Saturday, October 5, 2024
30 C
Brunei Town

Jackson, first Black female High Court pick, faces senators

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate Judiciary Committee began historic confirmation hearings yesterday for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

Barring a significant misstep by the 51-year-old Jackson, a federal judge for the past nine years, Democrats who control the Senate by the slimmest of margins intend to wrap up her confirmation before Easter.

Jackson presented an opening statement yesterday afternoon, then answer questions from the committee’s 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans over the next two days. She will be introduced by Thomas B Griffith, a retired judge for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and Lisa M Fairfax, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Jackson appeared before the same committee last year, after President Joe Biden chose her to fill an opening on the federal appeals court in Washington, just down the hill from the Supreme Court.

Her testimony will give most Americans, as well as the Senate, their most extensive look yet at the Harvard-trained lawyer with a resume that includes two years as a federal public defender. That makes her the first nominee with significant criminal defence experience since Thurgood Marshall, the first Black American to serve on the nation’s highest court.

Judge Ketanji Jackson. PHOTO: AP

China requires Microsoft’s Bing to suspend auto-suggest feature

SHANGHAI (CNA) – Microsoft Corp’s Bing, the only major foreign search engine available in China, said a “relevant government agency” required it to suspend its auto-suggest function in China for seven days.

The suspension marks the second of its kind for Bing since December, and arrives amid an ongoing crackdown on technology platforms and algorithms from Beijing.

Chinese Internet users first spotted the suspension on Saturday.

“Bing is a global search platform and remains committed to respecting the rule of law and users’ right to access information,” Bing said on its Chinese search site.

Bing did not specify a reason for the suspension. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Internet companies in China have been hit over the past year by a regulatory crackdown that imposed fresh curbs on areas from content to customer privacy.

In August, Beijing’s top cyber regulator published draft rules dictating how Internet platforms can and cannot make use of algorithms.

A finalised version of the rules came into effect this month.

A smartphone with the Microsoft Bing logo is displayed against the backdrop of the China flag. PHOTO: CNA

Liverpool set up FA Cup semi-final clash with Man City

LONDON (AFP) – Liverpool and Manchester City’s bid for historic trophy-winning hauls will clash in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley next month after coming through their last eight ties in differing fashion early yesterday.

City finally got the better of Southampton at the third attempt this season with a 4-1 win, while Liverpool needed a late Diogo Jota strike to see off Championship side Nottingham Forest 1-0.

Forest had dumped out holders Leicester and Arsenal on their run to the last eight and could easily have caused another shock had the fine margins gone their way at the City Ground.

“It was a proper cup match,” said Klopp. “I know they don’t get anything for it, but a massive compliment to them, they played a really good game.”

Klopp made seven changes with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson among those rested and it showed in a ragged Liverpool performance.

Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling celebrates with Jack Grealish after scoring his side’s first goal against Southampton. PHOTO: AP
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. PHOTO: AP

Roberto Firmino should have put the Reds in front before the break when he tried to dink the ball over Ethan Horvath with just the goalkeeper to beat, but it was Forest who had the better chances after the break.

Philip Zinckernagel missed the best of them 14 minutes from time when he slotted wide Brennan Johnson’s inviting cross.

Three minutes later, Jota showed the Forest forwards how it is done as he stretched to meet Kostas Tsimikas’ cross for his 19th goal of the season.

Still the home side could have taken the game to extra time as Ryan Yates headed straight into the arms of Alisson Becker and had a penalty appeal turned down as he rounded the Brazilian goalkeeper.

But Liverpool held on to book a meeting with City when one side’s quest for history will come to an end.

City are aiming to match Manchester United’s historic feat in 1998/99 of winning the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup, while Liverpool, who trail Pep Guardiola’s men by one point at the top of the table, are aiming to go one better by adding those three trophies to the League Cup they won in February.

Despite a more resounding scoreline, City also struggled for the first hour at St Mary’s as a Southampton side that held the English champions twice in the league this season caused them problems once more.

“We started really well and then we forgot to play,” said Guardiola. “We know it’s so difficult because Southampton are one of the best organised teams.”

Adam Armstrong hit the post early on for the Saints, but just seconds later Raheem Sterling opened the scoring with a cool finish from Gabriel Jesus’ pass.

