TOKYO (AP) – European benchmarks opened mixed, with London’s FTSE 100 at nearly a two-year high, after Asian shares mostly finished lower yesterday.
France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.1 per cent in early trading to 7,190.22, while Germany’s DAX slipped 0.2 per cent to 15,935.45.
Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 1.1 per cent to 7,449.16 – its highest level since February 2020, amid optimism that the Omicron coronavirus variant may prove to be milder than earlier versions of the virus.
United States (US) shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures gaining 0.1 per cent to 36,329.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2 per cent to 4,788.25.
In Asian trading, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.6 per cent to finish at 28,906.88.
South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.9 per cent to 2,993.29, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.2 per cent to 7,509.80. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.8 per cent to 23,086.54, and the Shanghai Composite shed 0.9 per cent to 3,597.00.
A man walks past an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo. PHOTO: AP
Although Asia has relatively few reported infection cases of the Omicron variant compared to the US and Europe, fears are growing that omicron will spread quickly once it gets going. The vaccination rate is about 80 per cent in Japan, but booster shots have barely gotten started.
“The wider point is that regardless of how ‘variant risks’ play out, the process of emerging from the COVID tunnel will be fraught with more heat than light,” meaning problems such as “impediments to unfettered global travel”, which will hobble any recovery, Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Bank said in a report.
Much is still uncertain about Omicron, which is spreading extremely quickly and leading to a return to pandemic restrictions in some places.
The variant is quickly becoming the dominant strain throughout the world.
While virus-related lockdowns and travel restrictions remain a big concern, most big investors have closed out their positions for 2021 and are likely to hold their ground until next week.
In energy trading, benchmark US crude gained 18 cents to USD76.16 a barrel from USD75.98. Brent crude, the international standard, added 28 cents to USD79.22 a barrel.
In currency trading, the US dollar rose to JPY114.97 from JPY114.81. The euro cost EUR1.1279, down from EUR1.1310.
CAIRO (AP) – Sudanese authorities said at least 38 people were killed when a defunct gold mine collapsed in West Kordofan province.
The country’s state-run mining company said in a statement the collapse of the closed, non-functioning mine took place in the village of Fuja 700 kilometres south of the capital of Khartoum.
It said there were also injuries without giving a specific tally.
Local media reported that several shafts collapsed at the Darsaya mine, and that besides the dead at least eight injured people were taken to a local hospital.
The mining company posted images on Facebook showing villagers gathering at the site as at least two dredgers worked to find possible survivors and bodies.
Other images showed people preparing traditional graves to bury the dead.
The company said the mine was not functional but local miners returned to work it after security forces guarding the site left the area.
PARIS (AFP) – Remnants of industrial chemicals in the air can potentially transform into new substances more toxic and persistent than the original pollution, according to a global study published recently.
Using samples gathered around the world, the study published in Nature found that these previously unidentified products are present in the atmospheres of 18 big cities including Lagos, New York, Tokyo and Warsaw.
Regulatory guidelines like those listed in the Stockholm Convention assess the danger of different chemical pollutants based on how long they remain in the environment, how toxic they are and to what degree they contaminate living things.
But, the study noted, this approach has been limited to a list of known substances and does not take into account how they may change as they break down.
The research proposes a new framework using laboratory tests and computer simulation to predict what chemicals will arise as products interact with the air and how toxic they will be.
Study main author John Liggio, a research scientist for Environment Canada, worked with a team to test the framework on nine flame-retardant chemicals most commonly found in the atmosphere.
“They are chemicals that are added to a large variety of materials to delay the onset of fire,” Liggio told AFP. In a laboratory, they observed how these chemicals changed over time when in contact with oxidants in the air and found that they gave rise to 186 different substances.
Comparing these new substances with field samples, they found 19 derived from the five most common flame retardants.
None of the 19 had ever been identified in the ambient atmosphere before.
The team then used computer simulations to gauge the persistence, toxicity and bio-accumulation of the derived chemicals.
They discovered that the new chemicals could have longer-lasting impacts on the environment and could be more toxic than their parent chemicals – in some cases 10 times as much.
“The framework should provide a new avenue for including transformation products in routine air-monitoring programmes and for prioritising transformation products of high concern for further scrutiny,” the study said.
While the study looked at nine common chemical pollutants and their 19 daughter chemicals present in the urban air samples, Liggio said these results are only the tip of the iceberg.
“Likely thousands of different chemicals exist,” he said, adding that future tests will look at vehicle tyre chemicals, antioxidants, and other plastic additives.
Another goal is to test toxicity of the pollutants in real-life studies, going beyond the computer modelling used for this study.
THE STAR – Following the continuous rain warning by the Malaysian Meteorological Department on Tuesday, the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) has predicted that floods will occur in four states in Peninsular Malaysia.
