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2nd Amazon warehouse in NYC to hold union election in April

NEW YORK (AP) – A second Amazon warehouse in the New York City borough of Staten Island will have a union election in April, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said on Friday.

In-person voting will be held at the facility known as LDJ5 every day from April 25-29, except for April 26, an NLRB spokesperson said. The count is expected to take place on May 2.

The United States (US) federal labour board had approved the second union vote on Staten Island earlier this month. Amazon is already facing another in-person union vote March 25-30 at JFK8, a separate warehouse neighbouring LDJ5.

“We look forward to having our employees’ voices heard in this election, and our focus remains on working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work,” said an Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel.

Amazon has long been criticised for poor working conditions. The organisation effort at both warehouses is being led by the Amazon Labor Union, a group headed by a former Amazon employee who was fired after protesting working conditions at the company in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employees at another company warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, are now casting mail ballots for a union election, with a tally expected to begin on March 28. Last year, workers at the Alabama facility voted against unionising. US federal labour officials scrapped the results and ordered a re-do in November, ruling the Seattle-based online retail giant had tainted the results.

People arrive at the Amazon distribution centre in the Staten Island borough of New York. PHOTO: AP

Middlesbrough to donate Chelsea ticket money to Ukraine

LONDON (AFP) – Middlesbrough will donate their share of gate receipts from their FA Cup quarter-final match against Chelsea to humanitarian aid in Ukraine, the club announced on Friday.

European champions Chelsea are operating under a special licence allowing them to fulfil fixtures despite the United Kingdom government sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for his alleged ties to Vladimir Putin.

However, the Blues have not been allowed to sell tickets to fans and initially requested that their clash with Middlesbrough was played behind closed doors on sporting integrity grounds.

That request was quickly withdrawn amid a backlash from politicians, the football authorities and Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson. ”Sporting integrity and Chelsea do not belong in the same sentence,” Gibson told The Times.

In a statement, the Championship club said, ”On behalf of the people of Middlesbrough and Teesside, Middlesbrough Football Club will donate its share of the gate receipts from the Emirates FA Cup sixth round tie against Chelsea to humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

”The club’s Member of Parliament Andy McDonald will assist with due diligence to ensure best delivery and maximum impact.”

Surprise birthday gift for local blacksmith

Azlan Othman

Malay Kedayan Association (PEMEDAYAN) recently donated BND1,000 to local blacksmith Besar bin Mohammed, handed over by its President Zainal bin Tinggal at Jerudong Park Food Court.

The donation served to help the blacksmith, who turned 74 on March 6, purchase a new machine to replace his ageing machine.

Besar has been producing a variety of machetes and knives for the locals since 1988. His workshop in Selayun is his only source of income to support his family since retirement.

The new machine will help him to be more productive and expand his trade into woodcarving, as he can now make walking sticks as well.

PEMEDAYAN President Zainal said the amount may be small, but it means a lot to micro entrepreneurs such as Besar, who did not know where to get financial help to expand his business.

He said the association will continue to support micro entrepreneurs by providing them with an opportunity to succeed.

ABOVE & BELOW: Malay Kedayan Association President Zainal bin Tinggal handing over the cash donation to blacksmith Besar bin Mohammad; and Besar in his workshop. PHOTOS: PEMEDAYAN

Food distribution to needy converts comes to a close

Lyna Mohamad

The series of distribution of basic necessities to underprivileged converts under the Fathul Barakah Project concluded with a ceremony at the Temburong Dakwah Unit in Temburong District recently.

The event saw 10 underprivileged convert families receive the donation through a drive-through system, while the remaining recipients will have the items delivered to their doorsteps.

Islamic Da’wah Centre (PDI) Assistant Director Abdul Aziz bin Haji Abdul Kahar officiated the presentation.

Head of Muallaf Development Division (Tarbiyah Muallaf) Dr Hajah Rohanita binti Haji Yaakub was also present.

The guest of honour not only presented the donations, but also posters of Ramadhan practices, initiated by Tarbiyah Muallaf in collaboration with the Research and Publication Division at the PDI.

This year saw 400 packs of basic necessities, comprising rice, sugar, cooking oil and canned food, collected for distribution to all converts nationwide using the drive-through system and deliveries to the doorsteps.

The dry food items were purchased from the funds collected from the Fathul Barakah 3.0 Project carried out on March 5 and 6 by the Ministry of Religious Affairs through the PDI, in collaboration with the Muallaf associations nationwide.

