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Cuomo says he is open to running again

NEW YORK (AP) – Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is contemplating a political comeback and dangling the possibility he may run for his former job just six months after he resigned amid sexual harassment allegations.

Cuomo gave a campaign-style speech on Thursday to a friendly audience of about 100 people in the Bronx, where he framed his fall from power as “cancel culture” run amok. The Democrat behaved like a candidate, posing for pictures with attendees and a baby.

Asked after his speech if he would run for office, Cuomo told reporters he is “open to all options”.

He wouldn’t say whether he was thinking about challenging his former lieutenant governor and successor Governor Kathy Hochul, but he ripped the state’s current governance during his speech.

Cuomo, who quit in his third term, indicated he was open to possibly gathering enough petition signatures to get on the ballot in the general election, a step that would allow him to bypass the Democratic primary in June.

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a meeting. PHOTO: AP

“I know how to get on the ballot, I did it a couple times,” Cuomo told reporters.

“The election isn’t until November. So there’s a lot of time to gather petitions, depending on how you want to run.”

Cuomo resigned from office in August after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.

He denied allegations he touched women inappropriately and claimed his accusers had misconstrued comments he’d intended to be friendly banter.

Two teams of lawyers, one hired by Attorney General Letitia James and the other working for the state Assembly, said they found the harassment allegations credible. The attorney general released a report that concluded he had harassed 11 women.

At the same minute Cuomo was scheduled to start speaking on Thursday, James tweeted that “too often workers endure unlawful advances that put their lives and livelihood at risk”.

“Under my office, sexual harassment will never be tolerated. We will continue to fight for brave women who share their stories,” she said.

The former governor did not directly address the specific allegations on Thursday or make any apologies. He accused “extremists” in the Democratic Party of orchestrating his downfall because they felt he was standing in their way.

“There are people who wanted to run against me. They wanted my job. And they used this opportunity to help themselves politically,” he said.

He also blamed “cancel culture” for the firing of his brother, former CNN host Chris Cuomo, and called out by name the top corporate leaders of the network’s ownership group.

Chris Cuomo was ousted in December after a report from James’ office showed how the journalist advised his brother to fight the harassment allegations.

The harassment allegations were not the only controversy he faced when he resigned.

A report by the attorney general found his administration undercounted the COVID-19 death toll of New Yorkers in nursing homes by thousands.

Thailand to scrap pre-travel COVID-19 test to boost tourism

BANGKOK (AFP) – Travellers to Thailand will no longer have to take a Covid-19 test before boarding the plane, under plans announced yesterday as part of efforts to reboot the kingdom’s pandemic-battered tourism sector.

From April 1, the requirement to take a negative test within 72 hours of travel will be scrapped, and instead visitors will be tested on arrival in Thailand, spokesman for the country’s Covid-19 task force Taweesin Visanuyothin said.

Draconian travel curbs helped Thailand limit Covid-19 case numbers and deaths in the early stages of the pandemic, but hammered its crucial tourism industry, which accounts for about a fifth of the country’s economy.

Thailand is currently recording around 25,000 new cases of Covid a day as the Omicron variant spreads around the country, but officials hope this will tail off in time for them to move to a “post-pandemic” phase from July.

Seeking to bounce back from its worst economic performance since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Thailand has gradually eased travel restrictions over the past nine months.

A medical assistant waits to test arriving passengers for Covid-19 at Phuket International Airport. PHOTO: AFP

Messi left to pick up pieces at PSG after jeers and Champions League failure

PARIS (AFP) – A season that started with such feverish excitement is turning out to be nothing short of a fiasco in Paris for Lionel Messi, who suffered the ignominy of being booed by his own supporters last weekend.

Unhappy Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans targetted the Argentine as well as Neymar during the 3-0 win over Bordeaux that followed the club’s spectacular Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid.

“We understand their disappointment, their feeling of hatred,” admitted PSG defender
Presnel Kimpembe.

Adored in Barcelona, from where he made a tearful exit last August, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner suddenly found himself in a position he had never previously experienced during his remarkable club career.

The 34-year-old still has 10 games left with PSG this season, including tomorrow’s trip to Monaco, but he could be forgiven for wishing the campaign were already over.

In some respects it is, given PSG have again failed to win the Champions League.