The four states are Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor.
DID predicted that flooding is expected in Kelantan starting December 31 at 8pm at Sungai Kelantan.
“It will involve several districts including Gua Musang, Kuala Krai, Jeli, Tanah Merah and Machang.
“Floods near Sungai Golok will involve the districts of Tanah Merah (Jenob) and Pasir Mas (Rantau Panjang) as well as the surrounding areas that are at risk,” it said in a statement yesterday.
For Terengganu, floods are expected to start on December 31 at 8am near Sungai Besut involving the district of Besut.
Belongings are left on a roadside one week after a massive flood on the outskirts of Bentong town, Pahang state. PHOTO: AP
“It might also affect those staying near Sungai Terengganu and the surrounding areas that are at risk of floods.
“Floods might start on January 1, 2022 at 8am in Pahang near Sungai Pahang involving the districts of Maran, Temerloh and Jerantut; Sungai Kuantan involving the district of Kuantan (Sungai Lembing); and Sungai Rompin involving the Rompin district as well as the surrounding areas that are at risk of flooding.
“For Johor, floods might take place on January 1 at 8pm near Sungai Mersing involving the Mersing district and surrounding areas that are at risk of floods,” it added.
The DID has advised residents in low-lying areas to take precautions and follow the authorities’ instructions.
Brunei Darussalam recorded an improvement in the prevention, rapid detection, response, health, norms and risk in the Global Health Security (GHS) Index 2021 published this month.
The Sultanate this year earned an average of 43.5 points out of 100, a 10.5-point improvement compared to 2019. Brunei also scored a perfect 100 in immunisation, 83.3 points in access to communication infrastructure and risks communications, 75.5 points in political risk and security risk, and 75 points in real time surveillance and reporting.
Brunei Darussalam is among the five nations, alongside Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore, that share data specifically for COVID-19 pandemic under the category of Detection and Reporting in the Index.
The GHS Index includes six categories, each covering a range of indicators and questions namely prevention; detection and reporting; rapid response; health system; commitments to improving national capacity, financing, and global norms as well as risk environment.
Since the release of the GHS 2019 Index and by the end of the GHS 2021 Index research period, an additional 21 countries have published a joint external evaluation (JEE).
All of the countries have shown an increase in score, rank, or both for their overall GHS Index scores.
Brunei along with the Marshall Islands, Palau, São Tomé and Principe, and New Zealand all saw more than five-point increase in their overall score.
The report, released by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, with research by Economist Impact, measured the capacities of 195 countries to prepare for epidemics and pandemics.
As of yesterday, Brunei Darussalam recorded 15,465 confirmed cases. Total recoveries stood at 15,265 while the number of active cases are 100.
Under the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, 94.5 per cent of the Brunei population received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 93.2 per cent have received two doses. Those who received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccines are at 17.9 per cent.
AP – There are distinct pleasures to be had in watching Ralph Fiennes play the lead in an action franchise at this stage in his career.
For as fun as he is as erudite bon vivants, scoundrels and snobs, you always leave wanting more M Gustav, more Laurence Laurentz, more Harry Hawkes.
In that spirit, The King’s Man, a prequel to Matthew Vaughn’s irreverent Kingsman series, provides a definite service, and Fiennes is as charming as ever.
But it’s also hard not to wish he had a better movie than this to exhibit both his singular charisma and combat skills.
The King’s Man, which jumps back in time to World War I to the early days of the bespoke spy agency, is an improvement to the last Kingsman movie, which among other deranged choices had Julianne Moore feed someone a burger made of human flesh that she ground and grilled herself.
This one is decidedly quainter than that, but it’s still a Kingsman movie – manic, cheeky and vulgar- and it’s not going to sell anyone who wasn’t already on board.
A scene from the ‘The King’s Man’. PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POSTHarris Dickinson (L) as Conrad and Ralph Fiennes as Oxford in ‘The King’s Man’. PHOTO: AP
The King’s Man also has the uneasy tension of its real historical context which the film wants to use for both sincere emotional beats and fodder for irreverence.
At its heart, this is an origin story about a fictional spy agency that blames WWI and 20 million deaths on an embittered Scottish cashmere farmer.
But this mysterious man, who is seen only in shadows until a big reveal at the end, is played like an angrier and more sadistic but no less ridiculous Fat from the movie Austin Power. And he is able to manipulate world leaders (Tom Hollander plays King George, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas) with his sphere of influence that includes Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Bruhl), Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner) and Gavrilo Princip (Joel Basman).
Fiennes, who also executive produced, plays the Duke of Oxford who we’re introduced to as his wife is gunned down in front of him and his young son during the Boer War. He returns to England with one mission: To protect his son Conrad.