Ilkay Gundogan then hit the woodwork for City, but Southampton got the equaliser their first-half performance deserved when Aymeric Laporte deflected Mohamed Elyounoussi’s cross into his own net. With the tie delicately poised, Southampton’s good work was undone when Mohammed Salisu needlessly dived in on Jesus to concede a penalty.

Fraser Forster got a hand to Kevin De Bruyne’s spot-kick but could not keep it out.

City’s strength in depth off the bench then took the game away from the hosts as substitutes Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez produced lethal finishes to round off the scoring.

Crystal Palace will face Chelsea in the other semi-final after thrashing struggling Everton 4-0.

“Going to Wembley is fantastic,” said Palace coach Patrick Vieira.

Gunfire at Arkansas car show leaves one dead, 27 wounded

DUMAS, ARKANSAS (AP) – One man was killed and 27 people were wounded when two people got into a gunfight during a car show that’s part of an annual community event in a small southeast Arkansas town, authorities said on Sunday.

A person who left the scene of the Saturday evening shooting has been arrested on unrelated charges and is being questioned about the shooting in Dumas, a city of about 4,000 located about 90 miles south of Little Rock, Arkansas State Police Col Bill Bryant said.

“All we know at this time, there was two individuals that got in a gunfight,” Bryant said at a Sunday afternoon news conference.

He said several children were among the wounded, including two under the age of two.

The car show is part of a community event held each spring called Hood-Nic, which is short for neighbourhood picnic. The Hood-Nic Foundation said on its website that its mission is to “rebuild, reunite, and respond to the needs of the youth in our communities.”

The event, which helps raise funds for scholarships and school supplies, also included a bonfire, a basketball tournament, musical performances, a teen party and a balloon release.

“The purpose of Hood-Nic has always been to bring the community together,” the foundation said on its Facebook page. “This senseless violence needs to end.”

Cameron Shaffer, 23, of Jacksonville, Arkansas, was killed in the gunfire, Bryant said. He said authorities have no indication that he was involved in the gunfight.

Earlier in the day, Governor Asa Hutchinson said on Twitter that one of the two suspects had been arrested and was being held on unrelated charges.

Crime scene tape lies at the scene of the shooting in Dumas. PHOTO: AP

280,000 ART kits to be distributed nationwide

Rokiah Mahmud

Some 280,000 antigen rapid test (ART) kits have been and will be distributed to citizens and residents of Brunei Darussalam registered under the National Welfare System (SKN), Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II said at the daily press conference yesterday.

In response to a question regarding the COVID-19 fatality recorded, Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Amin Liew said compared to neighbouring countries, the Sultanate recorded the lowest number of fatalities. “As announced last Sunday, nine deaths were recorded in which out of the total figure, two were due to COVID-19 while the other seven were not due to the pandemic. The two cases had not received their vaccination, while the seven had prior medical conditions.”

The minister said that in efforts to reduce the number of COVID-19 fatalities, the public is encouraged to get their vaccinations and boosters. He also advised the public to look after their health to prevent or reduce the fatality risk either due to COVID-19 or not.

Hotels given target to reduce emissions by 2030 under new sustainability roadmap

SINGAPORE (CNA) – The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) launched a new hotel sustainability roadmap yesterday, with two key targets for the industry.

The first is for hotels in Singapore to commence tracking of emissions by 2023 and reduce emissions by 2030, with a view to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The second target is that by 2025, 60 per cent of hotel rooms in Singapore – up from the less than 10 per cent currently – should attain internationally recognised hotel sustainability certification.

The roadmap is in line with the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and sets out “clear targets and strategies” for hotels to adopt in their sustainability journey, said SHA and STB in a media factsheet.

This in turn will allow the industry to contribute to sustainable development goals, capture new opportunities presented by the Green Economy, strengthen enterprise resilience, and tap new visitor segments, they noted.

Speaking at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre where the Hotel Sustainability Conference and Marketplace was held, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan described the roadmap as the culmination of a public-private partnership under SHA’s Hotel Sustainability Committee (HSC).

“The hotel sustainability roadmap charts out a clear industry-wide sustainability vision,” he said.

People view the city skyline from the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark in Singapore. PHOTO: AFP

“Our goal is to help industry players to make sustainability an integral part of your operations and to help you gain a competitive advantage through your sustainability efforts.”

This means supporting hotels to develop “holistic” sustainability plans that are in line with internationally recognised standards, he explained.

