A house went up in flames in Kampong Telingan, Rampayoh in Belait District on Friday morning. More details in Sunday’s Borneo Bulletin.
Jail, whipping for young housebreaker
The Intermediate Court on Thursday handed a three years and four months’ jail with two canings to a local man who broke into a room to steal property. More details in Sunday’s Borneo Bulletin.
TV’s Golden Girl Betty White dies at 99
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Betty White, whose saucy, up-for-anything charm made her a television mainstay for more than 60 years, whether as a man-crazy TV hostess on The Mary Tyler Moore Show or the loopy housemate on The Golden Girls, has died. She was 99. More details in Sunday’s Borneo Bulletin.
Johor latest Malaysian state to be hit by floods
KUALA LUMPUR (CNA) – Johor became the latest Malaysian state to be hit by floods, with the number of evacuees rising steadily on Saturday. More details in Sunday’s Borneo Bulletin.
NYE’s fireworks kill men in Germany, Austria
BERLIN (AP) – Exploding fireworks killed two men on New Year’s Eve, one in Germany and the other in Austria, local media reported on Saturday. More details in Sunday’s Borneo Bulletin.
Waste not, says His Majesty
Azlan Othman
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam expressed concern that many government-owned buildings are abandoned and no longer in use.
In a New Year 2022 titah last night, His Majesty asked why this has happened.
“This should be tackled in a holistic manner by stakeholders for the assets to be utilised and to avoid wastage. In addition, all ministries are encouraged to implement a shared facilities method for expenses to be focussed towards attaining Brunei Vision 2035.”
The monarch also said under the 11th National Development Plan, the development agenda is going well.
Under the programme, many projects have been and are being implemented.
His Majesty also said there is nothing more meaningful than being grateful to Allah the Almighty in that we are able to usher in the new year.
“It is a priceless blessing, just like the blessings showered upon us such as good health, longevity and peace from Allah the Almighty.”
On the COVID-19 Pandemic His Majesty said the world is struck by the emergence of a new variant Omicron which according to the latest update, has spread all over the world, adding to global concern.
The monarch said as a faithful Ummah, we ought to see it as provisions from Allah the Almighty.
“In an effort to tackle the pandemic, Brunei has implemented a national vaccination programme, which has been running successfully, to the point where we are able to enter the Endemic Phase. In the Endemic Phase, activities previously restricted can now be carried out. However, we still need to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs).”
His Majesty also reminded the people not to be complacent, especially when the nation is loosening restrictions, as minor mistakes invite repercussions.
“Although we are also grappling with the pandemic of 2021, the nation is also blessed to be able to chair ASEAN successfully.
The ASEAN workforce is delighted to be able to step up efforts to develop the ASEAN community. ASEAN also strives for youth to inherit this region with sustainable development and in this context, the seting up of the ASEAN Junior Fellowship programme.”
Speaking on the nation’s achievement, His Majesty said the nation ranked 21st out of 214 nations in the Government Effectiveness Index based on Worldwide Governance Indicators 2021 by the World Bank.
“Such an achievement requires tremendous work from all parties involved,” His Majesty said, adding that “In an effort to provide job opportunities to locals, the provision of human resource that is marketable and employable is paramount.”
“Thus, a lifelong learning programme is relevant. The Ministry of Education and other relevant ministries have outlined a comprehensive plan for education to run smoothly in the Endemic Phase.”
On welfare, the monarch said, “We are implementing the National Welfare System (SKN) through which the application for assistance can be sped up and specified to those in need.”
His Majesty extended appreciation to all levels of the public service, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Police Force, uniformed personnel including those in the private sector as well as volunteers and frontliners for their commitment and efforts to their tasks throughout 2021.
The monarch also expressed gratitude to all levels of the community for their cooperation in supporting the government in containing the pandemic and in supporting the national agenda.
The ruler also conveyed appreciation to friendly nations and international organisations for their cooperation and assistance, especially when the nation was grappling with the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I wish the citizens and residents a Happy New Year 2022 including those residing abroad and pray that Allah the Almighty will bless us with strong faith, good health, peace and prosperity for all,” His Majesty said.
World rings in 2022 under COVID cloud
SYDNEY (AFP) – The world ushered in 2022 after another tumultuous and pandemic-ridden year capped by new restrictions, soaring case numbers, and a slight glimmer of hope for better times ahead.
The past 12 months saw a new United States (US) president and a new Adele album, the first spectator-free Olympics, and dreams of democracy from Afghanistan to Myanmar crushed by authoritarian regimes.
But it was the pandemic – now entering its third year – that again dominated life for most
of humankind. More than 5.4 million people have died since the coronavirus was first reported in central China in December 2019.
Countless more have been sickened – subjected to outbreaks, lockdowns and an alphabet spaghetti of PCR, LFT and RAT tests.
The year 2021 started with hope, as life-saving vaccines were rolled out to around 60 per cent of the world’s population, although many of its poor still have limited access, and some of its rich believe the jabs are part of some ill-defined plot.
As the year drew to a close, the emergence of the Omicron variant pushed the number of daily new Covid cases past one million for the first time, according to an AFP tally. Britain, the United States, and even Australia – long a refuge from the pandemic – are breaking records for new cases.
