BAMAKO, MALI (AP) – Mali’s former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga died on Monday in the capital, Bamako, a close relative of his family announced.
Maiga, who served as prime minister of Mali from 2017 until 2019, was 67. He remained an influential figure in security policy in Mali and the surrounding Sahel region and had been detained since August 2021 when the country was taken over by a military junta. His requests for medical evacuation had been refused by the military rulers of the West African country.
Maiga’s state of health deteriorated sharply a few days ago and approval for him to be moved from Mali for treatment was being considered but did not happen in time, according to a relative who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press on the situation. Maiga died in a clinic, he said.
The information has been confirmed by several other people close to him. Some heads of state in West Africa have confirmed the account as well.
Niger President Mohamed Bazoum reacted in a tweet, saying that the denial of overseas medical care for Maiga was similar to an assassination.
“I have just learned with dismay of the death of Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, former Prime Minister of Mali. His death in prison recalls that of President Modibo Keita in 1977. I thought that such assassinations belonged to another era. My condolences to his family and friends,” he said in the tweet.
The president of the political party Alliance for Solidarity in Mali – Convergence of Patriotic Forces (ASMA-CFP), Maiga was a journalist by training. In the 1990s he was appointed the director of intelligence services by President Alpha Oumar Konaré. Critics accused him of being behind the creation of the ethnic Gandakoy militia that is accused of abuses against civilians of the Tuareg ethnic minority in northern Mali.
He went on to occupy several Cabinet posts such as foreign affairs minister in 2011 under President Amadou Toumani Touré and then minister of defence under President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita before serving as Prime Minister from 2017 to 2019.
MANILA (AFP) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s party yesterday threw its support behind presidential election favourite Ferdinand Marcos Junior, as his main rival appears to gain momentum in the race for the top job.
Voter surveys show the son and namesake of the country’s former dictator heading towards a landslide victory in the May 9 polls, fuelled by a massive social media campaign pumping out positive misinformation about him.
Marcos Jr, 64, has teamed up with vice presidential frontrunner and first daughter Sara Duterte, in a formidable alliance between the scions of two of the country’s most powerful political families.
“We are endorsing the candidacy of Bongbong Marcos Jr – this is a party decision,” said president of PDP-Laban and leader of the pro-Duterte faction of the party Alfonso Cusi.
Cusi would not confirm if the decision meant Duterte also supported Marcos Jr, who he has previously described as “weak”.
Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said Duterte’s position was “not clear”. Outgoing presidents usually identify their preferred successor, who they hope will shield them from criminal charges brought by rivals as much as protect their legacy.
Workers verify the printed ballots which will be used for the national and local elections, at the National Printing Office in Quezon City, suburban Manila. PHOTO: AFP
They rarely end up winning.
Duterte, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second six-year term and remains popular among many Filipinos, had chosen loyal aide Senator Christopher Go to replace him, but he pulled out of the contest.
Since then, Duterte has been cryptic about who he wants to see in the presidential palace.
He recently said the next leader should be a lawyer and compassionate – raising eyebrows among observers as the description seemed to best fit his nemesis, incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, who is a distant second behind Marcos Jr in the polls.
The positions of president and vice president are elected separately in the Philippines.
But University of the Philippines political science professor Jean Franco said PDP-Laban’s backing was “tantamount to Duterte endorsing the candidacies of Marcos and his daughter”.
“It’s big,” she said, adding it gives “local officials the signal that they should campaign for the Marcos-Duterte ticket”.
She added that it was also “surreal” that PDP-Laban, which was set up in the early 1980s in opposition to the Marcos dictatorship, was now supporting his son.
Marcos spokesman Vic Rodriguez welcomed the endorsement as he warned of “growing rumours of possible poll fraud in the coming elections”.
The public backing of Marcos Jr comes as Robredo’s volunteer-driven campaign appears to be gathering momentum.
Crowd sizes have swelled at recent rallies.
On Sunday, more than 130,000 of her supporters flocked to an event in the suburbs of Manila, standing for hours in hot and humid weather.
But the odds were stacked against her, said Eurasia Group analyst Peter Mumford.
“She enjoyed a relatively late surge in the 2016 vice-presidential race, jumping from third place and just over 20 per cent support in mid-March to win with over 30 per cent support in May – but the gap is far wider this time,” he said.
Since the March 2020 outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei Darussalam, the entire learning process has been acutely disrupted, making it necessary for institutions to invest in online learning. It is important for students and lecturers to utilise digital technology to their benefit and advantage.
This was also observed by Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), according to PAPRSB IHS, UBD Programme Leader of Pharmacy Dr Nurolaini binti Kifli.
