNISSA 1102 Rover Scout Crew members for the success in implementing and participating activities for the 2021-2022 session.
Skip Dr Mohammad Alif also voiced his hopes that every effort that will be embarked on by the 2022-2023 Session Supreme Committee will run smoothly.
UNISSA 1102 Rover Scout Crew 2021-2022 session Chairman Mohammad Aminulhakim bin Haji Mohammad Aidil Sufian chaired the meeting.
UNISSA Rover Scout Crew during the meeting. PHOTO: ROVER SCOUT CREW
The AGM began with discussions and approval of the 4th general meeting minutes, followed by the presentation of reports from six of the seven committees in the UNISSA 1102 Rover Scout Crew, including the chairperson report, training and activities section, administration section, finance section, quarter master section and public relation and media report by the chairman, deputy chairman i, secretary, treasurer and heads of divisions.
The virtual event also saw the dissolution of the UNISSA 1102 Rover Scout Crew 2021-2022 Session Supreme Committee Council to end its one-year term and the election of the new Supreme Committee Council members for the 2022-2023 session.
Attendees also agreed to appoint an Interim Chairman to conduct the voting session for the election, former Chairman of the 2019 – 2021 session Sheikh Ahmad Wa’ez bin Haji Sheikh Aubid.
Voting for the selection was conducted online comprising UNISSA Rover Scout Crew 2 (Rover Scout members session 2020-2022) and UNISSA Rover Scout Crew 3 (Rover Scout members session 2021-2023).
Witnessing the election as the new Chairperson was Ahmad Amani Rusyaidi bin Ramli; 1st Vice Chairperson for Training and Activities Section Afiq Zaki bin Suhaili; 2nd Vice Chairperson for Women Affairs Nur Rabi’atul Adawiah binti Norasmadi; Secretary Nur Farhana Qamarina binti Zaini; Treasurer Arman Rahimi Fahmi bin Haji Abdul Rahman; Quarter Master Mohammad Amiruddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman; and Public Relation and Media Head Abdul Akil Syahid bin Haji Mohammad.
Members of the UNISSA 1102 Rover Scouts Crew 2021-2022 session have been actively involved in various activities in national and international levels including Basic Day Camp, flag hoisting ceremony in conjunction with the 38th National Day at UNISSA, the 38th National Day Assembly, Sekapur Sireh Course at Outward Bound Brunei Darussalam (OBBD) Batang Duri Camp in Temburong District, VIGIL and Investiture Ceremonies, community services, and Surah Yaasiin and Tahlil recitation ceremony in conjunction with the night of Nisfu Sya’aban celebration.
Members also participated in a food distribution drive for COVID-19 patients, the 14th World Scout Youth Forum, the 42nd World Scout Conference, the 10th Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Youth Forum and the 27th Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Conference, and 12 sessions of Scout skills training during the weekly crew meeting for the Scout Co-Curricular sessions.
ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY (AP) – A wave of new electric vehicle charging stations across the country is coming as interest in alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles is on the rise and could heighten further due to a global spike in gasoline prices.
Though most of the plans were in the works before already high gas prices surged because of the war in Ukraine, the timing may work in favour of electric vehicle makers and other proponents of ditching fossil fuels.
From coast to coast, cities big and small are adding charging stations for electric vehicles. Strong demand is forecast for the vehicles, despite their higher prices and limited availability, meaning even more communities will feel pressure to add charging stations or risk having motorists pass them by in favour of plug-in-friendly places.
The publicly funded investments come as gasoline prices in most of the country are above USD4 a gallon and significantly more in some spots.
On Monday, New Jersey officials awarded USD1 million in grants to install electric vehicle charging stations in 24 tourist areas around the state.
ABOVE & BELOW: An electric vehicle charging station in Asbury Park; and a woman opens the charging port of an electric vehicle. PHOTOS: AP
The idea was to help spur tourism by reassuring visitors who own electric vehicles that they can come to a vacation spot in New Jersey and not run out of power to get back home.
“Don’t worry about it,” said President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Joseph Fiordaliso. “We have the equipment here so that you don’t have to have range anxiety.”
Spots getting money for new charging stations include Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Ocean City and several state parks and forests.
The money comes from the state budget. On Tuesday, NJ Transit, the state’s public transportation agency, unveiled electric charging stations at a bus depot in Camden, outside Philadelphia. There are now about 625 vehicle charging stations in New Jersey
On the federal side, the city of Hoboken, just outside New York City, is getting up to six new charging stations in a deal also announced on Monday.
