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    Vietnam truck jam as China tightens import rules for COVID

    LANG SON, VIETNAM (AFP) – Thousands of trucks carrying fruit were stuck yesterday at Vietnam’s main freight border crossing with China after Beijing tightened rules on imported goods because of the pandemic.

    Lorries loaded with thousands of tonnes of dragonfruit, jackfruit, mango and other produce are languishing at the crossing in Vietnam’s northern Lang Son province.

    Some of the drivers say they have been waiting for days or even months to cross.

    “I have been here for 40 days. My fruits are going to be rotten. I am so tired of this,” said a driver who identified himself as Hai, while cooking a meal beside his truck full of jackfruit.
    Hai was carrying the produce from southern Tien Giang province. He did not know when he could come back home.

    On another truck, Nguyen Van Nen from northern Bac Ninh province said it was the biggest hit he experienced in years.

    Vietnamese container trucks at a makeshift parking lot wait to cross the Vietnam-China border in Lang Son province yesterday, as thousands of trucks carrying fruit remained stuck at the border while China tightened its border policies. PHOTO: AFP

    “If I am lucky, I think I can get through after 10 days,” Nen told AFP, explaining his container of 32 tonnes of watermelon will have to wait for more than 800 trucks.

    The border crossing is not fully closed, but only a trickle of trucks are making it through – on Thursday only around 100 passed through the Huu Nghi gate.

    Earlier in the week, Lang Son provincial authorities issued a statement advising provinces and businesses not to send goods to the border until the end of the month.

    The statement said the jam was due to “Chinese authorities’ tougher pandemic control measures against people and vehicles entering the country”.

    China has been testing cold-chain imported foods for traces of COVID-19 since 2020, though the World Health Organization saidthere is only a very low chance of the virus being passed on this way.

    Several local governments in China have said they have detected COVID traces on dragonfruit imported from Vietnam.

    According to official figures, Vietnam earned USD3.5 billion dollars from the exports of fruits and vegetables last year, a slight increase on the previous years.

    German industrial output stalls even as exports rise

    FRANKFURT (AFP) – German industrial production fell slightly in November as persistent supply bottlenecks weighed on companies, official figures showed yesterday, despite exports climbing again.

    The country’s manufacturing sector produced 0.2 per cent less in November than in the previous month, the federal statistics agency Destatis said, after a revised rise of 2.4 per cent in October.

    Production levels in November 2021 were 2.4 per cent below the same month in 2020, and lagged Germany’s pre-coronavirus crisis output in February 2020 by seven per cent.

    While output lagged, exports from Europe’s top economy rose by 1.7 per cent in November on the previous month, according to further data from Destatis, the second consecutive increase in the indicator.

    The value of exports totalled EUR125.7 billion, with exports to other European Union countries rising by 14 per cent year on year.

    Employees of German car manufacturer Porsche at the production site in Stuttgart, southern Germany. PHOTO: AFP

    “The revival of exports and to a lesser extent industrial production in the first months of the fourth quarter indicate how fast and strong German industry can rebound once global supply chain frictions show any relief,” said Carsten Brzeski, head of macro at ING.

    Such a prospect was some way off, however, with industry still “in the stranglehold of global supply chain frictions” and needing at least until spring to be back on a sustainable path to recovery, Brzeski said.

    The pandemic has caused widespread disruptions in supply chains, leading to shortages of raw materials and key components.

    Germany’s flagship auto industry has been particularly hard hit by a shortage of semiconductors, a crucial component in both conventional and electric vehicles, leading to sporadic stoppages on factory lines through 2021.

    The sector nonetheless did better in November, with production climbing 4.1 per cent, though not enough for carmakers to avoid a calamitous year with sales in Germany down over 10 per cent.

    Djokovic fans protest shock Australia detention

    MELBOURNE (AFP) – Novak Djokovic’s fans rallied in the rain yesterday to protest the tennis superstar’s shock detention in Australia, a development that reverberated globally and sparked an angry reaction from Serbia.

    About 50 protesters – a mix of tennis fans, anti-vaccine demonstrators and immigrant rights activists – congregated outside a detention facility in Melbourne.

    “We came out to support him,” said fan Sash Aleksic on the sodden street outside the building.

    “There would obviously be a lot more people here if people did not have family obligations today.”

    Not everyone was a supporter, though. “Refugees are welcome here, Djokovic is not,” chanted a group of protesters. Police intervened to separate them from the Novak fans.

    “We want to show that what Novak stands for is anti-public health, anti-social solidarity, and we stand for the freedom of refugees who’ve been held for eight-plus years,” said Zak Barzovoy, a 27-year-old student.

