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. More details in Saturday’s Borneo Bulletin.
Death toll from Typhoon Rai crosses 400
MANILA (CNA) – The Philippine death toll from Typhoon Rai has crossed the 400 mark, the disaster agency said yesterday, as officials in some hard-hit provinces appealed for more supplies of food, water and shelter materials about two weeks after the storm struck. More details in Saturday’s Borneo Bulletin.
Suspect in fatal Japan clinic fire dies in hospital
TOKYO (AP) – The suspect in a fire in Japan that killed 25 people has died at a hospital where he was being treated for burns and smoke inhalation, police said yesterday. More details in Saturday’s Borneo Bulletin.
New Director of Islamic Studies named
The Public Service Department at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced yesterday that 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 has consented for Haji Shamshol bin Haji Omar to be promoted to Director of Islamic Studies at the Islamic Studies Department, Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA).
The appointment is effective December 6, 2021.
584 adolescents remain unjabbed: Acting minister
Adib Noor
Some 584 students, aged 12 to 17, have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, said Acting Minister of Education Datin Seri Paduka Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh at the daily press conference yesterday.
Among the reasons given, she said, were health concerns, parents not giving consent for their children to receive the vaccine and students not currently in the country.
The acting minister added that of the 584 unvaccinated students, 38 per cent are due to the lack of consent from the parents.
“We urge these parents to get their children vaccinated, so they can attend classes with their friends when school re-opens next week,” she said.
Datin Seri Paduka Dr Hajah Romaizah also reminded parents that unvaccinated students are not allowed on school grounds. Instead they will continue to attend class remotely and through home learning packs.
Meanwhile, the acting minister said, more than 99 per cent of teachers are immunised against the coronavirus.
She said that “24 teachers at public schools have not been vaccinated, with 11 due to health reasons and five claiming they are not ready and eight stating that they do not wish to be vaccinated”.
Datin Seri Paduka Dr Hajah Romaizah reiterated that it is mandatory for all staff at educational institutions to be vaccinated.
“On January 3, 2022, all schools will re-open to students Year 10 and above, and all teachers are expected to be there to support the resumption of physical lessons,” she said.
As such, the acting minister urged unvaccinated teachers to “sympathise with students who have taken steps to be inoculated to make up for the school experience missed due to the pandemic”.
Man to learn fate for robbing, assaulting woman at knife point
Fadley Faisal
A local man will learn his fate on January 15, 2022 for robbing a woman in her car and sexually assaulting her while armed with a pocket knife.
Thirty-three-year-old Mohammad Faizul Helmey bin Ahmad Umar yesterday pleaded guilty to the charges in the Intermediate Court, along with three other charges of robbery and theft.
Prosecutor Hajah Atiyyah Azzahra binti Pehin Dato Haji Abas revealed in court that on October 18, the defendant was riding his bicycle in Bengkurong when a 42-year-old woman stopped to ask for direction.
He offered to go with her and show her the way. After getting into the car and briefly giving direction, he pulled out a pocket knife and threatened the victim with it.
He then punched her in the stomach, slapped her across the face and ordered her to get out of the car.
The victim refused to comply, at which point the defendant took over the wheel and drove to a secluded area, where he lifted the victim’s dress and rubbed his private part against the victim’s genital over her underwear.
The defendant then left the victim by the roadside and drove off with her car along with her handbag.
The defendant was arrested on November 30.
The police recovered the car, which was dumped in a commercial area in Tungku Link. The colour of the car had been changed and the licence plates replaced with the ones he had stolen from a car at a workshop in Kampong Telisai, Tutong District in August.
Further investigation revealed that the defendant had offered an Indonesia woman a ride in his car at a bus stop in Kampong Tungku on October 20.
He claimed to be heading to the capital and offered to take her to her destination for BND1.
The defendant then drove to a nearby junction, restrained the victim and attempted to rob her.
On the discovery that the victim had no money, the defendant snatched a gold bracelet from her arm and took her mobile phone before dropping her off at a nearby convenience store.
Probes into the case also found that the defendant had stolen a car from a house in Jalan Pasir Berakas in November.
He saw that the car window was rolled down and came across a pair of scissors which he used to start the engine.
