SAN CRISTOBAL, VENEZUELA (AFP) – Henry Alviarez said he began small-scale coal mining in Venezuela’s western Tachira state out of “necessity” due to the country’s ongoing economic crisis which has deepened during the coronavirus pandemic.
He leaves home early in the morning on motorbike for the 45-minute journey to the Los Parra mine in Lobatera, near the border with Colombia.
The Andean town has 50 small-scale mines run by 22 cooperatives, each made up of eight to 10 workers who earn no more than USD120 a month.
From Lobatera, the mined coal is moved via clandestine routes over the border to Colombia or the neighbouring Merida state to be used primarily for generating electricity.
The lack of oxygen deep inside the mines and little emergency equipment, makes for precarious and “exhausting” work conditions, said Alviarez.
“There are many blacksmiths and mechanics here but we cannot work in those” professions, he added, citing the unprecedented economic crisis that has plunged Venezuela into an eight-year recession and four years of hyperinflation.
ABOVE & BELOW: A miner works to extract coal from the Los Parras mine in Lobatera, Tachira state, Venezuela; and a miner shows coal after it was extracted. PHOTOS: AFP
Bare-chested, pickaxe in hand, and helmet with a torch on his head, Alviarez quickly becomes covered in a mixture of sweat and black streaks. He tries in vain to wipe off the coal marks with a green cloth.
All three of his children have left the country, one each to Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.
“Thank goodness they’ve left,” he said, adding that their only options in Lobatera would have been to join him in the mines.
“Who would want to work here?”
Around 500 families rely on the Lobatera mines, which are located in a mountainous area only accessible by dirt roads.
Temperatures in the area can soar, with the mining pit often the only shelter from the sun.
“It’s a pretty risky job because we have to use a lot of wood” to hold up the tunnels “and pray to God”, said Jose Alberto Trejo, 38, who used to work in construction before subsequently finding employment in Colombian mines due to the lack of job opportunities.
On average, each miner in Los Parra can extract one tonne a day, although there is no reliable data on the total production from the 50 mines in Lobatera.
“The price of coal is low and has fallen over the years, which makes it tougher to work these days,” said Pablo Jose Vivas, 61.
The miners take their hauls to the mine director who sells it on for USD50 a tonne.
The profits are shared out between the members of the cooperative.
Vivas, who has worked in mining for more than 20 years, picks up a piece of mined rock and holds it between his blackened fingers.
The rock shines in the torchlight that gives it a purple hue, like a precious stone.
The miners work in teams. One smashes the rocks with a pickaxe, another fills the wheelbarrow and a third carts it out of the mine.
Outside, several small piles of coal await the arrival of a truck.
Tachira governor Freddy Bernal, a loyalist of President Nicolas Maduro, is hoping to encourage foreign investment in Lobatera from Venezuela’s allies Russia, China or even India.
“That would generate many jobs and a significant economic impact,” he said, adding that it would ensure families who have subsisted on mining for more than 40 years would not be left destitute.
But the miners are far from convinced.
“That would end the basic job because they would arrive with new technologies that we don’t know how to use,” said Vivas.
United Kingdom (UK) is the most popular study destination among Bruneians. At Essex, we support you in making the most of your time at university. We celebrate diversity, challenge inequality and work hard to create a living, learning and working environment that enables you to express your whole self, a press release stated yesterday.
ESSEX HAS A BROAD RANGE OF COURSES
Essex is essentially a culturally vibrant university with a tradition of making students feel at home.
Facilities across our three campuses give you the chance to pursue your interests and meet people from across the university. Aspire to be the next Director Siti Kamaluddin? We have professional-grade studios and editing suites, and we even have a lakeside theatre on campus for those who like the mix of both film and drama. If you stay in on-campus accommodation, your gym membership is free for the first year.
See a new blockbuster at our on-campus cinema, Cine10. We have a hotel called Wivenhoe House Hotel that’s based on campus. From communal study areas dotted around campus to cosy Students’ Union social spaces, we’ve got you covered.