STB will also work with the hotel industry on clear and quantifiable emissions targets, noted Tan.

“Through the roadmap, STB and SHA envision a hotel industry that integrates sustainability as a core value across the entire hotel ecosystem, is established as a living lab and uses sustainability to drive business competitiveness and growth, and is recognised as a leader in environmental sustainability in the region,” added SHA and STB.

The roadmap is endorsed by the HSC, which was set up in March 2020 to drive industry-wide adoption of sustainability practices in hotels to promote Singapore as a sustainable destination.

The committee is made up of members from the hotel industry and representatives from the public sector.

To help hotels achieve these targets, the roadmap lays out four strategies and related initiatives.

The first is raising sustainability standards and striving towards internationally recognised sustainability certification by a number of solutions.

Other strategies include test-bedding and adopting innovative sustainable solutions, developing sustainable hotel concepts and experiences in Singapore and raising awareness of the industry’s sustainability efforts and promoting sustainable consumption habits among hotel guests.

STB and SHA have also identified four focus areas to green hotel operations, to ensure that sustainability efforts drive impactful environmental outcomes.

These areas are water conservation, waste management, recycling and circular economy, sustainable sourcing and procurement as well as energy conservation.

“This roadmap is also another significant step forward that we have taken forward towards greening our tourism sector which has been hard hit by the pandemic,” said Tan.

“But I hope that it can guide hotels to chart and achieve ambitious sustainability goals, and inspire this change, that the hotel industry can lead the efforts in other tourism sectors and other tourism businesses.”

Ferrari’s Leclerc wins F1 season-opening Bahrain GP

SAKHIR, BAHRAIN (AFP) – Charles Leclerc of Ferrari won a dramatic Formula One season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday night after reigning champion Max Verstappen limped out with an electrical issue two laps before the end.

Carlos Sainz made it a Ferrari one-two while Sergio Perez completed a disastrous day for Verstappen’s Red Bull by spinning out of the race on the last lap with a mechanical problem, handing third place to Lewis Hamilton.

George Russell, in his first race since joining Hamilton at Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas, took fourth place to give Mercedes a score of 27 points that they could not have dreamed of in the middle of the race.

For Leclerc, who kept his cool when he and Verstappen exchanged the lead five times in two laps in a furious start to the race, the victory was pure delight.

“That’s exactly how we should start the season. One-two! Mamma mia,” the man from Monaco said.

Ferrari’s driver Charles Leclerc celebrates. PHOTO: AFP
Ferrari’s driver Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s driver Max Verstappen drive during the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix. PHOTO: AFP

Once the race trophy was in his hands, Leclerc said, “I’m so happy. We knew this was a big opportunity for the team and the guys have done an incredible job building into amazing car.

“A one-two today with Carlos – we couldn’t hope for better. It’s incredible to be back at the top.”

There was also a remarkable outcome for Haas, the team which failed to score a single point last season and was forced to replace Russian driver Nikita Mazepin – and his tycoon father’s sponsorship of the team – as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

The driver who replaced him, Kevin Magnussen, finished fifth in the Dane’s first race since 2020 to collect 10 points.

Zhou Guanyu made history as he scored China’s first point in Formula One after steering his Alfa Romeo to 10th.

In a double celebration for Asia, Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda took eighth spot and four points for AlphaTauri. Leclerc’s start from pole position was immediately challenged by Verstappen under the lights in the Gulf but he fought back to regain the lead.

By lap 37 of 57, Verstappen was arguing with his own team over their instructions from the pit lane and Leclerc had extended his lead to 2.3 seconds and held onto it for a deserved victory.

The race was disrupted when the safety car came out on the 51st lap after Pierre Gasly had to jump out of his AlphaTauri before it burst into flames.

When racing resumed, Sainz attacked Verstappen for second place but the Dutchman’s race ended in bitter disappointment as he appeared to lose all power on the 55th lap and had to limp into the pits without a point.

“It was very hard out there, a lot of different issues we had to deal with and this is of course what you don’t what to have on the first race weekend,” said Verstappen.

“It was not great today, we didn’t show what we could do for whatever reason but there is potential.

“We’ve already lost a lot of points in this weekend, that’s really not good.”

Finland leads for smiles, fifth year running

Azlan Othman

Finland took the top spot as the happiest place in the world for the fifth year in a row, surpassing other top 10 countries, the World Happiness Report said.

