MINISTER at the Prime Minister’s Office Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Mokti bin Haji Mohd Daud called on the Public Service Department to re-evaluate the way it carries out its roles and responsibilities and add value to it, in areas such as Public Service framework projects, leadership development, succession planning, auditing of human resources, […]

ROME (AP) – The leaders of the populist parties that formed Italy’s government sparred last Saturday over more migrants stranded on private rescue vessels in the Mediterranean Sea, exposing cracks in their coalition’s position on immigration. German humanitarian groups Sea-Watch and Sea Eye are seeking a port where two ships can disembark passengers who were […]

OUAGADOUGOU (AFP) – The president of Burkina Faso last Saturday visited the scene of ethnic clashes in which 47 people were killed earlier this week. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore went to the village of Yirgou in central-northern Burkina Faso where last Tuesday and Wednesday 47 people were killed after a suspected extremist attack triggered […]

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip arrested five men last Saturday over a raid at the Palestinian Authority’s media headquarters, in which valuable equipment was destroyed. Five armed men attacked the offices of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation in Gaza City last Friday, trashing equipment worth thousands of dollars. The […]

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) – Sultan Muhammad V abdicated as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday. Comptroller of the Royal Household, Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said that His Majesty had officially notified the Malay Rulers on his abdication  through a letter sent to the Secretary of the Conference  of Rulers. “In discharging the wishes of […]

NINE undergraduates from the Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) received their certificates after completing a four-week Program Perintis Pakar Sejarah (PPSI) in a ceremony held at the History Gallery, Brunei History Centre yesterday morning. Acting Deputy Principal of the Brunei History Centre Hanafi bin Haji Salleh attended the ceremony. The event began with the […]

The provision of a meaningful and persistent medium is important in providing opportunities for talented, creative and innovative youth to also contribute towards national development, said Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin during the […]

Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS)Hospital yesterday celebrated World Braille Day. This year’s celebration was carried out with the cooperation of Special Education unit, Ministry of Education, Brunei Darussalam National Association of the Blind and the Braille Company. Held at the hallway of the Eye Centre of RIPAS Hospital, the celebration was officiated by guest […]

A ceremony was held for a donation of BND12,000 from International Rabithah Alumni Al-Azhar Brunei Darussalam to the Sulawesi Disaster Humanitarian Fund (TKBS) yesterday at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) building. More details in Sunday’s Borneo Bulletin.

THE current priority of the Ministry of Education is to improve the quality of teachers in the wake of the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which has the potential to impact all aspects of life, including education, Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman said. More details in […]

BEIRUT (AFP) – Clashes between extremists and rebels raged on Thursday inside Syria’s last major opposition bastion for a third day, a monitor said, as the death toll mounted to more than 70 fighters. Fighting flared on Tuesday between the extremist-led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and a rival rebel alliance in the northern province of Aleppo, […]

|    Fadhil Yunus    | MS ABDB retained top spot in the DST Super League after cruising to a comfortable 4-1 win over Najip FC at the Berakas Sports Complex yesterday. The reigning holders entered the break with the scores level but forward Muhammad Razimie bin Ramlli led his team to victory after completing his hat-trick […]

CAIRO (AP) – Sudan’s largest opposition groups on Thursday called for a fresh wave of protests to demand that President Omar al-Bashir step down, as the longtime ruler made another attempt at staunching popular discontent by promising wage hikes and appealing to patriotism. In a joint statement, four groups called for nationwide protests yesterday and […]

SINGAPORE (AFP) – A Singaporean activist was found guilty yesterday of organising an illegal protest after holding what he called a “harmless” public discussion in 2016 that featured Hong Kong democracy campaigner Joshua Wong speaking via Skype. Jolovan Wham, 39, was charged with violating public order laws because he failed to apply for a police […]

BEIJING (AP) – A Chinese spacecraft yesterday made the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon in the latest achievement for the country’s growing space programme. The relatively unexplored far side of the moon faces away from Earth and is also known as the dark side. A photo taken by the lunar explorer […]

  The Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) held a recitation of Surah Yaasiin and Tahlil ceremony for Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam and Al-Marhumah Duli Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit binti Al-Marhum Pengiran Bendahara Pengiran Anak Abdul Rahman, the late parents of His Majesty Sultan […]

LONDON (AFP) – Manchester United defender Luke Shaw entered in the Christmas spirit of giving in grand style by spending £10,000 on hampers from luxury London store Harrods for Manchester United staff the Daily Mail reported last Tuesday. The 23-year-old – whose own fortunes have taken a turn for the better with interim manager Ole […]