PSG’s Lionel Messi controls the ball. PHOTO: AP

When Messi was unveiled at the Parc des Princes at the start of the season he admitted winning another European Cup was his “dream” and said he felt he was in the “ideal place” to do it.

It was not to be, at least this season, and Messi will be 35 by the time the next campaign begins. Instead all he can look forward to for now is winning the Ligue 1 title.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team are currently 15 points clear of Marseille and Nice, and surely PSG cannot throw that advantage away.

In any case, reclaiming the domestic title will be a very hollow victory for a club who enjoy such an enormous financial advantage over their rivals – Messi’s salary alone is reported to be around USD33.4 million net in his first season in Paris.

The player who is arguably the best of all time has failed to come remotely close to the form he produced so regularly in Barcelona.

He has just seven goals in all competitions this season, only two of which have come in Ligue 1 – in contrast he scored at least 31 goals in each of his last 13 seasons at the Camp Nou.

A campaign that started late due to his lack of a pre-season was also interrupted in the middle when he tested positive for COVID-19 during a trip back to Argentina.

Messi has therefore missed significant chunks, and the flashes of his genius have been too fleeting.

There has already been speculation in France that he could seek a move away from Paris, but for now he must try to focus on what is left of the season and the remaining games alongside Kylian Mbappe before the France superstar’s expected departure for Real Madrid.

StanChart Securities introduces new fund from Fullerton

Standard Chartered Securities, in partnership with Fullerton Fund Management hosted a webinar for its clients yesterday.

Standard Chartered Securities CEO Brenda Low, said, “With global events happening around the globe affecting market volatility, Standard Chartered Securities is committed to helping our clients stay invested by offering advice on diversification of their portfolio and to seek opportunities where they may present themselves.

“At times like these, we believe how you react is key towards your long-term investment returns, so staying invested is a critical message we aim to deliver to our clients. In the sea of red, it is understandable that anxiety will set in. However, it also offers opportunity to increase our investments as the market goes on sale.”

During the webinar, Standard Chartered Securities introduced its latest unit trust fund offering the Fullerton Short Term Interest Rate fund which seeks stable Singapore dollar returns in a diversified high quality bonds portfolio to help hedge against inflation.

Representatives from Fullerton Fund Management were on hand to present on the fund strategy while Standard Chartered Securities Senior Investment Counsellor Hazwan Kamarulzaman shared the market outlook.

ABOVE & BELOW: Standard Chartered Securities CEO Brenda Low with Standard Chartered Securities and Fullerton Fund management representatives at the webinar. PHOTOS: SCB

China weighs exit from ‘zero-COVID’ and risks involved

BEIJING (AP) – Even as authorities lock down cities in China’s worst outbreak in two years, they are looking for an exit from what has been a successful but onerous COVID-19 prevention strategy.

A study, interviews with Chinese public health staff and recent public messaging by government-affiliated experts indicate that China is exploring ways of slowly easing its zero-tolerance approach – with the emphasis on slowly.

The latest sign came on Monday in an essay published by Zhang Wenhong, an infectious disease specialist who is part of Shanghai’s COVID-19 response team and known as China’s “Dr Fauci” – after United States (US) government expert Anthony Fauci – for his public health messaging during the pandemic.

Zhang wrote in the Chinese business news outlet Caixin that the public needs to know the virus is becoming less deadly if people are vaccinated and their health isn’t already compromised. “Dispelling the terror toward it is a step we must take,” the essay said.

“We should carve a very clear path and not spend all our time debating whether we should continue zero COVID or coexist (with the virus),” Zhang wrote.

Change does not appear imminent, with more than 15,000 new cases this month in multiple outbreaks across the country, as well as an even larger one that has shaken Hong Kong. For now, the government is sticking with the tried-and-true policy of lockdowns, repeated mass testing of millions of people and a two-week or more quarantine for overseas arrivals.

When it does come, any change will all but certainly be gradual and cautious. Opening up carries risks, because the country’s success in protecting people from COVID-19 means many don’t have antibodies to fight the virus from previous infection. Moreover, China is using only domestically developed vaccines that are less effective than Pfizer’s and other widely used ones.

A fast-spreading variant known as ‘stealth Omicron’ is testing China’s zero-tolerance strategy. PHOTO: AP

“Given the still relatively low infection rate, the lack of the natural immunity and also the ineffectiveness of the vaccines in preventing infections, … this is guaranteed to invite another wave of attack,” said public health expert at the Council on Foreign Relations in the US Yanzhong Huang.