GUARANTEED ACCOMMODATION FOR ALL THREE YEARS
We offer a variety of exciting and comfortable accommodation, from studios to single en suite rooms and retro Towers to Townhouses, to suit all budgets. International students are guaranteed accommodation for the duration of their course – all three years of bachelor’s degree.
WE HAVE AN AWARD-WINNING PARK AND THE WORLD’S LONGEST PIER
Home to 15,000 students from more than 130 countries, our Colchester Campus is set within 200 acres of beautiful parkland, located two miles from the historic town centre of Colchester – England’s oldest recorded town. Essex has been given a Green Flag Award, recognising our commitment to managing the historic parkland of our Colchester Campus. Our Colchester Campus is also easily reached from London and Stansted Airport in under one hour.
Our Southend Campus is based in the heart of this vibrant and modern seaside city. Famous for its beach resort and pier, the city of Southend-on-Sea stretches along seven miles of award-winning coastline, providing plenty of opportunities for a wide range of water sports and leisure activities.
ESSEX IS MORE THAN JUST A DEGREE
At Essex, the university focusses not only on improving students’ academic performance but also aims to help students gain plenty of hands-on experience by working and learning alongside professionals in a variety of settings and sectors. Our career services can help you with a wealth of support to jump-start your career after you graduate with us, ranging from career dedicated modules in your courses to providing mentorship for your chosen career.
Essex’s career support events will help to nurture students in practical learning to support students to have the edge in the work industry and stand out amongst their peers.
The UK government introduced Graduate Route for international students, and this gives students the opportunity to stay in the UK to work. Students will have the flexibility to work and switch jobs according to any level of salary or skill or choose to be self-employed. Join us at the Knowledge Gateway, our research and technology park on our Colchester Campus which houses up to 50 start-ups business.
STUDYING IN UK ESPECIALLY ESSEX IS CHEAPER THAN YOU THOUGHT
Essex offers scholarship opportunities of GBP3000 to all Bruneian students who meet the entry requirement.
At Essex campus, you can fully experience studying abroad in UK at a cheaper cost, as the cost of living is relatively lower although we are located an hour away from London.
The cost of living, including accommodation, is around GBP1,500-GBP2,000 per month.
In UK, international students are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time.
One interesting fact is that, UK is paying minimum wage according to your age instead of your education background and experience. If you are above the age of 23 and you work 20 hours a week, you can earn about GBP760 (BND 1,353) per month through part-time work only.
Students can cover at least half of their monthly expenses by working part-time. Essex also offers unlimited scholarships that can help ease your tuition fee cost. Hence, this can make sure studying in Essex is an affordable and fun experience.
BERLIN (AP) – The German government on Thursday defended its decision to let many pandemic restrictions expire at the weekend, even as the country hit a new record high for newly confirmed cases.
Germany’s disease control agency reported 294,931 new cases in the past 24 hours. The Robert Koch Institute said there have been a further 278 COVID-related deaths, taking the overall toll since the start of the pandemic to 126,420.
“We are now entering a new phase of the pandemic in which we, like almost all of our neighbouring countries, can do without most of the protective measures,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after a meeting with Germany’s 16 state governors.
The decision to end many pandemic restrictions tomorrow, including the requirements to wear masks in public settings and limit spectators in stadiums, was criticised by the states, who can still introduce their own restrictions going forward.
Germany’s powerful industry lobby group BDI had also warned against a “generous” lifting of measures, saying it would be irresponsible in light of the current surge in infections.
DUBLIN (AFP) – Ireland winning the Triple Crown by beating Scotland today will leave the players feeling hollow if France achieve the Six Nations Grand Slam, former Ireland full-back Hugo MacNeill told AFP.
MacNeill said the satisfaction of lifting the first silverware since head coach Andy Farrell took over after the 2019 World Cup will be tempered by missing out on topping the table.
France host England after the Irish have played the Scots with the French tails up to win the title for the first time since 2010.