The event was hoped to encourage the converts to carry out the religious practices aside from performing the fasting obligations, such as increasing Al-Quran recitations, performing sahur and enlivening Ramadhan nights with tarawih and Tedarus.

ABOVE & BELOW: Islamic Dakwah Centre Assistant Director Abdul Aziz bin Haji Abdul Kahar and Head of Converts Development Section (Tarbiyah Muallaf) Dr Hajah Rohanita binti Haji Yaakub with convert recipients; and Abdul Aziz handing over the donation to a recipient via drive-through. PHOTOS: LYNA MOHAMAD

Liverpool reel in Man City for another intense title tussle

MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM (AFP) – Liverpool and Manchester City are embroiled in another tense fight for the Premier League title with both sides having aspirations of multiple trophy-winning seasons in the final few months of the campaign.

City appeared to be cruising towards a fourth Premier League title in five seasons in mid-January as they sat 13 points clear at the top and 14 ahead of Liverpool.

Two months on, the gap is down to one point as Liverpool have made full use of two games in hand and rare slip-ups from the champions to set up another title race between two of the best sides the English football has ever known.

Pep Guardiola’s reign in Manchester and Jurgen Klopp’s revival of sleeping giant in Liverpool have seen the record books re-written.

Between them City and Liverpool have lifted the last four Premier League titles and at least one has reached three of the last four Champions League finals. Both sides have their eye on history-making trophy hauls that this season. Liverpool have already ended City’s four-year hold on the League Cup to claim the first silverware of the season.

Both sides are in FA Cup quarter-final action as City travel to Southampton tonight and Liverpool facing Nottingham Forest early on Monday.

After establishing an era of domestic dominance, City’s priority has to be on ending their quest to be crowned European champions.

”In the Premier League right now, we are leading,” said Guardiola on Friday. ”Everyone knows what we (have to) do. It is a marvellous challenge.”

No side has ever won a quadruple of Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup in the same season.

Only Manchester United in 1998/1999 have managed the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.

However, both sides have proven capable of breaking the barriers of what seemed possible in recent seasons.

Japan PM visits India for ‘candid’ talks on Ukraine

NEW DELHI (AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in India yesterday with officials in Tokyo predicting “candid discussions” about New Delhi’s unwillingness to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Unlike fellow members of the Quad alliance Japan, Australia and the United States, India has abstained in three United Nations (UN) votes deploring Moscow’s actions, calling only for a halt to the violence.

Earlier this month in a four-way call, Kishida, United States (US) President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison failed to convince India’s Narendra Modi to take a tougher line.

A joint Quad statement had said they “discussed the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications” – without any condemnation of Moscow.

A separate Indian readout pointedly “underlined that the Quad must remain focussed on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region”.

Ahead of Kishida’s visit, the first by a Japanese prime minister since 2017, a Foreign Ministry official said Tokyo was “aware” of Delhi’s historical ties to Russia and its geographical location.

“But at the same time we share fundamental values and strategic interests so naturally there will be candid discussions about how we view the Ukraine situation, and also expect to hear similar explanation from Prime Minister Modi,” the official told reporters without wishing to be named.

Brazil judge bans messaging app Telegram for ignoring ruling

SAO PAULO (AP) – A justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered the shutdown of messaging app Telegram nationwide, arguing it has not cooperated with authorities.

The move is a blow to President Jair Bolsonaro, who has more than one million followers on the platform and defends it as a key tool for his re-election bid in October.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said in his ruling that Telegram repeatedly ignored requests from Brazilian authorities, including a police request to block profiles and provide information linked to blogger Allan dos Santos, an ally of Bolsonaro’s accused of spreading falsehoods.

The justice added that Telegram has also failed to name a legal representative in Brazil, unlike its competitors.

Many of Bolsonaro’s supporters have turned to Telegram since the messaging app’s competitor WhatsApp changed its policies on message sharing. The president has often accused de Moraes and Brazil’s top court of rulings that go against freedom of speech.

De Moraes, who chairs a probe on misinformation in Brazilian social media, issued a warrant for dos Santos’ arrest last October. The activist, a fugitive now based in the United States (US), has remained active on Telegram, though.

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro looks at his cell phone as he arrives for a flag hoisting ceremony outside Alvorada palace, in Brasilia. PHOTO: AP

“The Telegram platform, at every possible opportunity, failed to heed judicial orders in a total disregard for the Brazilian judiciary,” de Moraes said in his ruling. He added the suggestion to shut down the app came from federal police.