He drove off to Seria, during which he experienced problems with the car, prompting him to abandon it in Lumut.
DES awards contracts to youth-led companies
James Kon
Two companies ran by local youth were given a chance to prove themselves after they were awarded with i-Usahawan contracts by the Department of Electrical Services (DES) of the Ministry of Energy yesterday in a signing ceremony at DES headquarters yesterday.
With the latest contracts, the total number of i-Usahawan contracts awarded by DES is five.
Barokah Toiyibah Enterprise and Izouco Moto Services will be providing housekeeping services for three years at DES facilities.
Signing on behalf of DES was Acting Director Muhammad Amir Sharifuddin bin Haji Ali while Barokah Toiyibah Enterprise was represented by its owner and Director Mohammad Wadood bin Haji Seruji and Izouco Moto Services was represented by its owner and Director Hairoman Izwan bin Haji Omar. The two contracts will provide employment to 12 locals.
Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Pengiran Haji Jamra Weira bin Pengiran Haji Petra witnessed the signing as guest of honour.
As part of the training provided by i-Usahawan programme, Barokah Toiyibah Enterprise and Izouco Moto Services have attended DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) training on financial practices for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and financial education for entrepreneurs as well as a course on tender introduction by DES.
Hairoman Izwan expressed gratitude for receiving blessings from Allah the Almighty and thanked the Government of 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 for receiving the i-Usahawan contract and giving opportunities for local young entrepreneurs.
“We also want to thank DES for the support given and Insya Allah, we will succeed and fulfil the project with high commitment,” he said, adding that i-Usahawan programme is a good initiative to help local youth venture into business.
Barokah Toiyibah Enterprise Assistant Manager Siti Rubiah binti Raya said, “Thanks to blessings from Allah the Almighty, we were able to be awarded with an i-Usahawan contract today. We want to thank the government and DES for giving us this opportunity. We will do our best and also contribute to the country as well as the people by providing employment to locals.“
The i-Usahawan programme is a youth entrepreneurship development programme initiated by the Ministry of Energy to support local youngsters to start, own and grow their businesses and secure their first contract with government, government linked companies (GLCs) or statutory bodies.
Launched on August 1, 2018 in conjunction with the 13th National Youth Day, the programme provides a government-led market intervention in the energy sector through the provision of business contracts and capacity building initiatives.
Retail, food and beverage sales down in third quarter
In the third quarter (Q3) of 2021, the Retail Sales Index (RSI) performance in Brunei Darussalam showed a year-on-year decrease of 5.2 per cent with an estimated retail sales value of BND386.8 million. As for the Food & Beverages Services Index (F&BSI), it has also decreased by 12.3 per cent compared to Q3 2020 with an estimated sales revenue of BND74.1 million.
For retail sales, almost all retail activities have shown a decrease in sales driven mainly by the sales of petrol in filling stations which decreased by 20.9 per cent, followed by sales of furniture and household equipment which decreased by 19.5 per cent; sales of textiles, wearing apparel and footwear (18.1 per cent); and sales in department store (2.5 per cent).
As for food and beverage services, the decrease in sales was attributed to the decrease in sales revenue of beverage serving activities (24.9 per cent), followed by restaurants (17.4 per cent) and fast-food outlets (2.2 per cent). This was in line with lower sales activity following the new local cases of COVID-19 detected in the country on August 7. This decline was also in line with the reinstatement of control measures such as not allowing dine-in for restaurants and other food premises including stalls.
Compared to the second quarter (Q2) of 2021, the RSI in Q3 2021 has recorded a decrease of 17.1 per cent mainly due to a decrease in sales of textiles, wearing apparel and footwear by 60.5 per cent, followed by sales of furniture and household equipment by 41.3 per cent; sales of electrical household appliances and lighting equipment in specialised stores (19.9 per cent); sales in petrol station (19.3 per cent); and sales in department store (17.7 per cent).
As for the F&BSI, it has recorded a decrease of 19.1 per cent in Q3 2021 compared to Q2 2021 mainly due to the decrease in sales revenue of restaurants by 22.4 per cent, followed by fast-food outlets by 15.4 per cent and beverage serving activities by 4.9 per cent.