Chinese officials are paying close attention, though, as other countries relax mask mandates and other restrictions, and investigating just when and how to make the tricky transition. On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping acknowledged the toll of the stringent measures, saying China should seek “maximum effect” with “minimum cost” in controlling the virus, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

A first step could be allowing more international flights – which have been sharply curbed since the pandemic – and reducing the quarantine for arriving passengers to one week from as many as 21 days in cities such as Beijing.

A weekly bulletin of news and research from China’s Center for Disease Control published a paper last week outlining potential ways to ease the zero-COVID policy.

The paper suggested reducing the mandatory quarantine for incoming travellers to seven days, saying it would still screen out most cases as the virus can be detected more quickly now, and that China’s health system is robust enough to handle any that slip through the cracks.

The authors make clear that eliminating all measures such as quarantines for all arrivals is not on the table. Their models show that a total easing of restrictions could lead to over 10 million cases in southeastern Guangdong province alone, though that’s based on the Delta variant, and not the more transmissible Omicron that has become predominant.

A government researcher, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said that the evidence points to a “suppression strategy” as the next transition point. That means a seven-day quarantine, for example, rather than an unrestricted opening up.

Public health experts caution that the discussion of easing “zero-COVID” has been sporadic and preliminary, and that no timeline has been set.

“It’s a concept paper, not really a detailed plan,” said epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong Ben Cowling. He added he had yet to hear of any coordinated government movement toward easing restrictions, “just single experts from time to time raising the idea.”

Huang at the Council on Foreign Relations said he had heard of discussions about “pivoting away” from zero-COVID several months ago, but that the recent wave in Hong Kong has led policymakers to wait until “the dust settles.”

Lampard breaks hand celebrating late Everton win

LIVERPOOL (AFP) – Everton manager Frank Lampard broke his hand amidst wild celebrations of Alex Iwobi’s 99th-minute strike to beat Newcastle 1-0 and lift the 10-man Toffees three points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

A second-half interruption caused by a protestor tying himself to a goal post and a VAR review which led to Allan seeing red meant there were 14 minutes of added time at Goodison Park.

And it was Lampard’s men who took advantage as Dominic Calvert-Lewin teed up Iwobi to score the biggest goal of his much-maligned Everton career since a GBP40 million (USD52 million) move from Arsenal three years ago.

“I’ve broken my hand in the celebrations,” said Lampard, showing off a big bruise on his left hand.

“It was a bit sore and a bit shaky but I don’t care.”

Just a second win in 12 league games was also met with jubilant celebrations at full-time with the financial implications of relegation dire for Everton.

Everton’s head coach Frank Lampard. PHOTO: AP

“The whole evening was a big night for us. Nothing is done, we have 11 games to go now but we were all waiting for this moment,” added Lampard.

“A night of fight, togetherness and that all exploded around the stadium when we scored.”
When this fixture was postponed in late December due to an outbreak of coronavirus cases, it was Newcastle who were rooted in the bottom three.

However, the Magpies’ defeat at Chelsea on Sunday was their first in 10 games as the investment of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund has made an instant impact in their first transfer window.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, a boyhood Everton fan, described this game as the biggest for the Toffees in 20 years given the consequences of going down.

The club are in the process of building a GBP500 million new stadium, due to open in 2024, and have already lost the sponsorship of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov after he was hit by sanctions from the United Kingdom government.

Usmanov’s long-term business partner and Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has pumped in over GBP500 million in signings since taking charge in 2016.

The Blues have precious little to show for that investment as a succession of managers have struggled to match Moshiri’s expectations.

An intense start from the hosts quickly fizzled out as Newcastle had the better of the first-half without creating many good chances.

Chris Wood headed straight at Asmir Begovic, while Fabian Schar nearly caught out the Bosnian with a free-kick from inside his own half.

The flow of a scrappy game was further interrupted by it taking seven minutes to free the protestor against fossil fuels from the post.

Spotlight on community support to combat social problems

Izah Azahari

Celebrating World Social Work Day is aimed at integrating all social networks and communities to spread the 2022 theme, ‘Co-building A New Eco-Social World: The importance of community support in dealing with social problems’.

