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    Number of patients with severe COVID symptoms drop

    Rokiah Mahmud

    The total number of patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19 has decreased, said Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar during the daily press conference yesterday.

    While 17 patients remain in Category 4, the number of patients in Category 5 has dropped from nine to seven, the minister said, adding that patients in Categories 4 and 5 make up 9.2 per cent of all cases receiving treatment at the National Isolation Centre.

    Meanwhile, three cases have passed away, with one unvaccinated case categorised as death due to COVID-19, while the other two not due to the virus.

    “The Ministry of Health, as well as the people of Brunei Darussalam, would like to express our deepest condolences to the families. May their souls receive blessings and are placed among the pious,” said the minister.

    Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham also shared that 2,555 new cases have been reported, bringing the total number of cases to 112,093.

    Of the new cases, 1,958 were based on antigen rapid test results uploaded onto the BruHealth app, while 597 were from 3,462 RT-PCR tests performed in the past 24 hours.

    He also said 4,422 cases have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 78,341, and 33,586 cases remain active.

    The bed occupancy rate in isolation centres nationwide is 7.3 per cent, with 240 active cases receiving treatment. Meanwhile, 33,346 infected individuals are undergoing home self-isolation.

    The minister also noted that 58.5 per cent of the population has received three doses of the vaccine, while no violations were found during the movement restriction order between midnight and 4am yesterday.

    Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar at the press conference. PHOTO: BAHYIAH BAKIR

    Uber charging customers new fuel fee for rides, delivery

    AP – Citing record-high prices for gasoline, Uber is charging customers a new fuel fee to help offset costs for ride-hail and delivery drivers.

    The temporary surcharge will be either 45 cents or 55 cents for each Uber trip and either 35 cents or 45 cents for each Uber Eats order, depending on location, the company announced recently.

    It will take effect on Wednesday. The money will go directly to drivers, San Francisco-based Uber said. The surcharge will be in effect for at least 60 days, after which Uber said it will assess the situation.

    The surcharges are based on the average trip distance and the increase in gas prices in each state, Uber said.

    As Russia’s war in Ukraine has intensified, United States (US) gas prices reached record levels. The average price of gasoline in the US hit a record USD4.17 a gallon this week as President Joe Biden banned imports of Russian oil, gas and coal in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.

    The amount of US gasoline in storage fell last week as demand starts to increase with summer approaching. The increase in gas demand and the lower trend in inventories also are contributing to rising prices at the pump.

    A spokesperson for Uber rival Lyft didn’t immediately respond to a question on Saturday on whether it was considering a similar move.

    An Uber sign is displayed inside a car in Palatine, Illinois. PHOTO: AFP

    Nine dead in air strike on military base near Lviv

    LVIV, UKRAINE (AFP) – Nine people died and 57 others were injured when Russian troops launched air strikes on a military training ground outside Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, near the border with Poland, local officials said yesterday.

    Russia “launched an air strike on the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security”, head of the Lviv regional administration Maxim Kozitsky said on his verified Facebook page.

    “Unfortunately, we have nine dead. 57 people were injured,” Lviv’s mayor Andriy Sadoviy wrote on Telegram.

    Some of the injured have been taken to Lviv hospitals, he said.

    The military base in Yavoriv, located some 40 kilometres northwest of the city, was a training centre for Ukrainian forces with foreign instructors, including from the United States (US) and Canada.

    It was also a hub for joint exercises of Ukrainians soldier with NATO allies. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said “foreign instructors work here”, although it was unclear whether any were present during the attacks.

    Poland’s soldier helps a refugee who fled the war from Ukraine at the Medyka border crossing in Poland. PHOTO: AP

    Foreign troops left Ukraine shortly before Russian launched an invasion of its pro-Western neighbour on February 24.

    The US said on February 12 that it withdrew 150 of its instructors from Ukraine.

    Reznikov condemned the bombardment as a “new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border”, calling for the imposition of a no-fly zone.

    “Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!” he wrote.

    According to preliminary information, around 30 cruise missiles were fired from Russian planes located over the Black Sea, which had flown out from the southern Russian city of Saratov, Lviv’s mayor said.

