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E Africa’s hunger crisis needs global action: Oxfam

KAMPALA, UGANDA (AP) – Widespread hunger across East Africa could become “a catastrophe” without an injection of funds to the region’s most vulnerable communities, the international aid group Oxfam warned on Tuesday.

An estimated 13 million people are facing severe hunger in the Horn of Africa as a result of persistent drought conditions, according to the United Nations (UN).

Only three per cent of the needed USD6 billion has been raised for food assistance amid “competing priorities,” as the world’s attention has focussed on the humanitarian crisis in the war in Ukraine, Oxfam International Executive Director Gabriela Bucher said in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

“The brutal truth is that at the moment East Africa is not on the global agenda,” said Bucher.

The world risks “ignoring one of the greatest crises,” she said. “2022 cannot be the year in which hundreds of thousands die from an unavoidable hunger crisis in East Africa because we couldn’t get this into the agenda.”

Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya face the driest conditions recorded since 1981, the UN World Food Program reported in February. More forecasts of below-average rainfall threaten to worsen conditions in the coming months, the agency warned.

Herders supply water from a borehole to give to their camels near Kuruti, in Garissa County, Kenya. Aid agency Oxfam International warned that widespread hunger across East Africa could become ‘a catastrophe’ without an injection of funds to the region’s most vulnerable communities. PHOTO: AP

Malnutrition rates are high in the region and drought conditions are affecting pastoral and farming communities.

While it “feels like a world on fire,” donors “don’t have to choose. The human rights and humanitarian needs of all people must be met,” said Bucher. “Our world is more than capable of doing so.”

Somalia is particularly vulnerable because it faces sporadic violence and there is concern the situation could deteriorate. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have already fled their homes in search of help.

About 250,000 people in Somalia died from hunger in 2011, when the UN declared a famine in some parts of the country. Half of them were children.

Bucher called for “a life-saving” cash injection to support local responders to cope with the impact of drought conditions.

“A life in Somalia is equal to the life of anyone else in the world,” she said.

Global shares rise after Wall Street rally led by tech stock

TOKYO (AP) – Global shares rose yesterday following a rally on Wall Street led by tech companies.

Benchmarks edged up in Europe in early trading, while shares finished higher across Asia despite worries about rising energy costs. The dollar gained against the Japanese yen while United States (US) futures fell.

France’s benchmark CAC 40 rose 0.1 per cent in early trading to 6,667.05, while Germany’s DAX gained 0.3 per cent to 14,516.18. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.3 per cent to 7,500.58.

The futures for the Dow industrials and S&P 500 were 0.1 per cent lower.

Investors were closely watching what might happen with US President Joe Biden joining a NATO meeting and European Union (EU) Summit in Europe, where sanctions and the Russian oil embargo will likely top the agenda.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was set to make a much anticipated online speech in Japan’s Parliament. Japan, which has abided by a pacifist constitution after its defeat in World War II, has taken an unusually vocal position on the war in Ukraine, joining in sanctions against Russia alongside the Western nations.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 3.0 per cent to finish at 28,040.16. Telecoms and technology company SoftBank Group Corp. gained 7.2 per cent and Fast Retailing added 5.2 per cent.

A currency trader watches computer monitors near the screens at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea. PHOTO: AP

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.5 per cent to 7,377.90. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.9 per cent to 2,735.05. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 1.2 per cent to 22,154.08, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.3 per cent to 3,271.03.

Chinese network equipment maker ZTE Corp’s shares briefly soared nearly 27 per cent and closed 10 per cent higher after the company said a US judge has allowed a probation period to end after the company was nearly destroyed in a clash with Washington over its dealings with Iran and North Korea.

Bond yields rose sharply for the second day in a row, reflecting expectations of more aggressive interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve as the central bank moves to squelch the highest inflation in decades. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed yesterday to 2.37 per cent. The yield, which influences interest rates on mortgages and other consumer loans, was at 2.14 per cent late Friday.