Dos Santos said de Moraes’ decisions “are based solely on his will”.

“At some point he will have to stop or be stopped,” the blogger told Jovem Pan, a radio and TV channel which broadcasts Bolsonaro’s live transmissions every week. “I don’t believe the Brazilian people will accept these atrocities.”

The justice said in his ruling that “the complete and full suspension of the works of Telegram in Brazil will remain until the judicial decisions previously issued are carried out”.

De Moraes gave Apple, Google and Brazilian phone carriers five days to block Telegram from their platforms.

Bolsonaro and his allies have encouraged followers to join Telegram since January of 2021 – the same month former US President Donald Trump, an inspiration for the Brazilian leader, was permanently suspended from Twitter in the wake of the riot at Capitol Hill.

In January, Bolsonaro was asked by supporters what he thought about investigations into Telegram.

“It is cowardice what they are trying to do to Brazil,” he responded.

EDF to increase share capital to finance operations

PARIS (XINHUA) – French multinational electric utility company EDF announced on Friday an increase of the share capital of over EUR3.1 billion to finance their operations between 2022 and 2024.

EDF announced in a press release that current Rights holders will be entitled to buy new shares in the group.

“The capital increase we are launching today will allow the group to strengthen its balance sheet structure in the context of the events of early 2022, and the strategy to tackle climate change,” said CEO of the group Jean-Bernard Levy.

The French State owns 83.88 per cent of the share capital and 89.2 per cent of the voting rights, EDF stated, adding the State will commit to EUR2.7 billion for the company and the subscription of over 400 million new shares.

For 2022, due to their production of nuclear power while respecting the government measures to limit the increase of electricity bills, EDF anticipates a decrease of profits.

EDF logo is reflected on a window in Paris. PHOTO: AFP

MKM receives 750 ART kits

Fadley Faisal

The Brunei Council on Social Welfare (MKM) received a donation of 750 antigen rapid test (ART) kits from the Young Executive Programme Cohort-5 (YEP-5) and Cohort-6 (YEP-6) at the MKM Office in Kampong Anggerek Desa.

The donation, presented to MKM Brunei Vice-President 1 Hajah Juhana binti Haji Mohd Jaya, aimed to support the council’s efforts in aiding vulnerable and underprivileged families in the Sultanate, especially those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The YEP is a flagship programme of the Civil Service Leadership Pipeline developed to produce competent and capable leaders towards achieving civil service excellence.

“The ART kits will be distributed to our clients at the beginning of Ramadhan, together with the iftar food programme for 15 days of Ramadhan,” said Hajah Juhana.

MKM will hold its annual iftar food distribution for the needy in Brunei and Bangladesh, with the hope of distributing iftar food to 750 recipients in Brunei for 15 days of Ramadhan and to 1,000 recipients in Bangladesh throughout the month.

“We are currently fundraising for the iftar project. An iftar food pack in Brunei costs BND3 while in Bangladesh it costs BND1.50,” said Hajah Juhana.

Young Executive Programme Cohorts representatives handing over the antigen rapid test kits to Brunei Council on Social Welfare Vice-President 1 Hajah Juhana binti Haji Mohd Jaya. PHOTO: MKM

Candy wants fan involvement as race to buy Chelsea heats up

LONDON (AFP) – Nick Candy has vowed to involve Chelsea fans if the British property tycoon succeeds in buying the troubled Premier League club.

Candy is believed to have submitted a bid of over GBP2 billion (USD2.6 billion) for his boyhood team and promised to give fans a ‘golden share’ ownership stake.

Candy issued a statement in confirming his bid, vowing to write off the loan to Chelsea Pitch Owners to safeguard the Blues’ future at Stamford Bridge. The 49-year-old has promised a total renovation of the stadium. Candy has teamed up with firms Hana Financial Group and C&P Sports Group in his Blue Football Consortium.

”Chelsea is one of the most iconic and successful clubs in the world, with a rich heritage, global following, and a highly valuable brand,” Candy said.

”Football clubs are important community and cultural assets, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give football back to the fans and put them at the heart of the operations and strategy of a leading global football club.”

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Borneo Bulletin is the leading English daily in the country. It was first published by Brunei Press. Today, Borneo Bulletin has become the foremost source of information on local and foreign affairs, and the region’s business news.

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