She said that in pharmacy education, the practical needs of the scientific curriculum – such as clinical internship, industrial internship, lab work and physical research projects – has to be taken into account.
To address this, e-learning strategies covering the practical aspects and simulation of laboratory settings were prepared thoroughly to implement the delivery of practical pharmacy skills.
At UBD, the Pharmacy Programme of the PAPRSB IHS collaborated with the School of Pharmacy from San Pedro College (SPC), Davao City in, the Philippines, to design a virtual dispensing classroom via the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Global Virtual Classroom to foster a digitally and globally ready learning environment.
Participants during the online session. PHOTO: PAPRSB IHS, UBD
The programme ran for six weeks from January 24 to February 28. The collaboration was initiated by Dr Nurolaini and Director of Internationalization and Linkages Office from the SPC Professor Erwin Faller. Dr Nurolaini was assisted by her team of lecturers from UBD – Associate Professor Dr Long Ming and Dr Goh Poh Hui.
A total of 38 students participated in the programme, 26 of whom were from partner institutions and 12 from UBD. Students were divided into six groups, with a good mix of international and UBD students. Each group was facilitated by a lecturer who would contribute to one dispensing case.
The platforms used during the programme included Zoom, ImmerseU Class2Class, Padlet and MyDispense Platform. MyDispense is an online pharmacy simulation that allows students to develop and practice their dispensing skills while the Class2Class platform can respond to complicated questions on connecting with people and managing collaborations.
The COIL programme’s objectives were to introduce UBD students to cultural immersion and exchange global perspective on pharmacy education and pharmacy practice using MyDispense. Students were given various dispensing cases such as ‘Responding to Symptoms: Skin’, ‘Medicines Management during Fasting,’ ‘Responding to Symptoms: Paediatric Case’ and ‘Respond to Lactation Enquiry.’
In sharing faculty member experiences, Dr Nurolaini expressed gratitude to be involved in coordination and running of the UBD-SPC COIL programme together with her supportive team members. She also appreciated the efforts made by Professor Faller in coordinating the cases in her feedback.
In a statement, she said, “I am really excited to know that UBD students as well as the pharmacy students from across the Philippines learnt a lot from the case especially on managing medicines counselling during Ramadhan. I do hope such a programme could be extended further to other cohorts.”
Dr Nurolaini was also impressed with the way the UBD students managed the smooth running of the programme and how they had performed. “The students were very creative during the final presentation via the video-making competition.”
Second year UBD pharmacy student Nurizzati binti Sudarmaji expressed excitement and appreciation for being a part of the programme, affording her the unique opportunity to interact with students from many nations and collaborate on activities of common interest in groups, consisting of students from each partner institution.
“Working with students from various cultural and religious backgrounds has allowed us to gain insight into our differences and, as a result, improve our understanding of the existence of diverse societies and ways of life in other countries, and as part of our communication.
This also allowed me to focus not only on verbal communication, but also the use of body language.
“Our major task in this programme encouraged us to apply what we have learnt in class to solve a series of case studies using the simulation software MyDispense, and this tested our ability to think critically and work in a team.”
Meanwhile, Qlaementine Ng, another second year Pharmacy student, said, “I was able to work quite well with my teammates because everyone was friendly and helpful. Throughout the programme, we worked together to tackle different cases in MyDispense, and we were able to share our diverse knowledge and perspectives regarding the cases. I found it quite interesting to see the different ideas from every student on the various cases provided by the lecturers. “One particular case that I enjoyed the most was the case where we had to counsel a diabetic patient on her medications during the fasting month of Ramadhan.
“I enjoyed this case the most because I learnt interesting new facts about the Ramadhan culture.
“One key takeaway from this case is that it is essential to provide necessary dose adjustments to a diabetic patient during Ramadhan to prevent dehydration or hypoglycaemia.”
Fellow classmate Ummul Fathima Shaik Mohamed Sayed said, “Taking part in the COIL programme helped me to apply the knowledge gained during my two years of pharmacy course. I was also able to use the MyDispense tool to polish my dispensing and patient counselling skills. Other than that, I had a great experience sharing my culture and knowledge with SPC students as I could empathise with them in many ways being pharmacy students despite coming from different countries. I would like thank my lecturers and SPC for giving us the opportunity to be a part of such great initiative.”
Meanwhile, Dr Nurolaini said that the UBD-SPC Global Virtual Classroom, based on the COIL methodology, aims to promote global learning, internationalisation and to connect students around the globe.
“This initiative not only generates advanced and diverse learning experiences but enables international linkages that will lead to collaboration on making the world a better place,” she said.