This was said by Pantai Jerudong Specialist Centre (PJSC) Medical Director Dr Meera Saheeb Kabeer in a keynote address during the virtual forum held in conjunction with World Social Work Day organised by PJSC yesterday.

The forum was held to share the importance of community support in dealing with social problems and understanding the various organisations and individuals that are intimately involved in supporting vulnerable groups in Brunei, Dr Kabeer added.

“The forum will be a platform for the initiative to engage all communities to share their views which will help to understand the root cause in Brunei, and help them to live a dignified life,” Dr Kabeer said, adding that the forum will also highlight how environmental factors could influence an individual’s development and behaviour, as well as how healthcare facilities and eco-social work should go hand in hand to achieve the goal.

Continuing the event was a discussion by panellists counsellor and motivator Haji Ali Yusri, La Vida Sdn Bhd Manager Dawn Lee, Mobile Dream Catcher Project Manager Georgiana, Adit binti Haji Abu Bakar of Rakan Harmoni, PJSC Medical Social Work Department Head Siti Fairuz binti Abdul Latiff, and Project Women Brunei Executive Director Nur Judy Abdullah, who shared their various experiences and the underlying issues leading to social problems during the
virtual forum.

PJSC Chief Religious Teacher Haji Ishkandar bin Haji Buntar moderated the forum.

The event’s main objective was to raise public awareness on social problems and their challenges as well as the impact of stigma around people with social problems, along with how the community should respond or help to better support people facing social problems.

It also aimed to help the community understand what is happening, and what support vulnerable groups need from family, friends and the community.

PJSC Medical Director Dr Meera Saheeb Kabeer
Forum panellists. PHOTOS: IZAH AZAHARI

Disparity in progress

Danial Norjidi

A new report by the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) was recently released, providing analyses on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Asia and the Pacific and its five subregions.

The Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2022: Widening Disparities Amid COVID-19 issued by ESCAP on March 17, also examines inequalities and vulnerabilities among different population groups, while also assessing gaps which must be closed to achieve the goals by 2030 and leave no one behind.

A press statement from ESCAP notes that the need to reach those who are furthest behind has never been greater. The report finds that average progress in the region disproportionately excludes some groups with distinct demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Those furthest behind, including women, persons with disabilities, rural populations and poorer households, are also facing increased vulnerabilities. For many vulnerable populations, food security, education and livelihoods have also deteriorated during the pandemic.

According to the report, the challenges of achieving the SDGs in the region have been magnified in recent years by an increase in the frequency and intensity of human made crises and natural disasters, as well as the challenges of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Progress towards the SDGs in the Asia-Pacific region has slowed as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have exacerbated development challenges. The region is not on track to achieve any of the 17 SDGs,” said the report.

“The vision and ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are no less critical and relevant than they were in 2015, yet the expected year for the achievement of the SDGs is now 2065, and the gap grows wider with each passing year. The Asia-Pacific region is now facing the economic impact of the crisis and the risk that progress will slow down even more in the coming years as environmental and social targets are compromised. That outcome can be avoided if the region steps up and embraces the SDGs as a road map for an inclusive, equitable and just recovery.”

The report said that the inequity of progress towards the SDGs is evidenced in the lives of vulnerable population groups throughout Asia and the Pacific who are most at risk of being left behind. “Slow progress, stagnation and regression against the SDG targets continue to place the greatest burden on those who are furthest behind.”

It was shared that although the climate crisis has become more acute, the region has regressed on responsible consumption and production (Goal 12) and climate action (Goal 13). As the press statement elaborated, “While headway has been made on some of the targets dealing with industry, innovation, and infrastructure (Goal 9) and affordable and clean energy (Goal 7), they still fall short of the pace required to meet the 2030 Agenda. Across the region, progress has been very slow or even stagnant on quality education (Goal 4), gender equality (Goal 5), clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), decent work and economic growth (Goal 8), sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11), and life below water (Goal 14).”

The report highlights that leaving no one behind, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, location, disability or migratory status, remains the central commitment of the 2030 Agenda, and the need to reach those who are furthest behind has never been greater.

“Average progress in Asia and the Pacific disproportionately excludes some groups with distinct demographic or socioeconomic characteristics. Those furthest behind, including women, rural populations and poorer households, generally face more vulnerabilities. For many vulnerable populations, food security, education and livelihoods have deteriorated during the pandemic.”

