James Kon
Six individuals were issued compound fines for violating the directive to stay at home during 10pm to 4am, said Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar during yesterday’s daily press conference. Local offenders Jaliha binti Haij Abu Bakar, Zaidi bin Ismail, Nurhaizah Hanisha binti Hazman, Nur Amirah binti Karia, and Ratino bin Abdullah Litoh as well as foreign offender Sharif Kazi were caught in the Brunei-Muara District.
LONDON (AP) – England’s National Health Service (NHS) is building temporary structures at hospitals around the country to prepare for a possible surge of COVID-19 patients as the highly transmissible Omicron variant fuels a new wave of infections.
The United Kingdom reported a record 183,037 confirmed new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, 32 per cent more than the previous day.
While early data suggests Omicron is less likely to cause serious illness than earlier variants, public health officials think the sheer number of infections could lead to a jump in hospitalisations and deaths.
In response, the NHS will begin setting up “surge hubs” this week at eight hospitals around England, each with the capacity to treat about 100 patients. Staff are preparing plans to create as many as 4,000 “super surge” beds should they be needed, the NHS said yesterday.
“We do not yet know exactly how many of those who catch the virus will need hospital treatment, but given the number of infections we cannot wait to find out before we act, and so work is beginning from today to ensure these facilities are in place,” NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis said in a statement.
The number of people in England hospitalised with COVID-19 increased to 10,462 on Wednesday from 7,366 on December 24, government figures show. Wednesday’s number was the highest since March 1. The figure is still well below the peak of 34,336 recorded on January 18.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resisted implementing new restrictions on business and social interactions during the holiday season, instead emphasising an expanded vaccine booster programme to control the spread of Omicron.
Fadley Faisal
The Magistrate’s Court yesterday handed a four years’ jail sentence to a local man for auto thefts after considering a long list of previous convictions along with mischief and drugs offences from 2007 to 2018.
Mohd Yasmin bin Mohd Yussof, 36, pleaded guilty to three charges of stealing vehicles.
DPP Hajah Rozaimah binti Haji Abdul Rahman revealed that the defendant stole a van from Simpang 5, Jalan Gadong sometime between August 14 and 15.
The defendant also stole a car from an office in Kampong Menglait sometime between October 31 and November 1.
With the aid of another person, the defendant stole another vehicle from a flathouse in Kampong Berangan sometime between November 25 and 26.
The owners lodged police reports on realising their vehicles had gone missing and led to the defendant’s arrest.
Azlan Othman
The Royal Brunei Police Force is seeking a 43-year-old Bangladeshi Ali Hossain (pic below) who had run away from his employer. His passport bears the number BR0596753.
Those with information can contact the Berakas Police Station at 2330412 or police hotline 993.
ROME (AP) – An Italian court has ordered Costa Crociere cruise line to pay EUR92,700 (USD105,000) to a passenger who was aboard the Costa Concordia when it crashed and capsized off Tuscany in 2012, in one of the few civil lawsuits to have reached a verdict against the company.
The Genoa court recognised that passenger Ernesto Carusotti suffered post-traumatic stress as a result of the disaster, which killed 32 people, according to the Codacons consumer group which represented him.
Costa, which is part of the United States (US)-based Carnival Corp, declined to comment
on Wednesday.
Some 4,200 passengers and crew were aboard the Concordia when it slammed into a reef January 13, 2012, off Tuscany’s Giglio island. The captain, Francesco Schettino, is serving a 16-year prison sentence after he was convicted of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning the vessel.
Prosecutors say Schettino intentionally brought the ship too close to shore in a stunt, and then abandoned the listing liner while passengers and crew were still aboard.
During Schettino’s trial, Costa told the Florence court it had paid out EUR84 million in compensation to passengers, crew and relatives of the 32 dead, according to Italian media reports at the time. But a small percentage of people refused the compensation package and pursued lawsuits.
According to Codacons, Genoa Judge Paolo Gibelli ruled that Costa Crociere was liable not only for the shipwreck itself but for the traumatic experience that Carusotti suffered.
It ordered Costa pay Carusotti EUR77,000 in damages plus EUR15,692 in legal fees.
In a statement, Codacons said the award was a “very important victory” since it showed the “total incongruity” of Costa’s compensation package to most of the victims.
Lyna Mohamad
Two first prize winners of the Khat Competition (National Level) 2021 – Muhammad Nazir bin Haji Othman and Khairol Helmy bin Abdullah – received BND2,000 each during a prize presentation ceremony organised by the Islamic Calligraphy and Arts Studies Centre of Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (PPKKI-YSHHB) at the multipurpose hall of its building complex in the capital yesterday.
Muhammad Nazir won first place in the traditional category, while Khairol Helmy came in top spot of the contemporary category.