AP – Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson (AP pic below), out of public view since his inflammatory remarks about the rival league and the PGA Tour, decided not to play at Augusta National this year.
Mickelson’s name was moved from the list of players expected to compete in the Masters to a section at the bottom titled “past champions not playing”.
The club confirmed that Mickelson has notified Augusta National he will not be playing. The Masters is on April 7-10.
It will be the first time Mickelson is not at the Masters since 1994, when he was recovering from a broken leg suffered while skiing.
Mickelson, who last year became golf’s oldest major champion when he won the PGA Championship at age 50, was at the Saudi International when he accused the PGA Tour in a Golf Digest interview of “obnoxious greed”.
Two weeks later, golf writer and author Alan Shipnuck published part of his upcoming biography on Mickelson that shed further insight into his involvement with Greg Norman and the “Super Golf League”.
Mickelson told Shipnuck the people behind a proposed breakaway rival league were scary.
The interview took place last November. Mickelson apologised for comments he described as “reckless”. He also said they were off the record. Shipnuck said they were not.
Longtime corporate sponsor KPMG said it was ending its relationship with Mickelson.
Workday said it would not be renewing its contract, which was due to expire. Callaway Golf said its relationship with Mickelson that dates to 2004 would be paused, while American Express no longer wanted Mickelson as its tournament host of the PGA Tour event La Quinta, California.
Mickelson has not played since the Saudi International on February 6. He said in his statement he “desperately needed” time away to sort our his priorities.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said at The Players Championship he has not spoken with Mickelson and it was a conversation he looked forward to having when Mickelson was ready to call.
Mickelson won the first of his six majors at the 2004 Masters, and a silhouette of his leap when his winning birdie putt fell on the 18th hole is now his personal logo. He also won the Masters in 2006 and 2010. Only Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus have won more green jackets.
Woods, meanwhile, has not been removed from the list of players expected to compete. Woods, who badly injured his right leg and foot in a February 2021 car crash in Los Angeles, has said he was a long way off from competing at a high level, and that starts with being able to walk and play. He competed in the PNC Championship in December with his son while riding a cart.
A spokesman for Woods said last week it was too soon to make an announcement.
NEW YORK (AP) – An iconic image of Marilyn Monroe created by Andy Warhol is coming to auction, with Christie’s auction house estimating the price at around USD200 million.
The silkscreen image known as Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, a close-up of Monroe with her hair in yellow, her eyeshadow blue and her lips red, is slated to be part of a week of sales in May, Christie’s said on Monday.
If it met the sale estimate, the 1964 painting would be the most expensive 20th-Century artwork to be auctioned, Christie’s said.
TOKYO (AP) – Asian shares were higher yesterday as investors eyed the war in Ukraine and inflationary risks including rising energy costs.
Benchmarks rose in Japan, South Korea, Australia and China.
The Russian war on Ukraine and Western sanctions on Russia are adding to worries over disruptions to energy supplies for Europe and surging prices that might hinder progress toward economic recoveries from the pandemic.
“With no progress on peace talks, reports are circulating that the EU is setting the table for a Russian oil embargo. Higher energy prices will hugely harm the EU economy,” said managing partner at SPI Asset Management Stephen Innes.
Benchmark US crude added USD2.89 to USD115.01 a barrel yesterday in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent, the international standard, surged USD3.78 to USD119.40.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 1.4 per cent to 27,202.05. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.9 per cent to 7,341.10. South Korea’s Kospi edged 0.8 per cent higher to 2,708.63.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.8 per cent to 21,606.53, while the Shanghai Composite recouped earlier losses to be up 0.3 per cent at 3,263.83.
A man walks past an electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index in Hong Kong. PHOTO: AP
Hong Kong-traded shares in e-commerce giant Alibaba Group jumped eight per cent after the company increased a share buyback to USD25 billion from USD15 billion yesterday to prop up a stock price that has fallen by more than half since the ruling Communist Party tightened control over tech industries by launching regulatory crackdowns.
Shares ended modestly lower on Monday on Wall Street after bouncing around for much of the day and bond yields rose sharply after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank was prepared to move more aggressively if need be to contain inflation.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury jumped to 2.30 per cent from 2.14 per cent late Friday.
The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1 per cent to 4,461.18, snapping a four-day winning streak for the benchmark index. The Dow dropped 0.6 per cent to 34,552.99 and the Nasdaq slid 0.4 per cent to 13,838.46.
Smaller company stocks fared worse than the broader market. The Russell 2000 index lost one per cent to 2,065.94.