Denmark occupied second place, with Iceland up from fourth place last year to third this year. Switzerland is fourth, followed by the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Sweden, Norway, Israel and New Zealand rounded off the top 10. The next five are Austria, Australia, Ireland, Germany and Canada.

This marks a substantial fall for Canada, which was fifth 10 years ago. The rest of the top 20 include the United States at 16th (up from 19th last year), the United Kingdom and the Czechia still in 17th and 18th, followed by Belgium at 19th and France at 20th, its highest ranking yet.

In Southeast Asia, Singapore secured the top spot as the happiest nation, ranking 27th. This was followed by the Philippines (60th place), Thailand (61st), Vietnam (77th), Indonesia (87th), Laos (95th), Cambodia (114th) and Myanmar (126th). Brunei Darussalam was not included in the survey.

Afghanistan held the last position at 146th in the list, with Lebanon (145th), Zimbabwe (144th), Rwanda (143rd), and Botswana (142nd).

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the World Happiness Report, issued annually by the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). The report ranks 150 countries (146 in 2022) in the world.

The index is calculated using people’s self-reported happiness as well as economic and social data and, based on a three-year average, assigns a happiness score in the range zero to 10.

This year, it also used data from social media to compare people’s emotions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Happiness Report reached more than nine million people in 2021. Since it was first published, the report has been based on two key ideas: that happiness or life evaluation can be measured through opinion surveys, and that they can identify key determinants of well-being and thereby explain the patterns of life evaluation across countries.

This information, in turn, can help countries to craft policies aimed at achieving happier societies.

The report stated that “over the past 10 years, life evaluations rose by more than a full point on the zero to 10 scale in 15 countries and fell by that amount or more in eight countries”.

According to the report, the 10 countries with the largest gains from 2008-2012 to 2019-2021 were, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Togo, Bahrain, Latvia, Benin, Guinea, and Armenia.

The 10 countries with the largest drops were Lebanon, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Zambia, India, Mexico, and Botswana.

President of SDSN and Director of the Earth Institute’s Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs said, “A decade ago, governments around the world expressed the desire to put happiness at the heart of the global development agenda, and they adopted a UN General Assembly resolution for that purpose.

“The World Happiness Report grew out of that worldwide determination to find the path to greater global well-being. Now, at a time of pandemic and war, we need such an effort more than ever.

“And the lesson of the World Happiness Report over the years is that social support, generosity to one another, and honesty in government are crucial for well-being. World leaders should take heed of this.

“Politics should be directed as the great sages long ago insisted: to the well-being of the people, not the power of the rulers,” he said.

This year’s report comes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended lives around the world.

“COVID-19 is the biggest health crisis we’ve seen in more than a century,” said John Helliwell of Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia.

“Now that we have two years of evidence, we are able to assess not just the importance of benevolence and trust, but to see how they have contributed to well-being during the pandemic.

“We found during 2021 remarkable worldwide growth in all three acts of kindness monitored in the Gallup World Poll. Helping strangers, volunteering, and donations in 2021 were strongly up in every part of the world, reaching levels almost 25 per cent above their pre-pandemic prevalence.

“This surge of benevolence, which was especially great for the helping of strangers, provides powerful evidence that people respond to help others in need, creating in the process more happiness for the beneficiaries, good examples for others to follow, and better lives for themselves,” he said.

Meanwhile, Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at University of Oxford Jan-Emmanuel De Neve noted that “at the very bottom of the ranking we find societies that suffer from conflict and extreme poverty, notably we find that people in Afghanistan evaluate the quality of their own lives as merely 2.4 out of 10.

“This presents a stark reminder of the material and immaterial damage that war does to its many victims and the fundamental importance of peace and stability for human well-being”.

ASEAN envoy for Myanmar crisis arrives on first mission

AP – Cambodia’s foreign minister arrived yesterday in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw on his mission as a special regional envoy seeking to facilitate peacemaking in the fellow Southeast Asian nation, which was plunged into an extended violent political crisis after the army seized power last year.

Prak Sokhonn is representing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which last April reached a five-point consensus on Myanmar. It called for the immediate cessation of violence, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties.

The ruling military council of Myanmar, which is one of ASEAN’s 10 member states, has delayed implementation of its plan, even as the country has slipped into a situation that United Nations (UN) experts have characterised as a civil war. Neither the military nor its opponents have suggested mutually acceptable compromises that could stem the violence, much less resolve the political impasse over ruling the country.