A few years pass and Conrad has grown into a dashing and patriotic lad, played with admirable dignity by Harris Dickinson, who wants nothing more than to join the army.
Fearing the front lines, the Duke tries to convince Conrad to join his little spy group composed of himself and two domestic servants, Polly (Gemma Arterton) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou), and manipulate world politics behind the scenes.
After almost preventing the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, their first adventure as a foursome involves going to Russia to either sell Rasputin on entering the war or kill him.
The whole sequence is jaw-droppingly perverse as they try to lure Rasputin, who Ifans plays like a madcap cartoon rock star, with Conrad and poisoned baked goods that he promptly expels with grotesque theatricality.
In true Kingsman fashion, this also includes Rasputin dancing his way through a fight set to the 1812 Overture.
Subtlety is not in their vocabulary, so some whiplash is to be expected when the film suddenly turns into a war drama, and then back to absurdity again.
At a certain point, it becomes clear that not only is The King’s Man a tonal mess, it’s also just a set-up for a movie with an even more enticing cast that’ll leave you feeling even more conflicted.
But you have to admire a modern franchise that has an appreciation of bespoke tailoring as a core principle. If only The Kingsman movies didn’t also hold such juvenile humour in equally high esteem.
THE WASHINGTON POST – This week, you may be tempted to write me a note along the lines of, hey, just putting the word pizza in front of something doesn’t make it pizza.
That’s fair enough, but as a colleague noted, this Pizza broccoli recipe from food writer and editor Dawn Perry was devoured by her family, including her six-year-old.
She urged me to make it. I did and I was sold on the recipe and, subsequently, Perry’s new cookbook, Ready, Set, Cook.
If de-stressing or simplifying your life is one of your 2022 resolutions, then Perry’s dinner-making philosophy of stocking your pantry and refrigerator with food you really like and then making dinner with what’s on hand might be one key to success.
Yes, it may seem obvious, but truly putting this into practice takes, well, practice.
“Pantry cooking isn’t just a hook for this book – it’s how I cook in real life,” wrote Perry, who has two small children and a career. She empathises with busy folks and those without access to specialty markets (or equipment).
Pizza broccoli. PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POST
Economy and cutting waste are top of mind with her, as well.
As I read through Perry’s cookbook, I was inspired to adopt some of her recommendations for setting myself up for success. I started, as she recommended, with an assessment of my cabinets, refrigerator and freezer contents.
I checked the labels and dates on everything. We finished off that frozen squash soup and chili, grilled the various chicken thighs, chops and sausages.
We quick-pickled fresh peppers in the crisper and made Perry’s Any Vegetable Fritters with some sad carrots and squash. I made hummus from a few of the six (six!, how’d that happen?) cans of garbanzo beans.
That meant a couple of weeks of eating with minimal cooking and shopping.
Best of all, by the end, I had space to smartly restock, and I truly knew what I had on hand. Goal!
One other bit of advice from Perry: If you bought boxed or canned food that, if you’re honest, you’ll never eat it, donate it to a food bank or give it to a friend – don’t let it expire or spoil.
Her advice for restocking and reorganising covers common staples of oils, vinegars and flours, but she also recommends long-lasting flavour boosters, such as miso, kimchi and sauerkraut and shelf-stable coconut milk and tinned fish. If you’re starting from scratch, her basic equipment list is spot on, too.
The cookbook is then loaded with more than 125 adaptable dishes that require few fresh ingredients. Most are ready in about 30 minutes. They include great toast ideas, soups and salads, as well as more than a few one-pan dishes.
Take this pizza broccoli: I had to buy broccoli, the fresh mozzarella and, the optional but desired-by-me, fresh basil. The rest of the ingredients I had on hand: oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, onion and a can of whole peeled tomatoes. Bonus: All of the fresh ingredients were used in this recipe.
I actually enjoyed the process of making this. Searing the broccoli until it had a golden crust on both sides was a great tip, giving the dish a nice smoky flavour and texture.
I loved crushing the whole tomatoes over the skillet with my hands. (No making a sauce.) It’s finished in the oven, so you get the great melty cheese on top.
Missing the crisped pizza dough? Perry recommended serving this with your favourite crusty bread. (Try toasted pita, too). What, no sausage? She advises carnivores to start the dish by removing a link or two of fresh sausage from its casing, frying it up and then searing your broccoli in the rendered fat.
In other words, make it your own, just as you would with pizza.
“I don’t know if this recipe came to me in a fever dream or a divine vision. All I know is one day I saw it, complete, and had to make it as soon as possible,” Perry wrote of the dish.
Here’s my theory about why it sprung whole from her subconscious: Practice. Practice.
Practice. Yes, Perry is a food writer, but she has also set herself up for success by training herself to think simply and deliciously and preparing her kitchen to make it a reality.