The odds are it will end the same as the 2004 tournament when the French secured the Grand Slam and the Irish the Triple Crown at home – the last time they won a trophy in Dublin.
“I think the Triple Crown without the championship does not mean that much really,” he told AFP.
“These guys are not going to be overly happy finishing second in a six man race.
“When we won the Triple Crown in 1982 and ‘85 we also won the championship in those two years.”
The 63-year-old 37-times capped MacNeill – who also played three Tests for the British and Irish Lions on the 1983 tour of New Zealand – said though his heart would love Ireland to be champions it would not reflect the present status amongst northern hemisphere nations.
THE WASHINGTON POST – You may not think of Cornish pasties as a romantic food, but they will always remind me of the time my husband, Andrew, sort of proposed.
We were travelling in England, having dated for just a few months. It was evening and we were getting ready for bed. I remember folding a shirt to pack in my suitcase when Andrew, taking a break from his book, gazed in my direction for a few minutes and said, “I think I’d like to marry you one day.”
Trying to appear casual, I mumbled something along the lines of, “Oh, cool, sounds good,” and for the rest of the evening, we acted as if this conversation never happened.
The next day, we found ourselves in Cornwall, eating Cornish pasties and learning of their rich history. And while I loved both the meal and the history lesson, I was busy replaying the event of the previous night, trying to figure out how to talk about it while also sounding nonchalant.
Sinking my teeth into the pasty, chewing on the comforting and hearty filling, I contemplated betrothal, and whether my response was sufficiently enthusiastic but not so much so as to suggest desperation.
For years now, I’ve wanted to learn how to make Cornish pasties, if only because just thinking of them makes me think of that time in England when our lives were less complicated, before a child, a mortgage and several moves. In many ways, our relationship has grown to be a little bit like this sturdy, hand pie favoured by 17th-Century miners. Neither is frilly or fancy, and both are dependable, honest, comforting and nourishing.
Though pasty recipes can be found as early as 13th Century France, Cornish pasties date back to 17th- and 18th- Century England. PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POST
Though pasty recipes can be found as early as 13th Century France, Cornish pasties date back to 17th- and 18th- Century England where they became popular with the working class, especially miners, who carried the pasties with them for a midday repast. To put it in contemporary parlance, Cornish pasties are the original Hot Pockets minus the microwave.
At one time, what went inside the pasty was anyone’s guess, prompting Irish cookery writer Theodora FitzGibbon, quoted in the Oxford Companion of Food, to write: “It is said in Cornwall that the Devil never crossed the River Tamar into that county for the fear of the Cornish woman’s habit of putting anything and everything into a pasty.”
But in 2011, Cornish pasties were granted Protected Geographical Indication status by the European Commission, so to qualify as a Cornish pasty, the pasty must be prepared – though not necessarily baked – in Cornwall; and the filling ingredients must contain potato, onion, rutabaga and cubed beef (usually skirt steak), seasoned with salt and pepper, and encased in short crust pastry, often made with a mixture of oil and butter.
The pasty must also be shaped like a D and have a thick crimp on the side, not on top. The inside of the pasty must remain chunky, with individually identifiable pieces of filling. In the past, miners’ initials were carved into the pastry, most likely to discourage theft, and when the meat prices were too high, the steak was replaced by potatoes, for an all-vegetable pasty.
There’s plenty of lore to explain the thick, crimped crust: Designed as a handle of sorts, it allowed miners to hold the pie in their hands, which were often contaminated with arsenic.
The leftover crusts would get tossed into the mine to encourage the good will of the mine spirits, known as “knockers,” who warned of impending collapse or the location of rich ore.
You can also find photographs with pasties wrapped in paper or cloth, however, suggesting they were probably eaten whole as well.
While trying to nail down the best recipe and testing several versions, I realised a couple of things: Authentic pasty pastry (say that five times fast), is best made using protein-rich bread flour rather than all-purpose, and there’s no such thing as overworking the dough. You want to really knead the pastry to develop gluten and elasticity, which helps to produce a crust that holds its shape and serves as a carrying case for the meal.