    People hold placards at a government detention centre where Serbia’s tennis champion Novak Djokovic is reported to be staying. PHOTO: AFP

    The former Park Hotel, now officially known as an “alternative place of detention”, holds about 32 refugees and asylum seekers trapped in Australia’s hardline immigration system.

    It is believed the world’s top tennis player is among them, although border authorities have refused to confirm where Djokovic is detained.

    The five-storey centre gained notoriety last year when a fire forced migrants to be evacuated, and maggots were allegedly found in the food.

    Djokovic was held after arrival in Australia this week – his visa revoked for failing to meet the country’s tough pandemic restrictions.

    Foreigners are still mostly banned from travel to Australia, and those granted entry must be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption.

    Australian authorities said the 34-year-old Serbian star – who has declared himself against vaccines and claimed to have an exemption – provided evidence of neither and was detained, pending deportation.

    Djokovic secured an exemption to play in the Australian Open this month. But the Australian government said he did not meet the stricter standard required to enter the country.

    In fiery remarks at a Belgrade rally, his father Srdjan Djokovic told a crowd his son was the victim of a “political witch hunt” and “corona fascism”.

    His mother Djina Djokovic told reporters at the rally: “They are keeping him as a prisoner. It is just not fair. It is not human.”

    Many Australians, who have endured nearly two years of travel bans and rolling lockdowns, were outraged when they learned the player was given a vaccine exemption. Tennis players seemed divided, but some rallied around Novak.

    “Look I definitely believe in taking action, I got vaccinated because of others and for my mum’s health, but how we are handling Novak’s situation is bad, really bad,” said Australian star Nick Kyrgios.

    “This is one of our great champions but at the end of the day, he is human,” he said on social media.

    Djokovic had landed in Melbourne on Wednesday hoping to defend his Australian Open crown and seal an unprecedented 21st Grand Slam title.

    Although he won a legal reprieve from deportation until at least Monday, when his attempt to overturn his visa cancellation will be heard in court, it is unclear whether he will play in the January 17-30 tournament.

    Judge Anthony Kelly warned the star’s lawyers in a hearing on Thursday that justice would move at its own pace through all necessary appeals. “The tail won’t be wagging the dog here,” he said.

    Two others attending the Australian Open are also now being investigated, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews confirmed yesterday.

    She also denied allegations that Djokovic was being held against his will. “He is free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so and Border Force will actually facilitate that,”
    she said.

    Yemen ship seizure flashes warning for Red Sea

    DUBAI (AFP) – Yemeni rebels’ seizure of a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-flagged vessel has set off alarm bells that the conflict could “wreak havoc” on oil and cargo shipping in the strategic Red Sea, analysts said.

    The Huthi rebels are more used to fighting in the dusty country’s craggy mountains but on Monday took the bold move to hijack the Rwabee with its international crew.

    They later showed video purportedly of military jeeps and weapons on board, while the coalition fighting for the internationally recognised government insisted it was carrying medical equipment.

    The hijacking, in the busy Red Sea that separates the Arabian peninsula from Africa, and is connected to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal, sent out a clear message, analysts say.

    “It is hard to pinpoint the exact cause for the Huthi seizure, and the group’s messaging has been a bit mixed,” Yemen specialist at the non-governmental organisation Crisis Group Peter Salisbury.

    “But it is hard not to read it as a not-so-gentle reminder that they could wreak havoc on Saudi and Emirati shipping in the Red Sea if they so wished.”

    Photo shows the Emirati-flagged vessel in the Red Sea seized by Yemen’s Huthi rebels. PHOTO: AFP

    The seven-year war, a battleground for the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has displaced millions, creating the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe, according to the United Nations (UN).

    It has mainly been fought on land. The Huthis’ last ship capture was in November 2019, when they seized two South Korean vessels and a Saudi-flagged tug in the Red Sea north of Hodeida.

    The latest hijacking follows setbacks for the rebels with defeats in Shabwa governorate to the pro-government Giants Brigade, who are backed by the Saudis and the UAE.

    It also came on the second anniversary of the death of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a United States (US) drone strike near Baghdad airport.

    On the same day, two major Israeli media outlets were hacked and two armed drones targetted a compound at Baghdad airport hosting personnel from the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq.

    But senior Arabian peninsula analyst at Navanti Group Mohammed al-Basha said the Rwabee’s capture looked like an “escalation” by the rebels.

    “The seizure of the UAE flagged vessel signals both a political and military escalation to the Saudi-led coalition,” he told AFP.

    “Observers and policymakers have long feared that the war in Yemen could spill over into the Red Sea and destabilise vital shipping lanes.”

    Conflict in the Red Sea could cause chaos. The waterway carries about 1.5 million barrels of oil per day from Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia, including most of Europe’s crude imports from the Middle East, according to energy analysts S&P Global Platts.