    Ukraine’s Air Force Command West said on Facebook two cruise missiles were destroyed by air defence systems.

    They said the missiles were fired “probably from the waters of the Sea of Azov or the Black Sea”.

    Washington on Saturday authorised USD200 million in additional military equipment for Ukraine.

    Russia the same day warned that its troops could target supplies of Western weapons to Ukraine.

    Many Ukrainians have fled to relative safety in Lviv since the launch of Russia’s invasion.

    A short drive from European Union (EU) member Poland, the city is also a transit hub for those leaving Ukraine.

    Separately, the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine said the city’s airport was targetted in a strike.

    “Our morning in Frankivsk began with explosions. This is already the third strike on Frankivsk. They hit the airport,” mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv said on Facebook.

    88 special needs students feted

    The Ministry of Education (MoE), through the Secondary Learning Support Unit of the Special Education Department on Saturday held a virtual certificate presentation ceremony for 88 students, who have completed the Pre-Vocational Programme for 2017-2021 session.

    Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the MoE Aliuddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman was the guest of honour.

    The ceremony began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa against COVID-19 led by Special Education Officer Md Yusri bin Sulaiman, followed by welcoming remarks by Special Education Department Acting Head Eddy Fazlin bin Haji Amdan in his capacity as chairman of the organising committee.

    The ceremony also saw a speech by the guest of honour, who touched on the MoE’s efforts in ensuring that teaching and learning sessions can continue when the country was hit by COVID-19.

    The event continued with a short video clip featuring the activities carried out during the bootcamp.

    Pre-Vocational students. PHOTOS: MOE
    Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the Ministry of Education Aliuddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman

    The highlight was the presentation of certificates to pre-vocational students for the 2017-2021 session, followed by the presentation of certificates of appreciation to four retired special education needs assistance (SENA) teachers and one homeroom teacher.

    The ceremony also saw the presentation of certificates of appreciation and souvenirs to 14 companies involved in the work placement programme.

    The Pre-Vocational programme is a five-year programme specifically designed to meet the needs of students with special needs in government secondary schools. The programme helps students to improve basic skills such as independent living skills, social and communication skills and others.

    With the knowledge, skills and experience gained during the programme, the students will be able to prepare themselves and contribute to the development and success of the nation.

    Departments heads, school leaders, senior officials and teachers from the MoE, as well as other government agencies and representatives from the private sector, parents and guardians were also present.

    CNN+ streams start March 29; MSNBC to stream programming

    NEW YORK (AP) – The CNN+ paid streaming service will debut March 29 with programming headlined by network stars like Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper, along with poached personalities Audie Cornish, Kasie Hunt and Chris Wallace.

    Customers will be charged USD5.99 a month or USD59.99 to get the service, with a special deal for charter subscribers.

    CNN’s announcement on Friday comes a day after MSNBC said that it will offer much of its television lineup on a time-delayed basis on the Peacock Premium streaming service, which is available for USD4.99 a month.

    Fox News’ Fox Nation service has been operating since 2018, and recently inked actor Kevin Costner to narrate a documentary series on the Yellowstone national park.

    News outlets known mostly for television are making some of their most aggressive moves in streaming these days, betting on its growing importance. While broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC News each offer breaking news-oriented streaming services for free, the cable outlets CNN, Fox News and MSNBC will all have products behind pay walls.

    The logo for the new CNN streaming service CNN+. PHOTO: AP

    Some of its fare will feel familiar, like a traditional daily newscast anchored by Blitzer and a newsletter-like morning look at the day’s top stories hosted by Kate Bolduan. Elsewhere, familiar personalities will stretch a little: Cooper will do a show that offers parenting advice, while Tapper interviews newsmaking authors.

    Wallace, who left Fox News in December, will do a daily interview show Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? Hunt, formerly of NBC News, will anchor a daily political show. Former NPR personality Cornish will do a weekly interview show 20 Questions with Audie Cornish.

    Jemele Hill, Don Lemon, Christiane Amanpour, business expert Scott Galloway and former basketball star Rex Chapman will have programs. CNN+ will also make several original series and films available on demand.

