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    Mozambique cyclone death toll climbs to 12

    NAMPULA, MOZAMBIQUE (AFP) – The death toll from a cyclone that struck Mozambique this week climbed to 12 yesterday after devastating wind and rain lashed the southern African country.

    Cyclone Gombe has affected more than 30,000 people, injuring 40, and destroyed more than 3,000 homes since making landfall on Friday.

    Powerful winds reaching 170 kilometres per hour and torrential rainfall have hit the northern Nampula province by the Indian Ocean and neighbouring Zambezia province particularly hard.

    In the port city of Nacala, houses were teetering on the edge of cliffs facing the ocean and walls had collapsed, an AFP photographer saw.

    Most thatched roofs were damaged and another made of sheet metal lay on the ground after the wind swept away the bricks, while uprooted trees also littered the ground.

    Eight shelters have opened in Nampula, Mozambique’s most populous province which suffered death and destruction when Tropical Storm Ana struck in January.

    Mozambique was devastated by Cyclone Idai in 2019, the most violent storm to ever hit the country.

    “Gombe arrived with more intensity than Idai, but luckily it didn’t have the same impact, in terms of destruction and the fact that it lost strength right at the beginning,” said Cesar Tembe from Mozambique’s National Institute for Risk Management.

    Gombe is now moving towards Malawi, according to Meteo-France.

    Around 80 tropical storms or cyclones form above tropical waters around the world each year. The cyclone season in southern Africa lasts from November to April.

    An uprooted tree caused by Cyclone Gombe in the Meconta district of Nampula province. PHOTO: AFP

    UK zoo names white rhino ‘Queenie’ for Elizabeth II

    GULF NEWS – Over her record-breaking reign, Queen Elizabeth II has had many things named after her. Joining the list is a rare white rhino newly born in a British wildlife park.

    ‘Queenie’ the rhino was born in the Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens in southern England, and named in honour of the monarch’s 70th Anniversary on the throne.

    “All the rhinos here are named after very special people and I think everyone agrees that 2022 will always be special because of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee,” Park Chief Reggie Heyworth said.

    “I thought it might be a bit presumptuous to call our new baby ‘Elizabeth’, so I have christened her ‘Queenie’ instead,” he said in a statement released on Saturday.

    Numbers of white rhinos have recovered somewhat in their native southern Africa after coming under protection, but births in captivity remain rare, the wildlife park said.

    The park is also home to critically endangered Bactrian camels including one named after the queen’s great-grandson Prince Louis, son of William and Kate. It was born on the same day as the young prince in April 2018.

    Queenie the white rhino, a new-born calf at Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, named in honour of the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee year. PHOTO: RORY CARNEGIE

    Temburong hit by flash floods

    James Kon

    Several areas in Temburong District were hit by flash floods due to continuous rainfall and high tide over the weekend.

    The Temburong District Disaster Management Centre (DDMC) was particularly concerned with KM12, Jalan Temada, which was submerged on Saturday, said the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) in a statement.

    In response, Acting Temburong District Officer and Temburong DDMC Chairman Pengiran Muhammad Ameer Mubarak bin Pengiran Haji Hashim visited the site to take a closer look at the situation.

    Also on site were various agencies tasked to provide assistance, such as Royal Brunei Armed Forces, FRD, Temburong Police District and Temburong District Office.

    The Temburong DDMC deployed a boat to ferry residents out of flood-stricken areas.

    In addition, the agency is in discussion with the acting village head of Kampong Baru Lepong to coordinate relief efforts for affected residents.

    Meanwhile, the FRD urged the public to keep children from playing in flood waters and ensure all doors and windows in their homes shut to avoid unwanted wild animals, such as snakes, crocodiles and monitor lizards from entering.

    A boat being deployed to ferry residents affected by the flood. PHOTOS: DDMC
    ABOVE & BELOW: Relief effort team visit the affected areas.

    Divine SOPs in focus at Munajat night

    Azlan Othman

    Muslims across the Sultanate joined the Munajat night for the 26th time on Saturday to seek forgiveness through Munajat, Istighfar, Zikir, Selawat, the recitation of Surah Yaasiin and supplication in a bid to protect the nation and its people from calamities such as COVID-19.

    The highlight of the night was a talk on ‘Practising divine SOPs during Endemic Phase’, delivered by Deputy Director of Jawi Studies and Kitab Turath Research Centre at Religious Teachers University College of Seri Begawan (KUPU SB) Dr Haji Mohammad Shahrol Azmi bin Haji Abdul Muluk, during which he urged congregants to “practise divine standard operating procedures (SOPs), namely effort, perseverance, trust, supplication and confidence” to ensure that “the nation will be protected by Allah the Almighty”.