Meanwhile, in the traditional category, Muhammad Riziman bin Haji Usin came in second, followed by Mohammad Adiyusnira bin Haji Johari in third. Muhammad Azizi bin Haji Mohd Jamil and Saiful Nasri bin Haji Sabri received consolation prizes.
In the contemporary category, Haidi Sewardi bin Haji Mohidi came in second, followed by Haji Zamady bin Haji Mohammad in third. Mohammad Syafi’ie bin Shahram and Mohammad Ali Saifullah bin Haji Mohammad Alisam received consolation prizes.
The second prize winners for both categories received BND1,500 each, the third prize winners BND1,000 each and consolation at BND500 each.
Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof as the guest of honour handed over the cash prizes in his capacity as Chairman of the Yayasan Board of Directors.
Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar as Deputy Chairman of the Yayasan Board of Directors and Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Pengiran Dato Seri Paduka Haji Bahrom bin Pengiran Haji Bahar as board member and PPKKI-YSHHB Administrative Board Chairperson were also present.
The event also saw Permanent Secretary (Planning, Land Use and Environment) at the Ministry of Development Dr Nor Imtihan binti Haji Abdul Razak as Acting Managing Director of YSHHB and PPKKI-YSHHB Administrative Board Deputy Chairperson, along with administrative members and senior officers of YSHHB.
The competition, held from September 20 to November 30, saw 12 entries for the traditional category and 38 entries for the contemporary category.
The event aimed to identify and highlight local talents in calligraphy at national, regional and international levels, as well as to produce masters of the Islamic arts among Muslim youth, in line with PPKKI-YSHHB’s aim to dignify Jawi writing, particularly Islamic calligraphy.
The showcase will be available for public viewing at the lobby area of Block C, Yayasan Complex for one week, in support of the Brunei December Festival 2021 initiated by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.
Winner Muhammad Nazir expressed his gratitude in being chosen as one of the first prize winners, owing it to his supportive instructors and family members who provided him a space to work on his artworks, which he said, was not an easy task considering the time given was only a month.
“Alhamdulillah, my wife also helped me by evaluating my work,” he said, adding that it is important to have blessings and prayers from parents, which he believed was one of the factors in winning the competition.
Meanwhile, winner Khairol Helmy said before he started on his art work, he did a lot of research including references from friends. This helped him to create an idea for his art work.
Support from his family also kept him motivated all the way.
He also expressed gratitude for the knowledge and skills gained from the workshops he attended locally and abroad.
TORONTO (AP) – Coronavirus infections set new one-day highs in six Canadian provinces Wednesday, prompting several provinces to impose more restrictions in hopes of containing the spread of the Omicron variant.
The biggest jumps were in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, which are the country’s most populous provinces. Quebec reported more than 13,000 new cases in the previous 24 hours, Ontario had 10,436 and British Columbia listed 2,944.
Manitoba, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador also set new records. Manitoba reported 947 new infections, which broke the previous high of 825 set just a day earlier. Alberta said it had 2,775 and Newfoundland and Labrador reported 312.
British Columbia announced it is delaying the full return to classrooms after the holiday break to give school staff time to implement enhanced health measures. Staff and students whose parents are health workers will return to schools on January 3 or 4 as planned. All other students return on January 10.
Officials in Newfoundland and Labrador said its schools would shift to remote learning after the holiday break.
Daniel Lim
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) yesterday held a ceremony to officiate the completion of the funeral rites room construction at Kampong Sungai Teraban Mosque as part of the RBAF’s Titian Amal Project. RBAF Commander Major General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat was the guest of honour.
The construction, which began on March 23 and completed by June 4, was led by the Combat Engineers Squadron, Support Battalion Royal Brunei Land Force (CES, Sp Bn RBLF) and sponsored by Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP).
Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) Haji Mohammad Serudin bin Haji Timbang, Legislative Council (LegCo) member and Penghulu of Mukim Liang Yang Berhormat Haji Abdul Hamid bin Haji Mumin, BSP Corporate Manager Haji Jaafar bin Haji Bakar, Commander of the RBLF Brigadier General Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan, as well as RBAF senior officers also attended the ceremony.
The event began with a recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and a speech by CES, Sp Bn RBLF Commanding Officer and project chairman Major Muhammad Rafie bin Haji Abdul Wahid.
Major Muhammad Rafie said the construction cost totalled at BND6,904.95, with BND4,000 contributed by BSP while the rest were from the RBAF Welfare Fund.
The commanding officer said the project was the result of a fruitful discussion between the RBLF and Kampong Sungai Teraban residents and Imam of the mosque, with the aim to facilitate and provide comfort to the residents as the mosque previously did not have a designated zone for funeral rites.
“We hope it will provide an everlasting benefit to the residents as we fulfil one of our roles and responsibilities of helping the surrounding community and residents.”