Bond yields rose after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank was prepared to move more aggressively in raising interest rates in its fight against inflation if need be.

Last Wednesday, the central bank announced a quarter-point rate hike, its first interest rate increase since 2018. The Fed hasn’t raised its benchmark rate by a half-point since May 2000.

Energy and commodity prices were already high as demand outpaced supply amid the global economic recovery, but the war in Ukraine has pushed oil, wheat and other prices even higher. Those higher costs and shipping problems make it more expensive for businesses to operate.

Many of those costs have been passed on to consumers and higher prices for food, clothing and other goods could lead them to cut spending, resulting in slower economic growth.

In energy trading, US benchmark crude added USD1.14 to USD110.41 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international pricing standard, rose USD1.51 to USD116.99 per barrel.

“With few levers remaining to pressure Russia short of military intervention, the market is beginning to price in the loss of a significant amount of Russian oil needing to be backfilled. It could take years for Russian oil markets to normalise, if ever,” said managing partner Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.

Investors will soon start readying for the next round of corporate earnings reports as the current quarter nears its close at the end of March, and that could provide a clearer picture of how industries continue handling rising costs.

New spending limit for European clubs to be finalised

LONDON (AP) – An overhaul of financial restrictions in European football will be discussed by leading clubs at a meeting today with limits on spending rather than salary caps.

UEFA is set to replace its Financial Fair Play rules, which placed limits on losses, after more than a decade.

Instead, teams in competitions including the Champions League will eventually only be allowed to spend up to 70 per cent of their income on football-related activities, people with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the plans that are still being formulated.

The European Club Association will assess the proposals that have been worked on with UEFA at an executive board meeting today. The final rules are set to be concluded at a UEFA executive committee meeting in April.

There are still issues about disparities across Europe, including domestic tax regimes and social contributions that could benefit clubs over rivals.

Manchester City players in a team photo. PHOTO: AP

The New York Times reported that some clubs had been pushing to be allowed to spend up to 85 per cent of their earnings. While the spending limit could be 90 per cent to start, that would come down to 70 per cent.

Teams over-spending could be relegated within UEFA’s competitions, from the Champions League to the Europa League and the third-tier Europa Conference League. There could be an addition USD10 million allowed in spending above the cap for what is being called a sustainability bonus if they are in strong financial health.

The moves are designed to try to achieve a form of competitive balance and greater sustainability for clubs but still provide a built-in advantage to the richest clubs rather than narrowing the gap.

UEFA had been exploring salary caps, but their legality under European law was questioned.

Despite more than a decade of lavish investment in players, Abu Dhabi-funded Manchester City and Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have yet to win the Champions League.

Key to rules tying spending to income will be whether UEFA assess of the true value of potentially inflated sponsorships linked to the state-backed ownership with both City and PSG benefiting significantly from deals linked to their Gulf ownership.

PSG’s president is Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is chairman of the influential European Club Association that has been working on the new financial regulations with UEFA.

The Qatari is also a member of the executive committee at UEFA, which has yet to finalise the plans for entry for the expanded Champions League from 2024 with a jump from 32 to 36 teams.

Two places were being lined up to be awarded to teams based on historic achievement in Europe if teams don’t qualify through their domestic leagues but that plan is still in flux in the wider fallout from the collapse of the Super League last year.

Malaysia reports 21,483 new COVID-19 infections

KUALA LUMPUR (XINHUA) – Malaysia reported 21,483 new COVID-19 infections, as of midnight on Tuesday, bringing the national total to 4,032,435, according to the Health Ministry.

There are 394 new imported cases, with 21,089 being local transmissions, data released on the ministry’s website showed.

A further 73 deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 34,535.

The ministry reported 32,561 new recoveries, bringing the total number of cured and discharged to 3,745,229.