When it comes to the filling, you want to chop the ingredients into bite-size chunks sizable enough to maintain their shape after baking. And under no circumstances should you use carrots in the filling, though I’ve yet to find anyone to explain why.
My only tweak is a modest addition of thyme leaves to the filling – the herb commonly used in English cooking complements the meat and vegetables with its earthy fragrance.
I like to make pasties as a hearty supper and serve them to my people. As I go through the process of making and kneading the dough, of carefully chopping the filling ingredients, of shaping, rolling and crimping the pasty, I think of how it’s those unfancy acts of love that add up to something. It’s the everyday work we put into taking care of those we love and that often goes unnoticed, that builds a strong foundation.
CORNISH PASTIES
Active time: One hour
Total time: Two hours, plus at least three hours’ dough resting time
Six servings (makes six pasties)
These hand pies, which have been made for centuries in Cornwall, were granted protected status by the European Commission, meaning only pasties made in Cornwall from a traditional recipe are officially “Cornish pasties,” according to the Cornish Pasty Association.
This recipe closely follows the traditional recipe, using beef, potatoes, onions and rutabaga in a sturdy, durable crust.
Cornish tin and copper miners in the 1700s and 1800s used the thick, crimped edge of crust as a handle that they then discarded after eating, as miners’ hands were dirty and/or carried traces of arsenic. It was common for miners’ initials to be carved into the dough to discourage theft.
British baker Paul Hollywood emphasises the importance of crimping, having been told “you need 21 crimps to make a proper pasty.” If you’re keen on making a traditional pleat, you can watch a few videos online to get a sense, but feel free to crimp and seal the crust however you like.
Make Ahead: The dough needs to be prepared at least three hours and up to two days before baking the pasties.
Storage: The dough can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to two days and frozen for up to two months (defrost in the refrigerator overnight). Assembled and unbaked pasties can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, and frozen for up to two months; bake from frozen, adding 10 to 15 minutes baking time. Leftover pasties can be refrigerated for up to three days; reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes before serving.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH
– Four cups (500 grammes) bread flour (see NOTES)
– One teaspoon fine salt
– Nine tablespoons (127 grammes) unsalted butter, preferably high-fat European style (may substitute with vegan butter, such as Miyoko’s Creamery brand)
– 3/4 cup (180 millilitres) ice water
FOR THE PASTRY
– 1/2 cup plus one tablespoon (118 grammes) or shortening
FOR THE FILLING
– 12 ounces (340 grammes) skirt steak, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
– 10 ounces (284 grammes) Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
– Five ounces (150 grammes) rutabaga, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
– One small yellow onion (150 grammes), diced into 1/2-inch cubes
– One and a half teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves or 3/4 teaspoon dried
– One teaspoon fine salt
– 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
FOR ASSEMBLY
– One large egg
– One tablespoon heavy cream, half-and-half, milk or water
DIRECTIONS Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with the salt. Add the butter and shortening or lard and, using your fingers, rub it into the flour until the mixture is crumbly, with varied size pieces of flour-covered fat the size of rice and small beans.
Add the water and mix with your hand until a wet, shaggy dough comes together, about two minutes, then knead in the bowl until it becomes elastic, five to eight minutes. The dough will be very sticky, but as you knead, it will become smoother and pull little bits of dough from the sides of the bowl. This is an important step, as proper kneading will develop glutens, giving the pastry the strength needed to hold the filling and retain its shape.
Divide the dough into six equal pieces between 150 and 160 grams each. Shape the dough into disks, wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours and up to two days.
Make the filling and assemble the pasties: When ready to bake, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the meat, potatoes, rutabaga, onion and thyme until combined; you should have about five cups. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and gently toss to combine.
Lightly flour your work surface and, working with one dough piece at a time, remove the dough from the plastic wrap. Lightly flour the dough and the rolling pin and roll out the dough into circles approximately nine inches in diameter.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with the cream, half-and-half, milk or water to form an egg wash.
