Day: January 1, 2022

A new year brings a new mayor for New York City and new laws in many of the 50 U.S. states.

Democrat Eric Adams was elected in November to be the next leader of the largest city in the United States. He succeeds Bill de Blasio, who served two terms as mayor, beginning in 2014.

An inauguration ceremony planned for Saturday was postponed because of the rise in cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19.

On the other side of the country, the city of Seattle is getting a new mayor as well, with Bruce Harrell assuming the post Saturday.

Among the many new laws going into effect at the state level are increases in the minimum wage in a number of states, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New Mexico.

Such laws are the result of legislation approved by state legislatures and governors, and in some cases, the minimum wage increases will go into effect in stages over the course of several years.

Animal rights, voting rights

Virginia has a new law preventing cosmetics companies from testing their products on animals.

In Washington state, people who have served prison time for felony crimes now regain their right to vote as soon as they leave prison.

Nevada is making it easier for people to cast their votes by mail with a new law requiring that all registered voters receive a ballot by mail for each election.

Helping others

A new Texas law provides property tax exemptions for certain charity groups that provide housing or other aid to people experiencing homelessness.

In Illinois, people who work at restaurants and truck stops will receive required training to help them identify potential instances of human trafficking and report suspected cases to authorities.

A New Hampshire law strengthens penalties against people convicted of multiple offenses of drunken driving in cases where they harm or kill someone.

A new law in Colorado will make it easier for people who were victims of sexual assault as children to report their assaults, removing the existing statute of limitations for prosecuting such lawsuits.

Health, wellness

The state of Connecticut is enacting caps on how much people pay for insulin and other diabetes management supplies.

Montana is joining the states that allow recreational sales of marijuana. It will be legal in parts of the state where a majority of voters approved it.

In Pennsylvania, the city of Philadelphia is banning employers from conducting pre-employment testing for marijuana.

And in Missouri, health insurance providers must make coverage available for certain mental health conditions as part of their plans.

Source: Voice of America

More canceled flights frustrated air travelers on the final day of 2021 and appeared all but certain to inconvenience hundreds of thousands more over the New Year’s holiday weekend.

Airlines blamed many of the cancellations on crew shortages related to the spike in COVID-19 infections, along with wintry weather in parts of the United States.

United Airlines, which suffered the most cancellations among the biggest U.S. carriers, agreed to pay pilot bonuses to fix a staffing shortage.

By early evening Friday on the East Coast, airlines had scrubbed more than 1,550 U.S. flights — about 6% of all scheduled flights — and roughly 3,500 worldwide, according to tracking service FlightAware.

That pushed the total U.S. cancellations since Christmas Eve to more than 10,000 and topped the previous single-day peak this holiday season, which was 1,520 on December 26.

The disruptions come just as travel numbers climb higher going into the New Year’s holiday weekend. Since December 16, more than 2 million travelers a day on average have passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints, an increase of nearly 100,000 a day since November and nearly double last December.

Led by Southwest and United, airlines have already canceled 1,500 U.S. flights on Saturday — about 700 at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, where the forecast called for a winter storm — and 700 more on Sunday.

Canceled flights began rising from a couple hundred a day shortly before Christmas, most notably for United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways.

On Friday, United canceled more than 200 flights, or 11% of its schedule — and that did not include cancellations on the United Express regional affiliate. CommutAir, which operates many United Express flights, scrubbed one-third of its schedule, according to FlightAware.

United decided to spend more money to fill empty cockpits. The airline reached a deal with the pilots’ union to pay 3.5 times normal wages to pilots who pick up extra trips through Monday and triple pay for flights between Tuesday and January 29, according to a memo from Bryan Quigley, United’s senior vice president for flight operations.

JetBlue canceled more than 140 flights, or 14% of its schedule, and Delta grounded more than 100, or 5% of its flights by midday Friday. Allegiant, Alaska, Spirit and regional carriers SkyWest and Mesa all scrubbed at least 9% of their flights.

FlightAware reported fewer cancellations at Southwest, 3%, and American, 2%.

The virus is also hitting more federal air traffic controllers. The Federal Aviation Administration said that more of its employees have tested positive – it didn’t provide numbers Friday – which could lead controllers to reduce flight volumes and “might result in delays during busy periods.”

While leisure travel within the U.S. has returned to roughly pre-pandemic levels, international travel remains depressed, and the government is giving travelers new cause to reconsider trips abroad. On Thursday, the State Department warned Americans that if they test positive for coronavirus while in a foreign country it could mean a costly quarantine until they test negative.

Since March 2020, U.S. airlines have received $54 billion in federal relief to keep employees on the payroll through the pandemic. Congress barred the airlines from furloughing workers but allowed them to offer incentives to quit or take long leaves of absence – and many did. The airlines have about 9% fewer workers than they had two years ago.

Kurt Ebenhoch, a former airline spokesman and later a travel-consumer advocate, said airlines added flights aggressively, cut staff too thinly, and overestimated the number of employees who would return to work after leaves of absence. It was all done, he said, “in the pursuit of profit … and their customers paid for it, big time.”

Many airlines are now rushing to hire pilots, flight attendants and other workers. In the meantime, some are trimming schedules that they can no longer operate. Southwest did that before the holidays, JetBlue is cutting flights until mid-January, and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific is suspending cargo flights and reducing passenger flights because it doesn’t have enough pilots.

Other forms of transportation are also being hammered by the surge in virus cases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that it is monitoring more than 90 cruise ships because of COVID-19 outbreaks. The health agency warned people not to go on cruises, even if they are fully vaccinated against the virus.

The remnants of the delta variant and the rise of the new omicron variant pushed the seven-day rolling average of new daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. above 350,000, nearly triple the rate of just two weeks ago, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

Source: Voice of America

An exhibition showcasing works of winners and participants of the National Level Khat Competition 1443 Hijrah / 2021 is taking place at the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Complex in the capital. The one-week exhibition is open to the public from 10 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon.

Managed by the Islamic Calligraphy and Art Study Centre of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the exhibition aims to elevate jawi writing specifically Islamic calligraphy aside from polishing the skills as well as talents of locals.

Source: Radio Television Brunei

The Brunei Muara Scouts Association organised recreational activities yesterday afternoon for members of the Association for the Hearing Impaired, OKP. The activities held at Tasek Tang Salangan, Kampong Tungku, Katok aimed to provide exposure to the public so that attention is always given to the special needs.

The event was joined by Awang Mohamad Khairul Shahrul bin Haji Duahim, Acting Director of the Department of Community Development, JAPEM, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. Activities include kayaking, visit to the Kebun Tang Salangan. The event was part of the Brunei Muara Scouts Association’s curtain raiser for community activities, and was held to commemorate the International Day of Disabled Persons and the International Volunteer Day

Source: Radio Television Brunei

8 male foreigners were issued with special passes for working in the country using expired employment pass.

The offence was discovered during ‘Operasi Sepadu Pencegahan Jenayah’ at 2 locations in Belait District. The operation involved the Royal Brunei Police Force, Royal Customs and Excise Department and the Department of Immigration and National Registration.

Source: Radio Television Brunei