There are 252,671 active cases, 339 are being held in intensive care and 209 of those are in need of assisted breathing.

The country reported 28,377 vaccine doses administered on Tuesday alone and 84 per cent of the population have received at least one dose, 79 per cent are fully vaccinated and 47.6 per cent have received boosters.

 

Save water, save money

Standard Chartered Bank

Save water and you can save your money. Like everything in the world, nothing comes for free – even water.

Saving water effectively reduces the amount of your utility bills.

By making a few simple changes to use water more efficiently, you could be saving a lot of money in the long run, all the while conserving the environment for future generations to come, a win-win situation.

As we celebrated World Water Day on 22 March, let’s take time to see how we can save this precious resource while saving money.

CUTTING DOWN SHOWER TIME
If you like to take your time in the shower, you may want to consider kicking that habit.
A shower can use up to nine to 45 litres of water per minute. Ideally you should aim to finish showering in under five minutes.

If you don’t think you can get squeaky clean in such a short period of time, just shortening your usual shower time by a minute or two could save up to 90 litres. On average, people shower twice a day. That is over 5,000 litres of water you can save in a month! Another way to save water while you shower is to turn off the showerhead when you soap yourself and shampoo your hair.

TURN OFF THAT TAP
Whether you’re brushing your teeth, shaving or soaping your hands, make it a point to turn off the tap when you don’t need to use water for the moment.

As a running tap uses up to six litres of water in a minute, turning off the tap while brushing your teeth can save up to five litres each time.

INSTALL WATER EFFICIENT APPLIANCES
Take a quick look at your bathroom and if you see any old appliances, it’s time to get an upgrade – and this isn’t just so it looks nicer. Installing water efficient appliances may seem like a costly job but it will pay off.

Older toilet designs use way more water than needed to flush away waste, with as much as 14 litres wasted in one flush. Newer ones are just as efficient at getting rid of waste without using up so much water. Opt to install the dual flush models that use as little as 2.6 and four litres of water per flush.

You could also install low flow showerheads. They are relatively inexpensive, easy to install and can be found at any hardware store.

With low flow showerheads, you would be cutting down the amount of water used during showers as they deliver less water per minute as opposed to regular showerheads.

With advances in showerhead technology, you probably won’t even tell the difference until you check your utility bills.

Another appliance you can replace is your water taps. You can opt for self-closing taps or even spray taps. With spray taps, you can reduce water flow from six litres a minute down to two litres a minute with the same effectiveness for hand washing.

CHECK FOR LEAKS
A slow stream of water can waste almost 1,000 litres a day – imagine the huge bite it takes out of your wallet. It would be worthwhile to check your taps and other bathroom appliances for any leaks. Fixing a leaky tap can save between 3,000 and 5,000 litres each year. Check for toilet leaks by placing a few drops of colouring into your toilet tank. If the colour seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak.

So now that you’ve sorted out how you can manage water usage in your bathroom – what about other places in your house?

TAKE CAUTION WITH THE HOSE
A regular hosepipe uses as much as 1,000 litres of water per hour so you may want to consider switching to a pistol-style hose nozzle if you want to cut down on your water usage because they shut off automatically.

COLLECT RAIN WATER
Since it rains quite often here, it would be useful to install a rain barrel. The rainwater collected can be used to water your plants in your garden or washing external areas of your home. Rain-harvested water could potentially save up to 50 per cent of your water costs.

MONITOR YOUR METRE
A final tip for you to ensure efficient water usage and effectively, cutting your costs, would be to check your water metre regularly. The readings can give you an indication to trends or leakages. Turn off all taps and water outlets and take a reading of your metre. Wait for 30 minutes and then take the next reading.

If you see a change in the dial or numbers despite having all your appliances turned off, there’s a leak in your pipes.

This article is for general information purposes only and while the information in it is believed to be reliable, it has not been independently verified by us. You are advised to exercise your own independent judgement with the contents in this article.