    He also believed that the divine SOPs will encourage the acceptance of fate, which is a cure for all anxieties.

    Dr Haji Mohammad Shahrol Azmi called on Muslims to intensify their prayers in the hope that they will be answered.

    “We should have confidence in Allah the Almighty, especially after we have put in the effort, exercised patience, placed our trust on Allah the Almighty and supplicated,” he said.

    ABOVE & BELOW: The weekly religious event in progress. PHOTOS: MORA

    Meanwhile, the virtual gathering was joined by officers and staff of the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications as well as congregants from 62 mosques nationwide.

    Also in attendance were Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Mokti bin Haji Mohd Daud, Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman.

    The Munajat night began with the recitation of Sayyidul Istighfar and Surah Al-Fatihah, led by Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof.

    The event also featured a recitation of Surah Yaasiin by KUPU SB officer Mohamed Noor bin Haji Ibrahim, Doa Munajat by Head of Buhuth at the State Mufti’s Office Haji Mas Reduan bin Haji Jumat, and the reading of Asmaa Ul-Husna and Selawat, led by Imam of Brunei International Airport Surau Haji Mohammad Ashraf bin Haji Bujang.

    The evening concluded with a Doa Peliharakan Sultan and Brunei Darussalam by Mosque Affairs Officer at Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque Ilmami bin Haji Othman.

    Mount Everest climbers hold world’s highest tea party

    UPI – An adventurer from Seattle was awarded a Guinness World Record for hosting the world’s highest tea party when he and his team sat down for hot beverages at a height of 21,312 feet above sea level on Mount Everest.

    Andrew Hughes, an endurance athlete and adventurer, received word from Guinness World Records this month that he and his team had officially set the record for the world’s highest tea party when they had tea and snacks at an altitude of 21,212 feet on May 5, 2021.

    Hughes said he was preparing to summit the Nepal mountain during the COVID-19 pandemic when he came up with the idea to set a Guinness World Record in the process.

    Hughes, who successfully reached the summit on May 23, 2021, served tea to team members Ronan Murphy, Kristin Bennett, Garrett Madison, Sid Pattison, Robert Smith, Art Muir, Helen Cokie Berenyi, Krisli Melesk, Ben Veres, Kevin Walsh, Kristin Harila, Mark Pattison, Rick Irvine and James Walker.

    Andrew Hughes and his climbing team set a Guinness World Record on Mount Everest when they held a tea party at an altitude of 21,212 feet. PHOTO: ANDREW HUGHES

    Private jets soar past global pandemic, oil price woes

    GENEVA (AFP) – Airlines may find themselves swept up in unprecedented turbulence – with air travel shunned over climate concerns, plagued by pandemic shutdowns and soaring oil prices – but for private jet operators, business is booming.

    The appeal of private jets has taken off since the start of the pandemic, amid fear of catching Covid-19 and as widespread cancellations and stringent measures have turned flying commercial into a logistics headache.

    “The impact of Covid really forced people to look elsewhere for their travel needs,” said Philippe Scalabrini, who heads the southern European division of the international private aviation company VistaJet.

    “Anyone who can afford it wants an entire plane at their disposal,” he told AFP, adding that “private aviation, as whole, has had an incredible surge of demand over the past two years”.

    Numbers from air traffic regulator Eurocontrol appear to confirm that.

    It found that private air travel nearly doubled its global market share between 2019 and 2021, when it stood at 12 per cent.

    A Bombardier Global 7500 business jet at Geneva airport. PHOTO: AFP

    ‘THE COVID EFFECT’

    More than anything, the pandemic has driven the latest upsurge in demand.

    Scalabrini said “the Covid effect” last year helped VistaJet swell the number of flying hours sold by 90 per cent.

    And the company, founded in 2004 by Swiss billionaire Thomas Flohr, announced last month the purchase of Air Hamburg, in a move it said would help grow its flying hours by another 30 per cent.

    That announcement, however, landed just three days before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Western countries unleashed a slew of harsh sanctions, sparking panic on markets and sending oil prices soaring.

    Scalabrini said it was “a bit early” to determine how the crisis would affect his company.

    “At the moment we cannot fly to Russia, we cannot fly to Ukraine unfortunately, so obviously there is an impact, but it’s a minimal impact,” he said, pointing out that Russian clients made up less than five per cent of VistaJet’s turnover.