In remarks at the National Association of Business Economists, Powell said the Fed would raise its benchmark short-term interest rate by a half-point at multiple Fed meetings, if necessary, to slow inflation. The Fed hasn’t raised its benchmark rate by a half-point since May 2000.
Last Wednesday, the central bank announced a quarter-point rate hike, its first interest rate increase since 2018. Stocks rallied after the announcement and went on to have their best week in more than a year. The central bank is expected to raise rates several more times this year.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine added a new wave of global economic uncertainty to the mix, some Fed officials had said the central bank would do better to begin raising rates by a half-point in March.
Given rising risks of a recession, chief economist at ACY Securities Clifford Bennett said he believes the Fed should act cautiously.
“Europe will likely enter recession and with the world experiencing ongoing high energy and food prices, the poor will be disproportionately impacted. And raising interest rates will have zero impact on this war-driven inflation wave,” he said.
BANGKOK (AFP) – The crowd roars in the tightly packed room as the broad-shouldered, tattooed men stop pummelling a young recruit and smother him with hugs – completing his initiation into one of Thailand’s ‘Chicano’ gangs.
For the tight-knit group of friends, the ritual embodies a concept of a Mexican-American Chicano culture increasingly embraced in Asia, with sounds, styles and swagger from the United States (US) finding a home first in Japan, and now Thailand.
Dressed in baggy T-shirts and jeans, with bandanas and wraparound sunglasses only partially obscuring their intricate tattoos, Thais can now be seen on Bangkok’s sweaty streets celebrating a fusion of their own and Chicano culture each weekend.
But while the Chicano movement in the US began as a political and social force aimed at battling oppression, its Thai interpretation is focussed more on its aesthetics.
“I just want to combine a Thai touch with the Chicano style to make this lifestyle simple and accessible,” explained gang leader Chalakorn ‘Leng’ Arttanasiri, dismounting from his Harley Davidson.
The 40-year-old – who has images of much of The Godfather cast tattooed across his body – said his “Barbarian Has a Gun 13” group celebrates Chicano clothing and tattoos.
Its members say they are drawing on shared blue-collar values to create a blended ‘Thaino’ culture, leaving their Chicano selves behind during the working week.
Chalakorn ‘Leng’ Arttanasiri poses on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. PHOTOS: AFPPhotos show ‘Barbarian Has a Gun 13’ members at a weekly meet-up at the Owl Night Market
“On normal days, we dress like normal people,” Leng said, “but on the day of the gathering like this, we need to have options for our clothing so that we could look sharp and rock the same style as the others.”
A former drug-dealer, he grew up in a slum and served time but turned his life around running a business importing Chicano clothes, which prompted him to create a group to celebrate the culture.
But he has no time for the violence often associated with Chicanos by Hollywood – despite the tough initiation.
“It’s just a way to test their will,” he explained of the 13-second ordeal recruits endure to join his group.
“We can’t go around beating up other gangs to show our superiority,” he said. “We live in peace because we’re in a Buddhist-based city. We’re in Thailand.”
“We’re law-abiding citizens who just love the Chicano subculture,” said a lowrider car aficionado Pongtep Singto.
The 32-year-old was drawn to the scene’s low-slung, streamlined cars, collecting and customising the vehicles, and eventually building his own.
“Everybody has an honest career. Some of them may have tattoos all over their bodies but they’re all good people,” he added.
At a recent gathering, heavily tattooed men happily chatted as their children played in the background.
Among them was new recruit Chaiya Nob, who explained how gang “seniors” – only 13 of whom are permitted to have the group’s name dramatically emblazoned across their bellies – assessed him before he was allowed to join.
“Dressing like this doesn’t mean we have to act all macho, act like gangsters, and do illegal stuff,” the 31-year-old said.
“We have to do good and be respectable citizens. Our clothing choices may not be appropriate but our attitude is approachable,” he added with a grin.
Ultimately, the gang is about celebrating Chicano subculture together.
DILI, EAST TIMOR (AFP) – Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has taken a dominant lead in East Timor’s presidential election held over the weekend but failed to secure a majority, officials said, leaving Southeast Asia’s youngest country on course for a second round of voting.
The 72-year-old revolutionary hero won 46.58 per cent of the vote against 22.16 per cent for incumbent president and former guerrilla fighter Francisco ‘Lu-Olo’ Guterres, a preliminary ballot count showed on Monday.
With all votes counted, they must now be verified and validated by the country’s election commission before the final results are announced, top election official Acilino Manuel Branco said in televised remarks.