One third of the global population of child refugees live in the Asia-Pacific region, and the pandemic has added to the challenges they face. The intersection of poverty and climate change often impacts the livelihoods of women, who account for the majority of agriculture sector workers in some areas.

The report said its analysis shows that more must be done to expand social protection for vulnerable populations, including persons with severe disabilities, and to improve the labour market prospects of people with disabilities.

Amid the disturbing trends, the report also highlights some good news for the region, noting that the number of SDG indicators with data available have doubled since 2017. Collaboration between national and international custodian agencies has significantly contributed to enhancing the availability of data.

“While data availability has improved since 2017 (the number of indicators with data has doubled), 57 out of 169 targets (34 per cent) still cannot be measured. Data availability on gender equality (Goal 5), life below water (Goal 14) and peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16) remains somewhat limited. Cooperation between national and international custodian agencies for SDG indicators have significantly contributed to SDG data availability and must continue to close the remaining gaps in the data.”

“More investment and technical cooperation are needed to ensure timeliness and sustainability in conducting household surveys as the main source for nearly one third of the SDG indicators. Enhanced national coordination and data sharing and integration must be prioritised to harness the full potential of administrative data (including civil registration and vital statistics) for the SDGs,” said the report.

The Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2022: Widening Disparities Amid COVID-19 is the flagship annual publication produced by ESCAP, in partnership with 10 other UN agencies, that uses the latest data for global SDG indicators to determine where additional effort is needed in the region and where momentum for future progress is building.

UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana said, “A better understanding of development outcomes for distinct population groups and intersecting vulnerabilities is key to a fairer recovery. The SDGs cannot be achieved without protecting the most vulnerable, many of whom have been particularly affected by the pandemic.”

World Food Programme says food supply chains ‘falling apart’ in Ukraine

GENEVA (CNA) – A World Food Programme (WFP) official said yesterday food supply chains in Ukraine were collapsing, with a portion of infrastructure destroyed and many grocery stores and warehouses empty.

“The country’s food supply chain is falling apart. Movements of goods have slowed down due to insecurity and the reluctance of drivers,” WFP Emergency Coordinator for the Ukraine crisis Jakob Kern told a Geneva press briefing by videolink from Poland.

He also expressed concern about the situation in “encircled cities” such as Mariupol, saying that food and water supplies were running out and that its convoys had been unable to enter the city.

WFP buys nearly half of its wheat supplies from Ukraine and Kern said that the crisis there since the Russian invasion on February 24 pushed up food prices sharply.

“With global food prices at an all-time high, WFP is also concerned about the impact of the Ukraine crisis on food security globally, especially hunger hot spots,” he said, warning of “collateral hunger” in other places.

The agency is paying USD71 million a month extra for food this year due to both inflation and the Ukraine crisis, he said, adding that such an amount would cover the food supplies for four million people.

“We are changing suppliers now but that has an impact on prices,” he said. “The further away you buy it, the more expensive it gets.”

Company fined for littering

Daniel Lim

The Enforcement Division of the Kuala Belait and Seria Municipal Board issued a BND500 compound fine to a local company on March 16 for disposing construction waste including pieces of wood and materials in a public area at X-17, Jalan Maulana, Kuala Belait.

The compound fine was issued under Section 12 (1)(f)(ii), Chapter 30 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act (formerly Minor Offences Act).

The company has been given seven days to settle the fine. Failure to do so will result in the case being forwarded to the courts.

If found guilty, the accused will be handed a further BND1,000 fine or a month’s imprisonment. Subsequent offences will see a penalty of BND3,000 fine or imprisonment of no more than three months.

The Kuala Belait and Seria Municipal Board reminded the public and business owners to ensure the cleanliness of their surroundings.

Officers of the Enforcement Division of the Kuala Belait and Seria Municipal Board conduct patrols to ensure that trash is disposed at designated areas.

Complaints can be lodged to the Enforcement Division, Kuala Belait and Seria Municipal Board’s hotline at 3330789 or 3330780, (ext 215).

ABOVE & BELOW: Photos show pieces of wood and materials disposed in public places. PHOTOS: KUALA BELAIT AND SERIA MUNICIPAL BOARD

 

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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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