Caviar is off the menu

KYIV (AFP) – Dozens of oysters lie uneaten in a tank at the trendy Chernomorka fish restaurant in Kyiv, a reminder of the city’s booming gastronomic scene before Moscow’s invasion.

Now this downtown eatery, housed in a fake blue and white lighthouse, is serving free meals to people in a capital being slowly encircled by Russian forces.

It’s one of several restaurants helping those having difficulty accessing food, in what they say is their contribution to Ukraine’s war effort.

“This is what we can do,” said Dmytro Kostrubin, 42, the development manager at Chernomorka, as elderly people sit at their tables with polystyrene lunchboxes.

The pancakes with red trout caviar, pike caviar with green onions and mussels with thermidor sauce have been off the menu since the February 24 invasion forced the restaurant to close.

Instead, the people shuffling into Chernomorka in their thick coats for a free meal are given a hearty mixture of chicken and rice.

People shuffling into a restaurant for a free meal are given a hearty mixture of chicken and rice. PHOTO: AFP

Their lunch is washed down with a glass of orange juice, with all alcohol sales banned in Ukraine since the Russians came.

While the meals are available to anyone who needs food, which is becoming increasingly scarce as the Russians slowly try to encircle Kyiv, Kostrubin says most are elderly.

“Some come and ask for food for their neighbours who cannot get out or are ill in bed, we of course trust them and give food for them, too,” said Kostrubin, who finally managed to get back to Ukraine from abroad last week.

Kyiv has not so far endured the hardships of cities like Mariupol and Kharkiv, but shops are short of some produce and there can be long lines, especially during sporadic curfews imposed by military authorities.

“One has to have strength to wait in the lines to buy food,” said Minuar Barisbekova, a retired bookkeeper at a construction company, as she received her meal in a plastic bag to take away.

She said she had received an email with news of the meals so decided to “come here and back home to stretch my legs. Otherwise, I’m staying at home day to night boiling in my fears.”

“I thought I’d volunteer, but they wouldn’t take me, I’m 74.”

Mila Anderson brought her mother Ludmila, 83, saying it helped with the “stress” of living in a city which Russian forces are striking daily with missile strikes and shelling.

“It’s a good idea,” the 57-year-old English teacher said.

“I hadn’t been before but I knew about it, it was a fish place… now they don’t have all these things but hopefully this all will finish soon.”

The free meals are a joint scheme with the Kyiv Food Market in the capital, founded by the Ukrainian restaurateur Alex Cooper, who owns a string of eateries around the country.

An army marches on its stomach, the old saying goes, and restaurants all over the capital are helping not just civilians but the military as well.

Pavlo Shevtsov, manager at the Molodist restaurant in Kyiv Food Market, said his kitchen had so far prepared 6,000 meals for “our guys”.

“We know how to cook,” he said. “We may not know how to fight or bring medicine, arms or ammunition, but we stood up and started doing what we can.”

Central African Republic alleged rebel appears at ICC

NETHERLANDS/AFRICA (AP) – An alleged coordinator of a predominantly Christian rebel group in the Central African Republic appeared at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the first time since he was arrested in Chad and turned over to the court to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka, a former government minister, is accused by prosecutors at the global court of coordinating operations of the anti-Balaka, which fought against the Seleka rebel group that left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands in 2013 and 2014 in Central African Republic.

He is the fourth suspect from the long-running conflict in the mineral-rich but impoverished nation to appear before judges at the global court.

The International Criminal Court headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. PHOTO: AP

688 IBTE graduates feted at three sessions

Izah Azahari

The final day of the 29th Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) Convocation Ceremony celebrated 688 graduates in three sessions yesterday.

The first session in the morning saw 99 graduates receiving their Higher National Technical Education Certificate (HNTec) and 143 receiving their National Technical Education Certificate (NTEC) from the IBTE School of Hospitality.