Soon after their arrival for their three-day visit, Prak Sokhonn and his party, including ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, held a meeting with Myanmar’s leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and other top officials, during which they discussed implementation of the five-point plan, conditions for providing humanitarian assistance and cooperation with ASEAN, said a statement from Myanmar’s Information Ministry.

The statement, which described the meeting as a “first step”, said Min Aung Hlaing also presented his government’s versions of the events leading to the army’s takeover and the violence that followed it.

Myanmar State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing shakes hands with Cambodian Foreign Minister and ASEAN Special Envoy to Myanmar Prak Sokhonn during a meeting in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. PHOTO: AP

Myanmar’s reluctance to implement the actions urged in the consensus has caused a split among the members of ASEAN, which has ostracised Myanmar by blocking its leaders from attending major meetings of the regional grouping. Min Aung Hlaing was not invited to last October’s virtual meeting of ASEAN leaders because of the disagreement.

That rebuke was issued shortly after Myanmar declined to let an ASEAN special envoy meet with its ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the military took power in February 2021.

The army ousted Suu Kyi’s elected government and then cracked down on the widespread protests against its action. After security forces unleashed lethal force against peaceful demonstrators, some opponents of military rule took up arms.

A statement issued last Friday by Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry said Prak Sokhonn’s first visit as ASEAN’s special envoy “will be aimed at creating a favourable condition leading to the end of violence as well as the utmost restraint by all parties”, along with distributing humanitarian assistance and encouraging political consultation or dialogue among all concerned parties.

Prak Sakhonn became the ASEAN special envoy after Cambodia took over as this year’s chair for the regional grouping.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed interest in engaging more closely with Myanmar’s generals and in January this year became the first head of government to pay an official visit to Myanmar since the army seized power. In February, however, he expressed pessimism that the crisis there can be resolved anytime soon.

Oil jumps as EU mulls Russian ban, Saudi refinery output hit

CNA – Oil prices jumped USD3 yesterday, with Brent above USD110 a barrel, as European Union (EU) nations consider joining the United States (US) in a Russian oil embargo, while a weekend attack on Saudi oil facilities caused jitters.

Brent crude futures climbed USD3.44, or 3.2 per cent, to USD111.37 a barrel by 4.43am, adding to a 1.2 per cent rise last Friday.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose USD3.54, or 3.4 per cent, to USD108.24, extending a 1.7 per cent jump last Friday.

Prices moved higher ahead of talks this week between EU governments and US President Joe Biden for a series of summits that aim to harden the West’s response to Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

EU governments will consider whether to impose an oil embargo on Russia.

Early yesterday, Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said there was no chance the country’s forces would surrender in the besieged eastern port city of Mariupol.

With little sign of the conflict easing, the focus returned to whether the market would be able to replace Russian barrels hit by sanctions.

The Phillips 66 Company’s Los Angeles Refinery. PHOTO: CNA

“A Houthi attack on a Saudi energy terminal, warnings of a structural shortfall in production from OPEC, and a potential EU oil embargo on Russia have seen oil prices jump in Asia,” OANDA’s senior analyst Jeffrey Halley said in a note.

“Even if the Ukraine war ends tomorrow, the world will face a structural energy deficit, thanks to Russian sanctions.”

Over the weekend, attacks by Yemen Houthi group caused a temporary drop in output at a Saudi Aramco refinery joint venture in Yanbu, feeding concern in a jittery oil products market, where Russia is a key supplier and global inventories are at multiple-year lows.

The latest report from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, together called OPEC+, showed some producers are still falling short of their agreed supply quotas.

OPEC+ missed its production target by over one million barrels per day (bpd) in February, sources told media, under their pact to boost output by 400,000 bpd each month as they wind back sharp cuts made in 2020.

The two OPEC countries with the capacity to instantly raise output, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have so far resisted calls from major consuming nations to step up production faster to help drive down oil prices.

US energy firms are also struggling to keep the number of active oil rigs up, despite strong prices.

The poor supply outlook and high prices prompted the International Energy Agency (IEA) to outline ways on Friday to cut oil use by 2.7 million bpd within four months, from car-pooling to lower speed limits and cheaper public transport.

1...6,9366,9376,938...7,609Page 6,937 of 7,609

Social Media

Category

Site Links

About Us

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

ns5006141