    The coalition has threatened to target rebel-held ports in reprisal for Rwabee, an action that could carry risks for the Safer – an abandoned tanker carrying 1.1 million barrels of crude that has been lying off the Yemen coast since 2015.

    Environmentalists have already warned that the Safer, which is about 22 kilometres from where the Rwabee is being held, could break apart or explode at any moment, setting off an environmental disaster.

    But for Director of the Sanaa Centre for Strategic Studies Maged al-Madhaji, the Rwabee was all show from the rebels, who are not well versed in naval warfare.

    The hijacking gives them “benefits of a political nature and raises their profile, rather than any real military gains”, he said.

    “They don’t have a lot of experience at sea because they’re fundamentally mountain fighters,” added Madhaji.

    Stranded Indians head home

    One hundred and forty-three stranded Indian nationals, including five infants were repatriated to India on a Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) flight chartered by the High Commission of India in Brunei Darussalam yesterday.

    The flight will travel to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, in India from Bandar Seri Begawan.

    This was the 16th such flight organised by the high commission and 2,230 stranded Indian nationals have been repatriated since July 2020.

    High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam Ajaneesh Kumar and other officials from the high commission saw the passengers off at Brunei International Airport.

    Stranded Indian nationals before their repatriation flight to India at the Brunei International Airport. PHOTO: HIGH COMMISSION OF INDIA IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

    Roma errors hand AC Milan a 3-1 win in Serie A

    ROME (AP) – Jose Mourinho (AP; pic below) was left gesticulating in apparent disapproval after two grievous errors from his Roma players handed AC Milan a 3-1 win in Serie A on Thursday.

    First, striker Tammy Abraham stuck out his arm to block a shot that resulted in a penalty for Milan, then defender Roger Ibañez made an errant back pass that was intercepted by Olivier Giroud, which led to the Rossoneri’s second goal just 17 minutes in.

    Giroud converted the penalty and Junior Messias scored Milan’s second on a rebound after Giroud’s effort hit the post.

    Abraham then pulled one back for Roma with a deflection but Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan maintained the Rossoneri’s advantage with a series of difficult saves. Milan also hit the goalframe twice, while Roma finished with nine men when Rick Karsdorp and Gianluca Mancini each picked up their second yellow cards – which will mean they’ll be suspended for the game against Juventus.

    With Roma down to 10 men, Rafael Leão restored Milan’s two-goal advantage after being set up with a chested pass from fellow substitute Zlatan Ibrahimović to sprint in alone toward goal.

    Ibrahimović then had a penalty attempt saved by Rui Patrício.

    Mourinho questioned decisions by referee Daniele Chiffi and VAR official Gianluca Aureliano.

    “Our quality level on the pitch was very low,” Mourinho said. “But I don’t understand what Chiffi did on the pitch and what Aureliano did as the VAR.

    Maybe (Aureliano) wanted to be on the pitch whereas he should have stayed where he was, in his office, so as not to become the protagonist.”

    The match at the San Siro was one of only six of 10 matches that was played following a two-week break, with four games scrapped because of rising coronavirus cases.

    Milan moved within one point of Serie A leader Inter Milan, whose game at Bologna was among postponed after the hosts were ordered into quarantine.

    The other games affected were Atalanta vs Torino, Salernitana vs Venezia and Fiorentina vs Udinese.

    Foreigner caught breaching stay-at-home directive

    James Kon

    Enforcement personnel detected one violation during the movement restriction operation from 10pm to 4am, yesterday.

    According to a statement by the Ministry of Health (MoH), the violator breached the stay-at-home directive.

    The offender was foreign national Digamber Bantawa.

    The Royal Brunei Police Force said the violation was detected in the Brunei-Muara District.

    Digamber Bantawa. PHOTO: RBPF

    New York Times buys The Athletic for USD550M

    AP – The New York Times Co is buying sports news site The Athletic for USD550 million, the latest move in its strategy to expand its audience of paying subscribers as the newspaper print ads business fades.

    The Times, unlike many local news outlets, has thrived in the past several years. It gained millions of subscribers during the Trump presidency and the pandemic, keeping it on track for its previously stated goal of 10 million by 2025.

    As of the most recent quarter, The Times had nearly 8.4 million. It has been diversifying its coverage with lifestyle advice, games and recipes, helping it counter a pullback from the politics-driven news traffic boom of 2020.

    “We are now in pursuit of a goal meaningfully larger than 10 million subscriptions and believe The Athletic will enable us to expand our addressable market of potential subscribers,” said New York Times Co CEO Meredith Kopit Levien in a news release on Thursday.

    It’s one of The Times’ largest-ever acquisitions. The company spent USD1.1 billion on the Boston Globe in 1993 and USD410 million for About.com in 2005, both of which it later sold for less.

    Digital media outlets have been consolidating recently to help them compete for online ad revenue with tech giants like Google and Facebook. German media conglomerate Axel Springer bought Politico; Vox Media is buying Group Nine Media, owner of Thrillist and animals site The Dodo; BuzzFeed bought HuffPost.

    San Francisco-based The Athletic covers national and local sports – more than 200 teams, according to The Times. It was founded in 2016 and has 1.2 million subscribers. Its website says it has over 400 editorial employees, making it a major acquisition for The Times, which has more than 2,000 editorial employees.

    A sign for The New York Times hangs at the entrance to its building. PHOTO: AP

    Belgium cocaine haul jumps in key port

    ANTWERP, BELGIUM (AFP) – The amount of cocaine seized in Europe’s key port of Antwerp jumped more than 36 per cent to a record of nearly 90 tonnes last year, Belgian officials said yesterday.

    The amount “is, of course, frightening, a little bit”, Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem told AFP in the port after presenting the figures.

    He put the sharp rise down to “an international increase in the drugs traffic” and information from Operation Sky – a vast, Belgian-led law enforcement operation carried out last year based on wiretaps of drug traffickers who thought they were using secure communications.

    Belgium’s customs service said 65.5 tonnes of cocaine had been seized in 2020 compared with 89.5 tonnes last year.

    Belgium is now the main point of entry for cocaine into Europe, ahead of Spain and the Netherlands, Customs Service Chief Kristian Vanderwaeren said.

    The top three source countries were Panama, Ecuador and Paraguay, he said.

    Officers also seized 11.71 tonnes of hashish and 1.35 tonnes of heroin last year, Vanderwaeren added.

    “What worries us the most is the heroin… which comes from Pakistan and especially Afghanistan with the Taleban,” he said.

    The officials stressed that scrutiny of the port was being stepped up to detect the drugs being smuggled in inside containers. A specialised detection team has been set up, the number of drug-sniffing dogs increased and five giant X-ray scanners been brought in to screen containers.

    Shipping containers are offloaded in the Port of Antwerp, Belgium. PHOTO: AP

    Samsung Electronics forecasts 52.5pc jump in Q4 profits on record sales

    SEOUL (AFP) – Samsung Electronics expects operating profits for the fourth quarter to soar 52.5 per cent, the South Korean tech giant said in a statement yesterday, spurred by record sales.

    The world’s biggest smartphone maker forecast 2021 fourth-quarter operating profits at around KRW13.8 trillion (USD11.5 billion), up from KRW9.05 trillion in the same quarter last year.

    The firm was boosted by record sales in the quarter, estimated at KRW76 trillion, up 23.5 per cent on-year, according to the statement, which added that the forecast reflected a one-time bonus payment to employees.

    A spokeswoman told AFP annual sales in 2021 were also expected to be the highest ever.
    The operating profit estimate was below analysts’ estimate of KRW15.2 trillion, according to Bloomberg News.

    “A continued price growth in memory chips that ran three consecutive quarters until October last year has boosted Samsung’s profit margins,” said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment & Securities.

    “The most significant source of income for Samsung lies in the memory chip business.”

    Samsung Electronics did not provide details yesterday on the performance of its various divisions. The firm is expected to release its full results on January 27.

    Samsung’s flagship mobile phone store on Nanjing Road pedestrian Street in Shanghai, China. PHOTO: AFP

    Analysts and investors are also keeping an eye on the impact of the citywide Covid lockdown in Xi’an, China, which is home to a Samsung semiconductor plant.

    Samsung said last week that it had to “temporarily adjust operations” at the Xi’an facilities, without detailing how that would impact production.

    While the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the world economy, it has helped many tech companies boom.

    Pandemic-driven working from home has boosted demand for devices powered by Samsung’s chips, as well as home appliances such as televisions and washing machines.

    Analysts had also expected the firm to benefit from the traditionally lucrative holiday season.

    The world’s biggest memory chip maker, Samsung Electronics has aggressively stepped up investment in its semiconductor business as the world battles chip shortages that have hit everything from cars and home appliances to smartphones and gaming consoles.

    In November, it announced a new microchip factory in Texas, a USD17 billion investment. The plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.

    It joined rivals TSMC and US firm Intel in expanding chip manufacturing capacity in the United States, which sees the sector as an area of strategic competition with China.

    The firm is also investing in the development of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and 5G/6G communications.

    Samsung Electronics is the flagship subsidiary of the giant Samsung group, by far the largest of the family-controlled empires known as chaebols that dominate business in South Korea.

    The conglomerate’s overall turnover is equivalent to around one-fifth of South Korea’s gross domestic product.

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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