Add a generous 3/4 cup (about 150 grams) of the filling on top half of each pastry circle, brush the border with the egg wash, then fold the pastry over the top and seal in a half-circle. Use your index finger and thumb to crimp and twist the edge, tucking the ends underneath. (You also can use a fork to crimp the edge.) Transfer the pasty to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Using a pastry brush, brush the pasties with the egg wash.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pasties start to brown, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the pasties are a rich golden brown. Remove from the oven, let cool for about 15 minutes and serve.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS), in their capacity as members of the Task Force Education under the COVID-19 Steering Committee, would like to respond to the letter, ‘Differently-abled students left behind in COVID times’, published in the Opinion page of the Bulletin on March 9, in regards to the announcement made during the press conference on March 5 on the closing of schools from March 7-19 and the adoption of fully online learning.
We acknowledge the concerns and limitations that a virtual learning environment can have for certain differently-abled students. Online classes could be nearly impractical without a teacher being physically present, especially for those with social, emotional, behavioural and sensory difficulties, such as low-functioning autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, multiple disabilities and learning disabilities.
To monitor the progress of differently-abled students’ online learning under the MoE, officers from the Department of Special Education communicate actively and liaise directly with special education needs assistance (SENA) or homeroom teachers concerning students with special education needs (SEN). Teachers will then share any information regarding the students’ educational needs, objectives, progress and other matters with parents.
The Department of Special Education has also prepared and uploaded various online resources to the Digital Resources Management System (DRMS) of the MoE, accessible by teachers and parents.
Seventy-four resources, including general information, have been uploaded from different services, such as educational psychology, dyslexia, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, hearing impairment, visual impairment, learning assistance programme and pre-vocational programme. Parents may use these resources as guided instructions and materials for face-to-face learning activities at home.
For some differently-abled students, interacting face-to-face with a teacher in a classroom or a differently-abled (OKU) centre can offer a variety of learning approaches compared to online learning. Even the act of responding to a specific question or just a change in the learning environment can help differently-abled students achieve better focus.
As such, the directive for online learning is not mandatory to Pusat Bahagia and OKU centres under the MCYS, particularly where the intervention programmes offered are part of the students’ therapy.
In allowing the continued operation of OKU centres, the MCYS, through the Community Development Department (JAPEM), in its press statement on March 7, updated the standard operating procedure (SOP) guidelines for entering all premises for Pusat Bahagia and OKU centres in the Sultanate to ensure the safe entry and participation of differently-abled persons.
It is now a requirement to carry out daily antigen rapid test (ART) screening at home and obtain a negative result for COVID-19 prior to entering these centres for staff, students, trainees, parents, guardians and the public.
Meanwhile, the scanning of the BruHealth QR code to identify the permitted green and yellow codes, having a double-dose vaccination status, the practice of social distancing and observing general personal hygiene are still in force.
To further ensure the participation of differently-abled persons in their daily activities, the public, especially parents and families, are advised to observe the current SOPs and instil healthy habits in their children and loved ones.
CNA – PayPal Holdings Inc has expanded its services to allow Ukrainian citizens and refugees to receive payments from overseas, a move a senior Ukrainian official called a huge help as Russian forces continued to attack the country.
PayPal Chief Executive Dan Schulman told Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov in a letter that Ukrainians would also be able to transfer funds from their PayPal accounts to eligible credit and debit cards. The company has waived its fees on such transactions through June 30.
More than three million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia launched its invasion on February 24, an action Russia has described as a “special military operation.”
PayPal’s move will allow refugees and Ukrainians to receive funds from friends and family members in the United States and elsewhere, and could also be used to transfer social payments by governments in the future, said Ukraine’s alternative executive director at the International Monetary Fund Vladyslav Rashkovan.
“It makes a huge difference for people,” Rashkovan told Reuters, lauding Schulman’s personal engagement in accomplishing the change in just two weeks.
Rashkovan said he spoke with some Ukrainians on the street outside his office about the new capability and they immediately opened an account at PayPal to send money to their relatives.