    “We’ve got clients all over the world.”

    IMAGE ISSUE

    While private jet companies may weather the crises currently gutting commercial aviation, they face the same outrage over air travel’s outsized contribution to climate change.

    A private jet flight pollutes 10 times more than a commercial flight, according to the Transport and Environment NGO.

    Environmental questions will in the long term be one of the biggest challenges facing business air travel, an air transport specialist with the Sia Partners consulting firm Philippe Berland told AFP.

    Brunei, India committed to enhanced ties

    The 2nd Brunei Darussalam-India Joint Trade Committee Meeting was convened virtually on March 11, where the Sultanate and India emphasised commitment to continue enhancing bilateral trade and investment cooperation.

    The meeting, co-chaired by Permanent Secretary (Economy) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy Dr Hajah May Fa’ezah binti Haji Ahmad Ariffin and Joint Secretary, Foreign Trade (ASEAN) of India’s Department of Commerce Shri Diwakar Nath Misra, also explored potential collaboration in several areas of interests including agriculture, health and pharmaceutical products, services, automobile sector, and business-to-business engagements, as well as ASEAN-India economic relations.

    Brunei Darussalam’s High Commissioner to India Dato Paduka Haji Alaihuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Digadong Seri Lela Dato Seri Utama Haji Awang Mohd Taha, Chargé d’Affaires at the Indian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam Alok Verma, and representatives from ministries in Brunei Darussalam also attended the meeting.

    The Brunei Darussalam-India Joint Trade Committee was established by the memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a joint trade committee signed in 2008, with the objective to facilitate the expansion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation between both countries in areas of mutual interest.

    Brunei Darussalam’s High Commissioner to India Dato Paduka Haji Alaihuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Digadong Seri Lela Dato Seri Utama Haji Awang Mohd Taha; Chargé d’Affaires at the Indian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam Alok Verma; Permanent Secretary (Economy) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy Dr Hajah May Fa’ezah binti Haji Ahmad Ariffin; and Joint Secretary, Foreign Trade (ASEAN) of India’s Department of Commerce Shri Diwakar Nath Misra during the virtual meeting. PHOTO: MOFE

    China wrestles worst virus outbreak in two years

    BEIJING (AFP) – Millions of people across China endured lockdowns yesterday as virus cases doubled to nearly 3,400 and anxiety mounted over the resilience of the country’s ‘zero-COVID’ approach in the face of the worst outbreak in two years.

    A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai, lock down central neighbourhoods in the southern tech powerhouse of Shenzhen as well as whole northeastern cities, as almost 18 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.

    The city of Jilin – centre of the outbreak in the northeast – was partially locked down Saturday, while residents of Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, were confined to their homes yesterday.

    China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict ‘zero-COVID’ policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged. But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is testing the efficacy of that approach.

    Zhang Yan, an official with the Jilin provincial health commission, conceded that authorities’ virus response so far had been lacking.

    A volunteer disinfects the area as it snows during the COVID-19 lockdown in Changchun in northeast China’s Jilin province. PHOTO: AP

    “The emergency response mechanism in some areas is not robust enough,” he said yesterday. “There is insufficient understanding of the characteristics of the Omicron variant… and judgment has been inaccurate.”

    Residents of Jilin have completed six rounds of mass testing, with the city reporting more than 2,200 cases of the Omicron variant since Saturday.

    The neighbouring city of Changchun – an industrial base of nine million people – was locked down Friday, while at least three other small cities have been locked down since March 1.

    The mayor of Jilin and the head of the Changchun health commission were dismissed from their jobs Saturday, state media reported, in a sign of the political imperative placed on local authorities to contain virus clusters.

    But the strain is showing, with officials increasingly urging softer and more targeted measures to contain the virus, while economists warn that tough clampdowns are hurting the economy.

    In Shenzhen, the southern city of around 13 million bordering Hong Kong, residents have been caught between nerves at a renewed outbreak and angst at the swift, draconian measures to squash clusters.

    “It’s the worst since 2020,” a Shenzhen resident surnamed Zhang told AFP. “The closures are too sudden, my friend woke up in the morning to find her building was sealed overnight without warning. Her boss had to mail her laptop to her.”

    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
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    Borneo Bulletin is the leading English daily in the country. It was first published by Brunei Press. Today, Borneo Bulletin has become the foremost source of information on local and foreign affairs, and the region’s business news.

    © 2013 Borneo Bulletin Online - The Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak