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    Unvaccinated dad in Quebec temporarily loses visitation rights

    MONTREAL (AFP) – A Canadian father, unvaccinated against COVID and “opposed to health measures”, lost the right to visit his 12-year-old after a Quebec judge ruled his visits would not be in the child’s “best interest”.

    The decision, initially reported by Quebec newspaper Le Devoir and consulted by AFP, was rendered December 23 and suspends the father’s visitation rights until February, unless he decides to get vaccinated.

    “It would not be in the child’s best interest to have contact with their father if he is not vaccinated and is opposed to health measures in the current epidemiological context,” the judge said in his ruling, referring to a spike in COVID cases due to the Omicron variant.

    The issue arose when the father requested an extension of his allotted visitation time around the holidays.

    The mother opposed his request.

    She told the court she had recently discovered he was unvaccinated and showed his previous social media posts showing an opposition to health measures.

    The judge noted that while the child is vaccinated, their protection “seems reduced against the Omicron variant which is spreading at the moment in Quebec”.

    KLEAR opens its first brand stores

    Izah Azahari

    KLEAR, a local brand of home appliances, opened their first brand stores at Rimba Point and Aman Hills Shopping Centre yesterday.

    The brand marked its entry into the market by showcasing their products, including the KLEAR Titan, KLEAR Mastercook and KLEAR Undersink Filtration Enhancer.

    The opening ceremony for KLEAR Rimba Point brand store was held in the morning and was officiated by KLEAR Marketing Director Hui Ting Wong and KLEAR Rimba Point Manager Nur Mazira Nasirah binti Najirahmat.

    Meanwhile, the KLEAR Aman Hills brand store was launched in the afternoon and was officiated by Hui Ting Wong, KLEAR Head of Sales and Revenue Kevin Tay and KLEAR Aman Hills Manager Adlin Rasidah binti Abi Hurairah.

    Wong said KLEAR sought to provide innovative products catered to the Bruneian market with a ‘rent-to-own’ model.

    KLEAR Marketing Director Hui Ting Wong (R) and KLEAR Aman Hills Manager Adlin Rasidah binti Abi Hurairah (L) during the opening of KLEAR Brand Store, Aman Hills Shopping Centre. PHOTO: ADIB NOOR

    “For example, we understand the water condition in Brunei, so we wanted to bring in the Titan model, an outdoor water purifier that is more suited for the water conditions here,” she said.

    She said the company also decided to bring in other brands such as the Hizero Floor Cleaner.

    Wong said that KLEAR has also brought in their after-sales service model to Hizero, making KLEAR the first company around the world to provide the longest warranty after-sales service.

    “As they provide the rent-to-own plan, we wanted to extend our warranty up to three years for customers,” she said.

    Wong said there are plans to expand to six stores nationwide.

    “We want to provide career and employment opportunities to our people here in Brunei as every store has a manager that is in charge and are the entrepreneurs of KLEAR,” she added.

    She said they also hoped to open an experience centre. “We have a lot of products we want to introduce in the future. So we want to set up a flagship store to be able to showcase them.”

    Chelsea ‘play with fire’ to reach League Cup final

    LONDON (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel said Chelsea reached the League Cup final despite “playing with fire” as Antonio Rudiger’s goal and three video assistant referee (VAR) decisions helped the Blues seal a 1-0 win at Tottenham early yesterday.

    Rudiger’s first half header ensured Chelsea pressed home the advantage they had earned with a 2-0 win in the semi-final first leg last week.

    Tuchel’s team also had VAR official Mike Dean on their side as Tottenham were given two penalties by Andre Marriner, only for reviews to overturn both, while Harry Kane saw a goal disallowed for offside.

    Chelsea, 3-0 aggregate winners, will play Liverpool or Arsenal in the final at Wembley on February 27.

    “We started good. We had big chances and controlled the match, but I had the feeling we played with fire,” Tuchel said.

    “We allowed chances from sloppy mistakes and were lucky. We almost gave a penalty away for no reason, for a bit of over-confidence.

    Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger scores the opening goal during the English League Cup semi-final second leg match against Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. PHOTO: AP

    “We needed luck to not give away another penalty, to have an offside VAR decision.”

    Tuchel is the first manager in Chelsea’s history to lead the club to the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup finals, a feat he has achieved just 350 days after his first game in charge in January 2020.

    It is Chelsea’s first League Cup final appearance since 2019 as they aim to win the competition for the first time since 2015.

    “We need to play better if we’re going to really deserve results like this. We have to meet the standards,” Tuchel said.

    Tottenham have not won a major trophy since lifting the League Cup in 2008 and their options for ending that drought this season are dwindling.

    Antonio Conte had conceded it would be hard to overturn the deficit against a team of Chelsea’s quality.

    And the Tottenham manager’s pessimism proved well founded as Chelsea quickly put a stranglehold on the tie in north London.

    “At the end of the two games Chelsea deserved to reach the final in this competition, we have to be honest,” Conte said.

    “In the second half we created many chances to score and we deserved a result better than losing 1-0 but if you have a judgement over the two games Chelsea deserved to win.”

    Biogen tumbles after Medicare lays out Aduhelm coverage plan

    AP – Shares of Biogen slid on Wednesday, a day after federal regulators slapped coverage limitations on the drugmaker’s new Alzheimer’s disease treatment.

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said on Tuesday after markets closed that patients taking Biogen’s Aduhelm will have to also participate in clinical trials to assess the drug’s effectiveness in order for Medicare to cover the cost.

    That’s an important caveat because Medicare is expected to cover most of the patients who opt for Aduhelm, and the drug can cost as much as USD28,000 annually, not counting expenses for brain scans and other care patients will need while taking it.

    Biogen had cut that cost down from more than USD50,000 annually last month after taking months of criticism over the expense.

    The initial Medicare coverage decision will significantly limit access to Aduhelm, said Mizuho Securities USA analyst Salim Syed. He had previously estimated around USD3.5 billion to USD4 billion in peak annual sales for the drug.

    The Biogen Inc headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. PHOTO: AP

    But he said on Wednesday he now assumes less than USD100 million.

    Medicare’s national coverage determination will become final by April 11, following a public comment period and further evaluation by the agency. The US Food and Drug Administration had approved Aduhelm last June and later said it was appropriate for patients with mild symptoms or early-stage Alzheimer’s.

    Aduhelm clears brain plaque thought to play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, and regulators made their call based on research showing the drug seemed likely to benefit patients. But they’ve asked for another study.

    Biogen said last month that it would submit final plans for that study to the Food and Drug Administration in March. It then plans to have the first patient screened for the research by May.

    Researchers will aim to enroll about 1,300 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s and expect to complete the research about four years after the study begins.

    Aduhelm has been hailed as a promising treatment by some researchers because it has the potential to slow the fatal Alzheimer’s. No drugs on the market currently do that.

    COVID-19 infectivity rate inches up in Malaysia as Omicron threat looms

    THE STRAITS TIMES – Malaysia’s COVID-19 infectivity rate has inched up, as daily caseloads showed a marginal uptick over the past couple of days, but health authorities said the situation is still under control.

    While they are anticipating an Omicron wave in Malaysia, experts say that the highly contagious variant is not yet the primary driver for the majority of cases.

    Malaysia’s R-naught (RO) value for COVID-19 infection reached 1.0 on Tuesday, before dropping back marginally to 0.99 on Wednesday.

    RO is a measure of the number of new infections generated by each case. A rate of 1 means that any infected person will on average infect one other person.

    The last time Malaysia’s infectivity rate breached 1.0 was on November 23 last year, before Omicron was designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    The country recorded 3,684 cases yesterday, the third consecutive day cases had increased. It is the highest daily caseload so far this year, and the highest since December 30 last year when the country reported 3,997 cases.

    A man receives his third dose of COVID-19 vaccination in Padang Hiliran. PHOTO: BERNAMA

    However, as of last week, Malaysia had detected 245 Omicron cases, and the number of local cases of the new variant was still in the double digits, at 17.

    Around two-thirds of Omicron cases in Malaysia involved pilgrims who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, some of whom were reportedly unvaccinated prior to their pilgrimage.

    In response, Malaysia last week suspended Umrah trips to Saudi Arabia for a month, as it sought to keep Omicron cases under control.

    Universiti Putra Malaysia epidemiologist Malina Osman told The Straits Times (ST) that the current uptick in cases could be caused by violations of COVID-19 protocols as well as Omicron, although the latter can be confirmed only after full genome sequencing by the Health Ministry.

    “If cases due to Omicron are increasing steadily, and subsequent findings show that overwhelming cases were due to Omicron, then we can conclude the role (of Omicron),” she told ST.

    Dr Malina said the situation looked to be still “within control”, with active cases continuing to decline in the country.

    Malaysia had 39,896 active cases as at Wednesday, a reduction of 17 cases from the day before as recoveries continued to outpace new cases. The number is a far cry from more than 200,000 active cases in August last year – by far the worst month since the pandemic started in Malaysia.

    More than 80 per cent of active cases are serving home quarantine orders – normally issued for those with mild or asymptomatic infections.

    The country recorded 21 deaths on Wednesday, with deaths being in the low double digits for much of the past month. The highest record is the 592 deaths on September 11 last year.

    Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had said that there is a “high possibility” of an Omicron wave in Malaysia, and warned that daily caseloads could reach 30,000 by March if the variant is not managed with interventions such as the Umrah travel suspension.

    Malaysia’s highest daily caseload was 24,599 recorded in August last year.

    Both Khairy and Senior Minister in charge of Defence Hishammuddin Hussein had said that Malaysia will avoid implementing another lockdown to deal with a possible Omicron wave.

    Malaysia spent a large part of 2021 under some form of lockdown and travel restriction to deal with the Delta variant. But this did little to slow the spread of Delta, making 2021 the deadliest year during the pandemic for Malaysia.

    The country has re-opened most businesses and lifted all domestic travel restrictions since mid-October, after vaccinating more than 90 per cent of its adult population. It retains social distancing protocols and the mask mandate for all social activities.

    As at Wednesday, Malaysia has fully vaccinated 78.6 per cent of its total population, with 26 per cent having also taken their booster shots.

    Pandemic pushes for quality time

    Mike Schneider

    AP – During the first several months of the pandemic in the United States (US), Dina Levy made her young daughter and son go on walks with her three times a day.

    They kicked a ball around at the nearby high school. The children, then 11 and eight, created an obstacle course out of chalk and the three timed each other running through it. They also ate all their meals together.

    Levy is among scores of parents who indicated in a new survey from the US Census Bureau that they spent more time eating, reading and playing with their children from March 2020 to June 2020, when coronavirus lockdowns were at their most intense, than they had in previous years.

    “With school and work, you split up and go your own way for the day, but during coronavirus, we were a unit,” said Levy, an attorney who lives in New Jersey. “It really was, I don’t want to say worthwhile since this pandemic has been so awful for so many people, but there was a lot of value to us as a family.”

    In a report on the survey released this week, the Census Bureau includes some caveats: A large number of people did not respond. Also, compared to previous years, more of the parents in this survey were older, foreign-born, married, educated and above the poverty level.

    The survey also does not measure the long-term impact of the pandemic, which is now entering its third calendar year, so it is unknown whether the increased time with the children has stuck.

    The findings of the Survey of Income and Programme Participation are based on interviews with one parent from 22,000 households during the first four months of the pandemic in the US.

    The survey found that the proportion of meals the so-called reference parents shared with their children increased from 84 to 85 per cent from 2018 to 2020, and from 56 to 63 per cent for the other parents.

    Some parents also read to their kids more in 2020 compared to previous years, though there were variations based on income, education and other factors. In 2020, 69 per cent of parents reported reading to young children five or more times per week compared with 65 per cent in 2018, and 64 per cent in 2019, the report said.

    “Families knew before the pandemic that they were overstressed. Kids had so many places to be. Parents were juggling an awful lot,” Co-Director of the Chicago Center for Family Health at the University of Chicago Froma Walsh said in a phone interview. “The pandemic made people not go to work, and our kids were home. It really helped parents to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. We are able to have real family time together that we weren’t before.’”

    On the flip side, the report found that outings with children decreased for parents because of travel restrictions and lockdowns, dropping from 85 per cent in 2018 and 87 per cent in 2019 to 82 per cent in 2020. The drop was starkest for solo parents, going from 86 per cent in 2019 to 75 per cent in 2020, according to the survey.

    The pandemic also strained many families. The death of loved ones, job losses, financial worries, remote learning, social isolation, and the demands of child and elder care all took a heavy toll, Walsh said.

    “The key point is families have experienced extreme stress and strain over the course of this prolonged pandemic,” Walsh said.

    She said her research shows that families do best when they share positive values, take a creative approach to problem-solving and have the flexibility to adapt.

    “Those families that can pull together and practise resilience are doing well, and it actually strengthens their bonds,” she said.

    That was certainly the case for Eugene Brusilovskiy, a statistician living in suburban Philadelphia. He said the pandemic allowed him to be with his daughter, who was born during the early months of the virus’s spread. Since he was working from home, he and

    his wife decided not to put her in daycare as originally planned.
    “I was involved in every routine, everything from feeding her to changing her diapers,” Brusilovskiy said.

    “I was able to spend real quality time, to go on walks and watch all of those first milestones that I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.”

    New year, new reads

    Aqilah Rahman

    With the new year comes another month of new books, and for those looking for new reads, here are eight new releases to consider putting on your list, including books about a nurse who tries to clear her mentor’s name after being accused of murder, a pair of strangers who agree to start a fake relationship after surviving a snowstorm, and a collection of stories spanning hundreds of years in the aftermath of a plague.

    ANATOMY BY DANA SCHWARTZ
    Set in Edinburgh, 1817, Anatomy is the story of Hazel who aspires to be a surgeon against society’s expectations during the time. She crosses paths with Jack, a resurrection man who digs up dead bodies for a living and sells them to medical schools for educational purposes.

    If Hazel can pass the medical examination, she’ll be able to enrol in the university. But it’s not enough to just read books and know the concepts. She needs first-hand experience of studying dead bodies and dissecting corpses, and Jack is the perfect partner-in-crime for that.

    ALL DAY IS A LONG TIME BY DAVID SANCHEZ
    After running away from home, 14-year-old David tries something he would regret for many years to come – trying crack cocaine. As he battles his addiction to remain sober, David decides to enrol in a literature class at a community college, sparking something deep inside him. All Day Is a Long Time is a character-driven story that focusses on David as he transitions from a teenager to an adult and recovers from his drug addiction.

    THE FAMILY YOU MAKE BY JILL SHALVIS
    Two strangers are stranded together on a ski lift as gusts of wind threaten to hurl them thousands of feet into the ground. Fearing that his time is running out, Levi makes a phonecall to his parents to say goodbye but finds himself unable to say it. Instead, he said that he’s settled down with his girlfriend so he can make his mother happy.

    By some miraculous luck, Levi survives the snowstorm. But now he has one problem – his family wants to meet his so-called girlfriend, the woman who sat next to him on the ski lift. Jane agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend and goes to meet his family for a dinner, but starts having second thoughts when she finds herself welcomed by a warm, tight-knit family that she’s always dreamed of.

    THE RED PALACE BY JUNE HUR
    Set in 1758, Korea, The Red Palace follows the story of Hyeon who, as an illegitimate daughter with hardly anyone to depend on, has spent long days and nights to earn a position in the palace as a nurse. When she finally achieves her goal, Hyeon wants nothing more than to keep herself out of trouble by keeping low while she does her work.

    However, four dead bodies are discovered in a single night. The prime suspect is Hyeon’s mentor, whom she also considers her closest friend. Believing that her teacher is innocent, Hyeon starts investigating and teams up with police inspector Eojin, navigating their way around court politics to find the one behind the strings.

    ROAD OF BONES BY CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN
    Buried deep underneath the Kolyma Highway, also known as the Road of Bones, are countless bodies of prisoners who died in the midst of their labours, plowed under the permafrost. When documentary producer Teig learns about the Road of Bones, he doesn’t hesitate to jump on the opportunity to explore the area for a documentary.

    Together with his camera operator and a local guide, Teig makes his way to Oymyakon, one of the coldest places on Earth. Upon arrival, the team finds a village with no single resident except for a nine-year-old girl.

    A FLICKER IN THE DARK BY STACY WILLINGHAM
    When Chloe was 12, her father was arrested as a serial killer. While her father serves a life sentence in prison, Chloe and her family struggle to rebuild their lives.

    Now 32 years old, Chloe is a psychologist and will be married soon to start a new chapter in her life. But when local teenage girls go missing, Chloe is reminded of her father’s crimes and she begins to see patterns that may not even be there in the first place.

    REMINDERS OF HIM BY COLLEEN HOOVER
    After serving five years in prison separated from her newborn baby, Kenna returns to her town to reunite with her daughter. However, all her attempts are shut down by everyone in her daughter’s life. Local business owner Ledger is the only exception and could be her only hope of reconnecting with her daughter.

    HOW HIGH WE GO IN THE DARK BY SEQUOIA NAGAMATSU
    Shortly after his daughter’s death, archaeologist Cliff arrives at a research centre to continue his daughter’s work alongside a team of researchers who are studying the preserved remains of a girl who died from a plague. How High We Go in the Dark is a collection of stories spanning hundreds of years, centred on loosely connected characters as the plague spreads across the world.

    Suzuki starts year with big parts discount

    James Kon

    Genuine parts of selected Suzuki models and merchandise are available on special discount at the Suzuki Auto Fest taking place at Bee Motors Sdn Bhd until January 16.

    Organised by Boustead Sdn Bhd, the launch of the Suzuki Auto Fest was officiated by Baiduri Finance Berhad Senior Manager Haji Mohd Ali bin Haji Metussin. Also in attendance was Boustead Sdn Bhd Aftersales Manager Chan Chee Seng.

    Marketing Manager of Suzuki Brunei Adehelmie Jaafar said the event was held to appreciate Suzuki customers, especially those from the 80’s. He said they were able to grow and scale because of their customers and the special discounts of up to 50 per cent in parts of selected Suzuki models and giveaways was a sign of appreciation to their customers.

    He added, “This year our goal is centred on giving back to our customers and communities.

    This is a kickoff event for 2022 and in the coming months, we have many more exciting events lined up.”

    The four-day-event offered a special discount for parts of the Suzuki Cultus Swift, Suzuki Kizashi, Suzuki Samurai, Suzuki Wagon R+, Suzuki Baleno, the first generation of Suzuki Vitara and Swift, Suzuki Jimny and others.

    Meanwhile, a collection of Suzuki certified pre-owned cars that has undergone quality inspection by a team of professional Suzuki technicians to ensure its road worthy, safety and reliability are also available.

    The event starts from 9am to 5pm. Visitors should comply to safety measures and standard operating procedures (SOPs) from the Ministry of Health, including scanning QR code with the BruHealth app and temperature checks as well as social distancing.

    Baiduri Finance Berhad Senior Manager Haji Mohd Ali bin Haji Metussin and Boustead Sdn Bhd Aftersales Manager Chan Chee Seng at the Suzuki Auto Fest. PHOTO: JAMES KON

    Norwegian conscripts to wear hand-me-down underwear

    OSLO (AFP) – Norwegian conscripts will now have to return their boxers, bras and socks after completing military service for the next recruits, as the army struggles with dwindling supplies due to COVID.

    Guarding NATO’s northern borders and sharing a border with Russia, Norway calls up around 8,000 young men and women for military service every year. Until recently, newly discharged conscripts left their barracks with the underwear they were issued.

    But the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously strained the flow of supplies with factory shutdowns and transport problems, leading the Norwegian military to ask conscripts to hand over underwear, bras and even socks.

    Though originally voluntary, it has now been made mandatory, public broadcaster NRK reported last Friday. “Now that we have chosen to reuse this part of the kit, it helps us… We don’t have enough in stock,” defence logistics spokesman Hans Meisingset told NRK.

    Man Utd must finish in top three, says Ronaldo

    LONDON (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo said finishing outside the top three in the Premier League would be unacceptable for Manchester United as Ralf Rangnick struggles to turn around his under-performing team.

    The German interim boss has steadied the ship since taking over from the sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but United are languishing in seventh place, 22 points behind leaders Manchester City.

    The five-time world player of the year has called for a change of mindset within the dressing room to address United’s poor form, which resulted in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Wolves in their most recent league outing.

    “Manchester United should win the league or be second or third,” Ronaldo told Sky Sports. “I don’t see any other position for Manchester United.

    “In my heart, I don’t accept that our mentality be less than being in the top three in the Premier League, in my opinion.

    “I think to build up good things sometimes you have to destroy a few things. New year, new life, I hope that Manchester can be at the level people want, especially the fans.

    We are capable of changing things now.

    Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in action during an English Premier League match against Burnley at Old Trafford in Manchester. PHOTO: AP

    “We can do it better, all of us. I don’t want to be here in the club fighting to be in sixth or seventh place. I am here to win, to compete. I believe if we change our mind we can achieve big things.”

    Rangnick was brought in until the end of the season after Solskjaer was dismissed in November following a run of heavy defeats.

    The German has won four of his seven games in charge in all competitions but the team’s style of football has still attracted criticism and there have been reports of disquiet within the squad.

    United produced another disjointed display in their FA Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa on Monday but managed to scrape through 1-0.

    Ronaldo backed Rangnick to turn things around but pleaded for patience ahead of Saturday’s league trip to Villa Park.

    “He arrived here five weeks ago,” said the Portugese superstar. “He changed many things but he needs time to put his ideas through the players and on the pitch.

    “It takes time but I believe that he is going to do a good job. We know we don’t play the best football, as we should do, but we have many games to improve.

    “Since he arrived I think in some points we are better, but he needs time.”

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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