Japan ships make logistic port of call to Brunei
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s (JMSDF) JS Uraga and JS Hirado made a logistic port of call to Brunei Darussalam on December 27.
Along with the visit, the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) and JMSDF have successfully conducted the Passage Exercise (PASSEX), participated by three ships namely, KDB Darulehsan, JS Uraga (Uraga-Class Minesweeper Vessel) and JS Hirado (Awaji-Class Minesweeper Vessel), while enroute to Muara Commercial Port.
Prior to and during the PASSEX, all planning and coordination meetings as well as execution were conducted virtually in line with the Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) current COVID-19 guidelines.
A sequence of communication and manoeuvring exercises have also been pre-arranged to offer opportunities for all officers and crew from both navies to exercise interoperability while working and operating together at sea.
The ceremony came to a close with a goodbye pass, in which both navies took part in ceremonials including ‘piping the side and lined the deck’ to bid farewell and show gratitude for their good friendship.
Both captains expressed gratitude and fulfilment with the exercises and look forward to more opportunities to strengthen naval ties in the future.
During the logistic visit, RBN’s Fleet Commander Captain Khairil bin Haji Abdul Rahman also received a virtual courtesy call by the JMSDF delegation led by Commander of Minesweeper Division One Captain Yasushi Noguchi along with the commanding officers – Commander Koji Kondo and Lieutenant Commander Akira Ito.
Meanwhile, representatives from the Japanese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam were Second Secretary for Defence Cooperation at the Japanese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam Lieutenant Commander Sugimoto Kentaro.
The RBN remains committed to strengthening its relationship with JMSDF, enhancing interoperability and capacity building opportunities towards the goal of cooperation at sea.
The RBN also wished the ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force safe passage to their next port of call.
Omicron ‘tsunami’ as world cases hit record
PARIS (AFP) – A COVID variant-driven “tsunami” threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday as AFP data showed cases have surged across the world in the past week to levels never seen before.
Highly transmissible Omicron propelled the United States (US), France and Denmark to fresh records on Wednesday, with AFP’s tally of 6.55 million infections reported globally for seven days through Tuesday demonstrating the unprecedented spread.
The figures were the highest since WHO declared a pandemic in March 2020, underscoring the blistering pace of Omicron transmission, with tens of millions of people facing a second consecutive year of restrictions dampening New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“I am highly concerned that Omicron, being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“This is and will continue to put immense pressure on exhausted health workers, and health systems on the brink of collapse,” he added.
The surge, currently worst in Europe, is forcing governments to walk a tightrope between imposing restrictions designed to stop hospitals from becoming overwhelmed and the need to keep economies and societies open two years after the virus first emerged in late 2019.
The US, where Omicron is already overwhelming hospitals, recorded its highest-ever seven-day average of new cases at 265,427, according Johns Hopkins University.
Harvard epidemiologist and immunologist Michael Mina tweeted that the count was probably just the “tip of the iceberg” with the true number of cases likely far higher, because of a shortage of tests.
But the country also appears to be experiencing a decoupling between infections and severe outcomes compared to previous waves, officials noted, as evidence accumulates of milder cases under the new variant.
France registered a new daily record of more than 200,000 cases – more than double the number recorded on December 25 – and extended into January the closure of nightlife venues.
French police said that wearing face masks outdoors will become compulsory again in Paris from today for everyone over age 11 except those inside vehicles, cyclists, users of two-wheeled transport like scooters, and those participating in sports.
Denmark, which currently has the world’s highest rate of infection per person, recorded a fresh record of 23,228 new infections, which authorities attributed in part to the large numbers of tests carried out after the recent festive weekend celebrations.
Portugal also saw a record with nearly 27,000 cases reported in 24 hours, while Lebanon had 3,150 new infections – its highest daily tally since vaccines rolled out earlier this year.
The number of people in hospital with COVID in England topped 10,000, the highest total since March, as Britain hit a new record of 183,037 daily cases in the last 24 hours.
Studies suggest Omicron, now the dominant strain in some countries, carries a reduced risk of sending those infected to hospital, but the WHO still urged caution.
More than 5.4 million people around the world have died from COVID-19, but over the last week the number of deaths averaged 6,450 a day, the AFP tally said, the lowest since October 2020.