The event continued with the handing over of the plaque from the BSP Corporate Manager to Major General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah, and then to Haji Mohammad Serudin, to signify the transfer of ownership of the funeral rites building to the mosque.
LONDON (AFP) – Manchester City beat Brentford 1-0 early yesterday to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to an ominous eight points as title rivals Chelsea conceded a last-gasp equaliser at home to Brighton.
Phil Foden’s first-half goal was enough to give Pep Guardiola’s champions a 10th consecutive league win as they took full advantage of injury-hit Chelsea’s slip-up at Stamford Bridge.
The defending champions now have 50 points after 20 matches, putting them eight clear of second-placed Chelsea.
Liverpool, who lost to Leicester on Wednesday, are a further point behind.
The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged English football’s fixture list, leaving some clubs needing to play catch-up, but 2021 will end with City out on their own.
Brentford threatened in the opening stages in west London, but City took the lead in the 16th minute when Foden cleverly tucked in a pinpoint cross from Kevin De Bruyne.
Foden and Jack Grealish were left out of the starting XI for City’s wins over Newcastle and Leicester after they were pictured on a night out following the 7-0 home victory over Leeds.
But the England pair were back on the teamsheet yesterday and Foden’s goal made it a perfect 10 out of 10 for City.
Despite their dominance of possession, the visitors mustered just three shots on target in the entire game and Guardiola looked edgy in the latter stages as his team attempted to see out the victory.
They thought they had sealed the three points in the dying minutes when Aymeric Laporte rose to head home but his goal was ruled out by VAR for a marginal offside.
Guardiola, who hailed the “exceptional” Foden, refused to be complacent despite his side’s huge lead at the top of the Premier League.
“There are 54 points to play for,” he told the BBC. “It is not expected to have this distance for eight and nine, but Liverpool play one game less. But it is 54 points.
“In December no one is champion. We are going to lose games. I see in my mind Arsenal, Chelsea, Southampton coming. I cannot say more than congratulations to the team but we must focus.”
CHELSEA PAIN
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, who kicked off 45 minutes before City, looked poised for victory after Romelu Lukaku headed them into a first-half lead but Brighton substitute Danny Welbeck struck in stoppage time for a 1-1 draw.
Chelsea wing-back Reece James limped off in the 27th minute with a hamstring injury, to be replaced by Marcos Alonso.
The home side went ahead immediately, when Lukaku shook off the attentions of Neal Maupay after a tussle to power a header past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from a Mason Mount corner.
But Graham Potter’s side came back strongly, with Adam Lallana and the impressive Yves Bissouma testing Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy either side of half-time.
It looked as though it was going to be a familiar story for Brighton, who have struggled to score this season, but substitute Welbeck had other ideas, heading home Marc Cucurella’s cross in the 91st minute.
Tuchel counted the cost of further injuries to an already stretched squad after James limped off and Andreas Christensen had to be substituted at half-time.
The club announced on Tuesday that left wing-back Ben Chilwell faced surgery on a knee injury and defender Thiago Silva missed the Brighton game due to a thigh complaint.
“Very frustrating, of course very disappointing because we gave everything and we had enough big chances to decide the match,” Tuchel told Amazon Prime.
“It was a very intense match and we have another two changes because of injuries (James and Christensen) so in the dressing room they are completely, completely exhausted but it is the same subject every single matchday now.”
City travel to face fourth-placed Arsenal tomorrow knowing a win would take them 11 points clear of Chelsea, who host Liverpool the following day.
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (AP) – United States (US) navy vessels seized 385 kilogrammes of heroin in the Arabian Sea worth some USD4 million, in a major bust by the international maritime operation in the region, officials said yesterday.
The USS Tempest and USS Typhoon seized the drugs hidden aboard a stateless fishing vessel plying Mideast waters, the international task force said in a statement. The seizure took place on Monday.
The Navy said the fishing vessel likely came from Iran. All nine crew members identified themselves as Iranian nationals, according to Commander Timothy Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet.
He did not elaborate on who manufactured the drugs or their ultimate destination.
As the task force ramps up regional patrols, it has confiscated illegal drugs worth over USD193 million during operations at sea this year – more than the amount of drugs seized in the last four years combined, its statement said.
Heroin is trafficked to the Middle East and even Europe by land from Iran and Afghanistan through well-worn land routes in the Balkans, Southern Caucasus mountains or Saudi Arabia, according to last year’s United Nations (UN) Global Synthetic Drugs Assessment. Smugglers from Iran have increasingly taken to sea to bring heroin into South Asia, the report added, with Iranian and Pakistani sailors often arrested near Sri Lanka.
Iran’s porous 1,923 kilometre-long eastern border with Afghanistan, the world’s largest producer of opium, has turned it into a key transit country for the illicit drug trade.