    MSNBC said in early spring that Peacock will offer some fare, like Morning Joe and programs hosted by Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Joy Reid and Chris Hayes available on a time-delayed basis on Peacock Premium. The evening shows will stream the next day, while “Morning Joe” has a six-hour delay.

    Not every MSNBC show is included; Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell’s programs are not, for example.

    Upcoming new programs hosted by Symone Sanders and Katie Phang will stream and be on TV. MSNBC said it will have a variety of streaming-only offerings, including upcoming specials hosted by Maddow, Hayes, Trymaine Lee and Nicolle Wallace.

    One dead as bus full of Ukrainian refugees overturns in Italy

    ROME (AP) – A bus carrying about 50 Ukrainian refugees overturned on a major highway in northern Italy at dawn yesterday, killing one person, Italian firefighters said.

    Italian state radio said there were several injured in the accident on the A14 autostrada near Forli’, a town in the Emilia-Romagna region in northeastern Italy. It said the rest of those aboard were safely evacuated.

    The bus landed on its side on a grassy slope just beyond a highway guardrail and near a farm field.

    Firefighters used two cranes in an operation to set the bus upright and remove it. Italy’s Interior Ministry said the bus had set out from Ukraine and was heading south to Pescara, an Adriatic port city, when it overturned.

    The passengers were taken to a nearby police barracks for initial assistance, and would later resume their journey, the ministry said.

    Some 35,000 Ukrainians refugees who fled war in their homeland have entered Italy, most of them through its northeastern border with Slovenia.

    Forli’ is in the region of Emilia-Romagna, which borders the Adriatic Sea.

    A bus lies on its side after overturning near Forli, Italy. PHOTO: AP

    Man stabs two workers at New York’s MoMA

    NEW YORK (AP) – A man stabbed two employees multiple times inside the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York on Saturday afternoon, leaping over a reception desk to attack them after he was denied entrance for previous incidents of disorderly conduct, authorities said.

    Police said the victims, a 24-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, were in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital later on Saturday. Their names weren’t immediately released. People posted on social media that museumgoers ran for the exits in confusion and chaos after the stabbing.

    New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said the man’s membership had been revoked for two separate incidents of disorderly behaviour at the museum in recent days.

    A letter informing the suspect of his expired membership had been sent out on Friday, but he came to the museum on Saturday saying he intended to see a film there, Miller said.

    He then became upset and stabbed the museum employees in the back, collar bone and the back of neck, Miller said. They were rushed within minutes to the hospital.

    Miller said video showed which way the suspect went after leaving the museum. Police shared photos of the attacker late on Saturday night, asking for the public’s help finding him.

    Miller did not identify the man by name but described him as a white male wearing a black jacket, blue surgical mask, a colourfully patterned shirt and hood.

    He said the man was a “regular” at the museum, and that the building had adequate security.
    The department has no record of a previous arrest for the man.

    The museum didn’t immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment on the incident, but said on social media that it was closed to the public yesterday.

    Medical personnel respond at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. PHOTO: AP

    Saudi women drive for extra cash as costs climb

    RIYADH (AFP) – Like other Saudi women, Fahda Fahd couldn’t legally drive until 2018, but her lime-green Kia is now a route to extra cash as living costs rise in the conservative kingdom.

    When she’s not working full time at a healthcare call centre, the 54-year-old picks up fares in the capital Riyadh from a ride-hailing app exclusively for women.

    Fahd said her family was supportive of her second job, on two conditions: no long trips or men as passengers.

    “I decided to work as a taxi driver to earn extra income,” said Fahd, wearing a black head covering and an anti-coronavirus face mask.

    “My salary is not enough for my three children, and especially for my daughter who has special needs,” she told AFP.

    Sweeping social reforms, including lifting the ban on women driving, have transformed life for many Saudis, but rising costs are increasingly problematic.

    Fahd said her salary of SAR4,000 (USD1,066) a month from her regular job is not enough – but driving brings in another SAR2,500.