I’m betting that with a little practice and preparation, I can tone that cooking-from-the-pantry muscle. I’ve resolved to try to do just that in 2022.
PIZZA BROCCOLI
If you love pizza, but want something a little lighter, this vegetable-forward, pantry-friendly dish is worth a try.
The recipe is from Ready, Set, Cook by Dawn Perry, who also recommended making it with cauliflower florets.
If you want a meaty version, try adding sausage removed from its casing and fried.
Use the sausage drippings, adding oil as needed, to cook the vegetables and then proceed with the recipe, adding the sausage just before the tomatoes.
Storage Notes: Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days.
INGREDIENTS
– Six tablespoons olive oil, divided
– One white or yellow onion or two shallots thinly sliced
– Half teaspoon fine salt, divided
– Freshly ground black pepper
– One bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut into spears
– One can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
– Half teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
– Eight ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces
– Torn fresh basil leaves (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, heat two tablespoons of the oil until it shimmers. Add the onion, season with quarter teaspoon of salt and several grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion starts to darken at the edges, about six minutes.
Transfer to a plate.
Add two tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering. Add half the broccoli and cook, flipping once, until browned on two sides, about four minutes per side.
Transfer to the plate with the onion, and repeat with the remaining oil and broccoli.
Season the vegetables with the remaining salt.
Return the cooked vegetables to the skillet, and use your hands to crush the tomatoes over the top. Season with several grinds of black pepper and the red pepper flakes, if using. Top with the mozzarella and transfer to the oven.
Roast for eight to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the broccoli is just tender.
Set the oven to broil. Carefully raise the rack five or six inches away from the broiling element and return the skillet to the oven. Broil for one to two minutes, or until nicely browned. (If your broiler is on the bottom, transfer the baking dish to the broiler drawer).
Let the dish cool for one to two minutes, then top with the basil, if using, and serve.
SHANGHAI (CNA) – China’s Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Singapore Exchange (SGX) have committed to setting up a cross-border link for exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the bourses said, a move designed to open up a wider range of investment options on both sides.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the link, the two exchanges will jointly develop and promote ETF markets in Singapore and China through cross-border investments, the bourses said in separate statements late on Tuesday.
The MoU represents the latest step by China to open its capital markets. Earlier this month, China and Hong Kong bourses agreed to add ETFs to their stock connect schemes, and China’s securities regulator announced plans to broaden the Shanghai-London Stock Connect to include capital markets in Germany and Switzerland.
“The strong demand for ETFs in Asia underscores the region’s growing role as a global ETF hub and we are excited about the manifold opportunities that this partnership could bring,” Chief Executive Officer of SGX Loh Boon Chye said in the statement.
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Shenzhen exchange Sha Yan said the agreement will provide investors in China and Singapore with diversified, cross-border opportunities.
As at end November, Singapore-listed ETFs exceeded SGD12 billion (USD8.86 billion) in assets, up nearly 50 per cent from a year earlier, SGX said. The Shenzhen Stock Exchange currently lists 212 ETFs with a combined market capitalisation of USD39 billion.
Photo shows share prices at Shenzhen Stock Exchange in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province. PHOTO: CNA
PARIS (AP) – France’s government is forging ahead with efforts to increase pressure on unvaccinated people to get coronavirus jabs, as the Omicron variant fuels a record surge in infections.
At a Parliamentary hearing, the Health Minister defended a government plan to allow only the fully vaccinated to enjoy continued access to places such as restaurants, cinemas, theatres, museums, and sports arenas.
The speeded-up introduction of the so-called “vaccine pass” forms part of a government strategy to use vaccinations, rather than new lockdowns, to try to soften the impact of the fast-spreading Omicron variant on already overburdened hospitals.
France reported nearly 180,000 new cases of COVID-19 infection on Tuesday, a record, and is bracing for that number to keep increasing, with forecasts warning of more than 250,000 daily infections likely by January. France has vaccinated more than 75 per cent of its population but more than four million adults remain unvaccinated.
The government wants the vaccine pass to be in place by mid-January. Its introduction will mean that unvaccinated people will no longer be able to use negative test results to access places where the pass is required.
LONDON (AFP) – Former Chelsea captain John Terry is returning to the club where he won 17 trophies including five Premier League titles and the Champions League in a coaching consultancy role at their Academy.
“I’m delighted to announce that I’m coming home, and have taken up a consultancy role at ChelseaFC academy,” the 41-year-old former defender said on social media. “As well as delivering on field coaching sessions I will be involved in coaching discussions and mentoring our academy players.”
“The Blues legend will work with our young players and coaching staff in our youth development programme, sharing the vast experience gained from his 20-year playing career and recent spell as assistant coach at Aston Villa,” the club said in a statement on its website.