The second morning session saw 160 graduates receiving their HNTec and 87 receiving their NTec from the IBTE School of Information and Communication Technology. The final afternoon session saw 36 graduates receiving their NTec from the IBTE School of Energy and Engineering Satellite, while 163 received their HNTec from the IBTE School of Business.

The certificate presentation was carried out by members of the IBTE governing board as guests of honour with Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof in the first morning session, Head of the Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC) Secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Hajah Siti Haziah binti Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin in the second morning session and Institution of Surveyors, Engineers and Architects (PUJA) Brunei Vice President, Chairman of the Architecture Division Ar Haji Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad.

The Best Student Awards were also presented by the guests of honour to Nur Afiqah binti Haji Suhaimi (HNTec in Hospitality Operations), Muhammad Abdul Qaiyum bin Haji Rabaee (NTec Apprenticeship in Professional Cookery and Services) and Md Farhan Azwar bin Md Sharol Shaheezam (NTec in Information Technology).

Meanwhile, the Student Special Awards were awarded to Henny Rena binti Abdullah Garisu @ Henny Rena bin Garisu (School of Hospitality and Tourism) and Mohmad Hafiz bin Mohmad Bekeri (HNTec in Informational Technology).

ABOVE & BELOW: Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof; and Head of the Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC) Secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Hajah Siti Haziah binti Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin present certificates. PHOTOS: IBTE

Institution of Surveyors, Engineers and Architects (PUJA) Brunei Vice President, Chairman of the Architecture Division Ar Haji Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad at the ceremony

Suez Canal transit fees for ships will increase in May

CAIRO (AP) – Egypt said on Tuesday it will increase transit fees for vessels, including oil-laden tankers, passing through Suez Canal, one of the world’s most crucial waterways.

The Suez Canal Authority said on its website it will add 15 per cent to the normal transit fees for oil-laden and petroleum products-laden tankers, up from current five per cent.

It said the increases will take effect starting May 1, and could later be revised or called off, according to changes in global shipping.

The new increase are amendments to surcharge hikes imposed in March on vessels passing through the waterway, the canal said.

The canal said surcharge fees for chemical tankers, and other liquid bulk tankers will be hiked to 20 per cent up from 10 per cent, while laden and ballast dry bulk vessels will have their surcharges increase to 10 per cent.

Vessels carrying vehicles, general cargo, and heavy lift vessels, as well as multi-purpose vessels, will see a 14 per cent increase up from seven per cent, according to the canal.

Ballast crude oil and oil products tankers transiting the Canal are still required to pay a surcharge of five per cent of normal transit fees, it said.

On its website, the canal said the increases come “in line with the significant growth in global trade… and the waterway development and the enhancement of the transit service”.

Canal authorities have been working to widen and deepen the waterway’s southern part, where a hulking vessel ran aground and closed off the canal in March 2021. The six-day blockage disrupted global shipment.

About 10 per cent of global trade, including seven per cent of the world’s oil, flows through the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean and Red seas.

For Egypt, the canal – which first opened in 1869 – is a source of both national pride and foreign currency.

Authorities said 20,649 vessels passed through the canal last year, a 10 per cent increase compared to 18,830 vessels in 2020. The annual revenues of the canal reached USD6.3 billion in 2021, the highest in its history.

The shipping industry is still under pressure from the pandemic, and Russia’s war on Ukraine also added to global economic concerns.

Deltacron being monitored, says minister

Izah Azahari

“There is still not much data about Deltacron, a hybrid variant of Delta and Omicron,” Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar said at the daily press conference yesterday.

“What we do know is it is not more dangerous than Omicron at the moment,” said the minister. Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham added that the Sultanate is carrying its own monitoring.

“We have not detected the variant in the country, but, Insya Allah, the ministry will continue to monitor through gene sequencing,” the minister said.

The Ministry of Health will continuously analyse external developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, especially if there is a variant of interest or concern.

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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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