MOGADISHU (AFP) – Somalia’s government has ordered the United Nations (UN) top envoy to the troubled country to leave, accusing him of “deliberately interfering with the country’s sovereignty.” The order came days after the official, Nicholas Haysom, raised concerns at the action of Somalia’s UN-backed security services in recent violence that left several people dead. […]

CAIRO (AP) – Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday said they were “surprised” by accusations from the United Nations (UN) food agency that they are stealing humanitarian aid and accused it of taking sides in the nearly four-year-old war. The World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday threatened to suspend some aid shipments to Yemen if the […]

HOHHOT (Xinhua) – When workmanship of making Tibetan Tangka spread to north China’s Inner Mongolia region hundreds of years ago, locals innovated it by adding horse hairs to give the embroideries more texture and make them more vivid. China’s only museum for horse-hair Tangka opened before the New Year holiday in Alxa Left Banner. The […]

KHARTOUM (AFP) – Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir ordered authorities yesterday to set up a fact-finding committee to investigate violence during anti-government protests that have rocked the African country, state media reported. At least 19 people have been killed and hundreds wounded during the protests that erupted in cities, including the capital Khartoum, on December 19 after […]

CAIRO (AFP) – Supporters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are calling for constitutional changes that would allow him to stay in power once his second term ends in 2022. Backers of the former military chief, re-elected in March with over 97 per cent of the vote, want Parliament to discuss repealing an article limiting Presidents […]

All roads leading to schools nationwide are expected to experience traffic jams, as the new school term begins today after a month-long holiday. More details in Wednesday’s Borneo Bulletin.

TODAY is the start of the first day of school, a new academic year for students and the beginning of a hectic period for teachers where they will be caught up with preparing new teaching schedules and learning materials for their classes. More details in Wednesday’s Borneo Bulletin.

A total of 543 traffic violations and offences were recorded following checks on some 50,000 vehicles during a major eight-day-long joint operation led by the Traffic Control and Investigation Department (JSKLL) of the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF). More details in Wednesday’s Borneo Bulletin.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – Syrian President Bashar Assad authorised Iraqi forces last Sunday to attack the Islamic State (IS) extremist group inside Syria without waiting for permission from authorities in Damascus, the state news agency SANA said, as the two allies coordinate their fight against extremists ahead of a planned United States (US) withdrawal from […]

WASHINGTON (AP) – United States (US) President Donald Trump has ordered a slowdown to the withdrawal of US forces in Syria, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said last Sunday. “I think we’re in a pause situation,” the South Carolina Republican said outside the White House after lunch with the President. Trump announced earlier last month that […]

SYDNEY (AFP) – Australia’s largest city Sydney put on its biggest-ever fireworks display in a spectacular welcome to the New Year, kicking off a wave of celebrations for billions around the world. A record amount of pyrotechnics as well as new fireworks effects and colours lit up the city’s skyline for 12 minutes and dazzled the […]

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 said the nation will see better economic growth in 2019 but urged his countrymen not to be complacent or satisfied as many challenges lie in wait. More details in Tuesday’s […]

SANAA, Yemen (AP) – Yemen’s rebels on Saturday said they handed over control of the main port in the Red Sea city of Hodeida to the coast guard and local administrators, but the government denied that, calling it a ploy by the Iran-aligned rebels to maintain control of the strategic facility. The handover was supposed […]

KINSHASA (AFP) – Voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) went to the polls yesterday in elections that will shape the future of their vast, troubled country, amid fears that violence could overshadow the ballot. Millions of electors are choosing a successor to President Joseph Kabila, who is stepping down two years after his term […]

NEW YORK (AP) – For the first time, a police drone will be keeping watch over the New Year’s Eve celebration in New York’s Times Square. About 7,000 police officers will be on duty for tonight’s festivities in Times Square, including coun-terterrorism teams with long guns and bomb-sniffing dogs. Police cars and sand-filled sanitation trucks […]

HANOI (Viet Nam News/ANN) – Vietnam has condemned the terrorist attack that killed four people and injured many more in Cairo and called on governments and the people to be united in the fight against terrorism. One of the victims who lost her life has been named as 46-year-old Nguyen ThuyQuynh who was travelling with […]

JOHOR BAHRU (Bernama) – The Tanju-ng Sedili Maritime Zone Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has rescued six local fishermen after their boat broke down at 4.8 nautical miles east of Tanjung Sedili Kecil, near Kota Tinggi, on Saturday. More details in Monday’s Borneo Bulletin

MINISTER of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri SetiaAwang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong visited the eSports Tournament and drone demonstration at Royal Brunei Recreation Club (RBRC) yesterday. The visit was to ensure activities organised in conjunction with Brunei December Festival 2018 were running smoothly and to discuss ways to develop the two emerging sports […]