    A Saudi taxi driver talks to a potential passenger on a street of the capital Riyadh. PHOTO: AFP

    She usually hits the road before her shift starts at 2pm, sometimes accepting passengers on her way home at 10pm, and said she appreciates the flexible hours.

    “It has allowed me to help my retired husband pay monthly bills and for my children’s school needs,” she said, checking her phone for the latest fare.

    ‘NEW CHANCE AT LIFE’

    Costs are creeping up in Saudi Arabia, which is on a drive to reduce its economic reliance on oil and in July 2020 hiked value added tax to 15 per cent.

    Last December, transport costs were up 7.2 per cent year-on-year, part of a 1.2-per-cent rise in consumer prices.

    At the same time, millions of Saudi women are finding jobs as female employment gains
    acceptance.

    Women made up over a third of the workforce last year for the first time, government figures showed.

    They are among the Saudis now commonly seen serving customers in restaurants, cafes and shoe stores, filling jobs formerly done by foreigners as the government pursues its ‘Saudisation’ plan for the economy.

    Insaf, a 30-year-old mother of three, said she turned to driving after her husband died suddenly.

    “He didn’t leave us a fortune, so I had to work to support my children,” she told AFP, preferring to use a pseudonym for privacy reasons.

    “I am using my late husband’s car to drive women and children in the neighbourhood to schools or shopping centres.

    “My work as a driver has given me a new chance at life.”

    Since 2018, over 200,000 women have obtained driving licences, with car sales rising five per cent last year, according to media reports.

    Egyptian passenger Aya Diab, 29, said she was “more comfortable dealing with women”, and a Saudi customer who spoke on condition of anonymity expressed a similar sentiment.

    “I feel like I’m with my sister,” she said, sitting in the front seat next to Fahd as they drove off.

    Painting competition winners receive prizes from Chinese Embassy

    Daniel Lim

    Five students from Chung Hua Middle School, Kuala Belait (CHMS KB) were feted in a virtual award ceremony on Saturday for a painting competition hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam last December.

    The ceremony was officiated by Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman as the guest of honour, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Yu Hong.

    Themed ‘Friendship Between China and Brunei’, the competition was held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brunei and China.

    The students had one month to prepare. Year 6 student Eva Maria Jinu tied in first place with another student, followed by Year 7 students Tsabita Ghiza Armina and Nelson Lau Gui Hoe in joint second place, and Year 7 student Lee Yan Xing in third place with another student.

    Meanwhile, Jayson Jong Yong An from Year 6 also received a consolation prize.

    ABOVE & BELOW: Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman among the attendees. PHOTO: CHMS KB

    Tsabita Ghiza Armina, in delivering a speech as the representative, extended her congratulations for the anniversary celebration and prayed that the special relationship between Brunei and China will continue to strengthen and flourish for many years to come.

    She also expressed her gratitude towards the Chinese Embassy for organising the competition, which provided her with an opportunity to learn more about the rich cultures of Brunei and China, understand the importance of good relationship to help Brunei and China grow and prosper together, and support each other to reach common goals for the betterment of both countries, the world and humanity.

    The event was also joined by the permanent secretary, deputy permanent secretary, directors and senior officers from the Ministry of Education; embassy officials; school board chairmen, principals and teachers from participating schools and parents.

    Sony Pictures Entertainment has paused business operations in Russia

    CNA – Sony Pictures Entertainment said recently it has paused business operations in Russia, two weeks after the studio suspended theatrical releases in the country.

    In a message to staff, Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman Tony Vinciquerra wrote that the studio would halt planned home entertainment releases, including Spider-Man: No Way Home and any future television distribution deals. Crunchyroll also suspended its anime streaming service in Russia.

    “Our thoughts and prayers remain with those who have been impacted and it is our hope that a peaceful resolution can be found soon,” Vinciquerra wrote.

    Sony Pictures is a unit of Sony.

    The film studio’s decision to suspend operations, amid growing concerns about the violence in Ukraine, follows similar steps earlier this week by Sony Music and Sony Interactive Entertainment, which halted software and hardware shipments.

    Sony televisions on display in the Dundrum branch of Brown Thomas in Dublin Ireland. PHOTO: CNA

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