If confirmed that no candidate secured a majority, a second round will be held on April 19 and the winner will take office on May 20 – East Timor’s 20th anniversary of independence from Indonesia, which occupied the former Portuguese colony for 24 years.
Voters headed to the polls last Saturday to choose from 16 candidates for the five-year term in what is the most competitive election in the country’s history.
Major political events in East Timor have often been marred by violence and conflict, but observers said the vote passed without incident.
“Timor-Leste held credible, transparent, and peaceful elections,” said chief observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission Domenec Ruiz Devesa in a press release.
Ramos-Horta, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his efforts towards a peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor, led the country from 2007 to 2012 but came out of retirement to challenge Guterres.
Political tensions between the country’s two main parties – Guterres’ Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) and Ramos-Horta’s National Congress of the Reconstruction of Timor-Leste (CNRT) – have risen in the past four years.
Presidential candidate Ramos Horta shows his inked finger after casting his ballot. PHOTO: AFP
The world celebrates International Day of Forests not just to recognise the importance of healthy forest ecosystems in daily lives, but also to serve as a reminder of the urgency to protect and conserve this overdrawn natural resource, according to the ASEAN Centre for
Biodiversity (ACB).
In a press statement issued in conjunction with the occasion, marked on March 21, the ACB said, “The tropical forests of the ASEAN are vital to global environmental sustainability and stability.”
“A biodiverse region that boasts high levels of species endemicity, the countries of the ASEAN harbour over 200 million hectares of forest, encompassing at least 60 per cent of the world’s tropical peatlands and over 40 per cent of mangroves. These forests are critical habitats to diverse forms of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.”
The statement said the ecosystems generously provide food, fresh and clean water, medicine, shelter, and also serve as sources of energy.
“By stabilising climate, regulating the emergence and spread of novel diseases, purifying air and water, and preventing soil erosion, intact forests directly contribute to human health and safety. Spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, and recreation are also among the non-monetary benefits provided by the aesthetic and cultural values of forest ecosystems.”
The tropical forests of the ASEAN are vital to global environmental sustainability and stability. PHOTO: ASEAN CENTRE FOR BIODIVERSITY
However, the ACB added that despite the benefits, the ASEAN reported major forest declines during the last four decades, losing almost half of its total forested areas due to persistent anthropogenic drivers.
“While the rate has slowed down, if not abated, the degradation of forests in the region will result in grave challenges, both for people and biodiversity.”
The statement mentioned that a report on the State and Outlook of Agroforestry in ASEAN (2021) concludes that environmental disasters in the region cost over USD 122 trillion from the year 2000 to 2020, affecting over 324 million ASEAN people.
“In a region where half of the population directly or indirectly depend on forest resources, restoring the health and wealth of the ASEAN’s forest ecosystems is a crucial step towards nature-positivity.”
Noting this year’s International Day of Forests theme, ‘Forests and Sustainable Production and Consumption’, the ACB said it joins the ASEAN member states in their commitment to promote the restoration and sustainable use of forest ecosystems.
“With the launch of the ASEAN Green Initiative (AGI), the region recognises the great importance of nature-based solutions to combat desertification, biodiversity loss, and land degradation.”
The ACB explained that the initiative aims to recognise ecosystem restoration efforts in the region, targetting at least 10 million native trees to be planted and nurtured across 10 ASEAN member states over 10 years.
“The numbers 10-10-10 is the region’s collective commitment to support the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration from 2021 to 2030. The AGI emphasises the importance of harmony between people and nature, ensuring that initiatives are ecologically sound, sustainable, compliant with existing national policies and institutional mechanisms, and beneficial to local communities.”
“As the ASEAN gears up for economic recovery, we continue to take guidance from our leaders and various stakeholders as we reconcile how economic growth and biodiversity conservation are to be seen as complementary sides of one coin.”
The statement highlights that nature-based solutions, such as nurturing native tree species and ensuring plant and crop diversity, are poised to provide greater short- and long-term ecological and economic benefits for people and nature.
It said that, based on recent scientific studies, cases in the region that exemplify the use of multipurpose trees on land near forest habitats, have contributed to the offsetting of local dependence on natural forests while maintaining local biodiversity and supporting the conservation of water and soil.
The ACB added, however, that restoring the health and wealth of the region’s forest ecosystems require a whole-of-society approach.
“Hence, the AGI aims to recognise greening initiatives of any scale – be it a large-scale tree planting activity initiated by an organisation or a small-scale tree planting activity organised by the youth in an ASEAN community.”
“In the face of the multiple challenges we are currently facing, we are encouraging everyone to plant and grow a tree and be part of a regional call for collective action to make ASEAN greener and healthier than ever.”