In Rio, celebrations that usually bring three million people to Copacabana Beach, went ahead.
As in New York’s Times Square, official events in the “Cidade Maravilhosa” were scaled back – with expected crowds of revellers.
In contrast, Australia’s largest city Sydney pressed ahead with a firework display that lighted up the city’s harbour.
Evergrande revises payment plan for wealth unit investors
CNA – China Evergrande Group yesterday dialled back plans to repay investors in its wealth management products, in a move that highlights the deepening liquidity squeeze at the property developer that has failed to meet its offshore debt obligations.
Evergrande, whose USD19 billion in international bonds are deemed to be in cross-default by rating agencies after the developer missed a deadline to pay coupons earlier this month, did not pay offshore coupons due earlier this week.
The developer has been scrambling to raise cash by selling assets and shares to repay suppliers and creditors.
Evergrande said yesterday that each investor in its wealth management product could expect to receive CNY8,000 (USD1,257) per month as principal payment for three months starting this month irrespective of when the investment matures.
Once China’s top selling developer and now reeling under more than USD300 billion in liabilities, Evergrande had earlier not mentioned any amount and had agreed to repay 10 per cent of the investment by the end of the month when the product matures.
It had also agreed to make follow up payments to the wealth management product investors every three months afterwards, until the debt Evergrande owed to an investor is cleared, according to state media reports earlier this year.
Evergrande said in a statement posted on the wealth unit’s website yesterday that the company would “actively raise funds”, and update the repayment plan in late-March. The company did not elaborate.
The situation is not “ideal”, the statement said, as the development’s wealth unit tries to recover capital from the projects it invested in previously and, therefore, the original repayment plan was hard to implement.
Evergrande, in common with other heavily-indebted conglomerates, had issued high-yielding wealth management products to investors – a popular way of borrowing from mom-and-pop investors that sidesteps government lending restrictions.
As the liquidity crisis deepened at Evergrande, the firm’s wealth unit in late September missed a payment on one of its products, leading to protests by investors who fear they will never get their money back.
Some of its wealth investors had refused to accept the embattled company’s plan to provide payment with discounted apartments, offices, stores and parking units.
Adventurer, scientist become the first to ascend earth’s tallest mountain
UPI – A United States (US) adventurer and a marine scientist have become the first men to ascend Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in the world, Guinness World Records said.
Victor Vescovo, who previously made headlines when he became the first person to visit the oceans’ greatest depths in 2018-19, told Guinness he “thought it was time for someone to finally ascend the full extent of this massive mountain”.
Mount Everest is considered the world’s highest mountain, reaching a height of 29,031 feet above sea level, and Mauna Kea reaches only 13,802 feet above sea level, but is actually much taller – a total 33,500 feet – with more than half of the mountain submerged in the Pacific Ocean.
Vescovo said he was inspired to take on the challenge “because it allowed me to combine two of the strongest passions in my life: mountain climbing and ocean exploration”.
Cable thefts behind Internet disruptions
The recent telecommunications service outage in Kampong Rimba, Kampong Ayer and the Edinburgh Bridge area which impacted services for over 2,000 fixed and mobile network subscribers were caused by damaged fibre cables and cable cuts due to theft.
According to the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI), the nation has recorded an estimated total of 85 cable theft cases from January to December 2021 causing disruption to telecommunication services.
Stolen cables have no value, said the agency. However, it said the damage caused by it can severely disrupt the livelihoods of the communities who depend on stable Internet connectivity.
This includes educational institutions, organisations implementing Work from Home (WFH), as well as entrepreneurs relying on online platforms to run their businesses.
Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN) said it has put in a lot of effort and cost in restoring the cables and services to minimise interruption of telecommunications services but, recurrent damages may put a strain on their resources.
Under Section 49(1) of the Telecommunications Order 2001, any person who willfully removes, destroys or damages any installation or plant used for telecommunications shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding BND50,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both.
Under Section 49(2), any person who, in the course of carrying out any earthworks, damages or suffers to be damaged any cable of a telecommunication system belonging to or under the management or control of a telecommunication system licensee shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding BND1 million, imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both.
Additionally, Section 50 of the Telecommunications Order 2001, states that any person who removes, destroys or damages, whether wilfully, negligently, accidentally or otherwise, the installation or plant used for telecommunications shall be liable to pay compensation for the damage he has done.
Recent amendments under the Penal Code (Amendment) Order, 2021 were made to further protect such infrastructure from theft, mischief and other illegal activities causing damage and disruption to key services.
These offences are outlined under Sections 380B and 427B of the Penal Code (Amendment) Order, 2021, and carry a minimum punishment of three years’ imprisonment and four strokes of whipping, and a maximum punishment of 10 years’ imprisonment and 12 strokes of whipping.
Amendments to Sections 411 and 414 have also been made to criminalise receiving or retaining stolen property related to the provision of a key service or any component part of a key service as well as assisting in concealing, disposing or making away with stolen property related to the provision of a key service or any component part of a key service.
The punishment for these offences is imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, a fine or both.