Ukrainian officials have been pushing for the expanded services since 2015, after Russia annexed the Crimea region, he added.
PayPal said it made the expanded services available on Thursday, with customers able to send and receive funds from their Ukrainian PayPal Wallet in dollars, Canadian dollars, British pounds and euros.
AFP/WWD – For his first show in three years, Shinpei Yamagishi chose a traditional Japanese garden as his venue. Models paraded among the trees, and pond, passing over bridges and up a stone staircase in the process.
Yamagishi incorporated country and romantic influences, which he mixed with a modern take on formal wear. Textiles were richly textured and often deeply pigmented: raised, thin stripes in bright orange, white and colourful flecks were seen on trenchcoats, pants and jackets, while a metallic, leaf-patterned jacquard in red and black was used for short-sleeved shirts and pleated, knee-length shorts.
Yamagishi also showed a variety of softly tailored suits: a shimmering navy one, a black version with an off-centre, double-breasted jacket and ankle-length skirt, and a baby blue iteration with wide-legged pants and a leisure-suit-inspired jacket.
THE STAR – Indonesia’s weather agency said yesterday rainfall in the resource-rich country will normalise this year after a wet 2021, but the dry season will start later than usual in most areas due to the lingering effects of the La Nina weather pattern.
More than 70 per cent of the archipelago will see the dry season start late or on time this year, between April and June, as the La Nina weakens gradually, weather agency chief Dwikorita Karnawati said in a news conference.
She said rainfall will be closer to normal this year compared with last year when it was heavier than usual. The dry season is expected to reach its peak in August, she added. With 2022 expected to be drier than last year, the agency has warned local authorities of the potential for forest fires, deputy head of the agency Urip Haryoko said, adding that some hotspots have already been detected in provinces like Acheh, Riau, South and North Sumatra, and West Kalimantan.
Home to the largest rainforests outside the Amazon and Congo, Indonesia regularly experiences forest fires largely because of land clearing for palm and pulp plantations.
In 2019, fires caused haze to blanket the region, prompting 900,000 people to report respiratory illnesses and USD5.2 billion in damage, according to the World Bank.
“The delay of the dry season and normal rainfall could have a good impact on food commodities and plantations,” Haryoko said.
Motorcyclists taking shelter during a heavy downpour in Jakarta. PHOTO: AFP
A total of BND50,000 was drawn for five winners of BIBD Aspirasi 4’s first quarterly draw yesterday.
The draw was held virtually and live streamed on BIBD’s official Instagram account. The winners will be announced on BIBD’s social media channels.
Each quarterly winner brings home BND10,000 while another 35 winners will take home BND1,000 each as part of the campaign’s third monthly draw.
The winners were chosen from customers who subscribed to BIBD Aspirasi with a minimum holding period of 90 days and prize winnings will be credited into the winners’ saving accounts.
Now in its fourth cycle, the BIBD Aspirasi programme was introduced to encourage savings.
BIBD’s long-term objective is to ensure that customers continue to save and aim for financial independence, which serves to encourage long-term savings and financial management.
With Aspirasi, customers not only maintain their savings, but are also rewarded with monthly cash, quarterly prizes and the grand prizes.
To qualify for the reward draw, customers are required to maintain a minimum holding period of 90 days, with a minimum holding deposit of BND50 for the entire duration of the programme and deposits held between 181 to 270 days will be entitled to double the number of entries, while deposits held 271 days and more will be entitled to triple the number of entries.
Responding to the success of Aspirasi 3, BIBD has now increased the maximum deposit amount to BND350,000 while maintaining the low minimum deposit of BND50, hence enabling everyone to save and be part of the Aspirasi 4 rewards programme.
The Aspirasi programme is part of BIBD’S aspiration as a Partner in Progress towards building a strong financial foundation and greater financial literacy among members of the public, via encouraging and incentivising the practice of saving which is in line with BIBD’s commitment towards sustainability in alignment with the Maqasid Shariah.
The programme will reward over 400 winners with cash prizes totalling BND870,000 throughout the year.
