NEW DELHI (Xinhua) – At least seven people were killed and four others injured yesterday when a speeding vehicle hit two cars in northern Indian state of Haryana, police said. The accident took place in Ambala district, about 45km south of Chandigarh, the capital city of Haryana. “In the wee hours today seven people, including […]

DHAKA (AFP) – Bangladesh stepped up security yesterday in a bid to contain violence during a general election expected to see Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina win a record fourth term. Authorities have deployed around 600,000 police, army and other security forces ahead of today’s vote, a senior official said, following a deadly campaign marred by […]

PARIS (AFP) – Police fired teargas at ‘yellow vest’ demonstrators in Paris yesterday but the turnout for round seven of the popular protests that have rocked France appeared low. Several hundred people wearing the symbolic hi-visibility vests had gathered near the offices of France Televisions and the BFM TV channel in the centre of the […]

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s military announced yesterday it has taken control of the flash-point Kurdish-held town of Manbij, where Turkey has threatened an offensive. The announcement was quickly welcomed by the Kremlin, whose spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a “positive step” that could help stabilise the situation. There was no immediate comment from Turkey or […]

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Donald Trump yesterday threatened to “entirely” close the southern US border with Mexico if lawmakers refuse his demands to fund a wall. “We will be forced to close the southern border entirely if the obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the wall and also change the […]

NEW YORK (AP) — A transformer explosion at an electrical plant set the skies above New York City ablaze in an eerie, pulsing blue light on Thursday night, causing scattered power outages, delaying flights and sparking a social media storm of jokes about an alien invasion. The blast prompted a brief fire at a sprawling […]

PUTRAJAYA (Bernama) – The Light and Motion Putrajaya (Lampu 2018) Festival will once again bring an exciting array of night time attractions as well as light and motion shows at Dataran Putrajaya, Precinct 3 from today until New Year’s Eve. The Lampu festival which has been organised every year since 2013 is an annual event […]

After three weeks of Brunei Film Blitz film screenings, master classes and workshops, the Brunei Film Blitz 2018 came to a close. A challenging four days of production later, 45 participants across 15 teams have submitted their three to six minutes short film upon completion of the 96-Hour Blitz challenge. More details in Weekend’s Borneo […]

THE Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) held a blessing ceremony last night at the Brunei International Airport to mark the official launch of its services to Kuching, Sarawak. The guest of honour was Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office-cum-Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah who […]

KABUL (AFP) – Afghanistan’s election organisers are again considering postponing April’s presidential ballot for two months, an official said yesterday, in an attempt to avoid a repeat of October’s shambolic legislative vote. The remarks came at a sensitive time for Afghanistan as the Taleban step up their offensive and United States (US) President Donald Trump’s plan […]

AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFP) – President Donald Trump used a lightning visit to Iraq – his first with US troops in a conflict zone since being elected – to defend the withdrawal from Syria and to declare an end to America’s role as the global “policeman”. Trump landed at 7.16pm local time at Al-Asad […]

HODEIDA, Yemen (AFP) – A United Nations (UN)-led team tasked with monitoring a ceasefire in Yemen’s flashpoint city of Hodeida was set to meet yesterday, as sporadic clashes underscored the fragility of the truce which began last week. The ceasefire in the rebel-held city, whose Red Sea port is vital for millions at risk of […]

MIDDLESEX, Vermont. (AP) — One Vermont community is celebrating the holidays and the winter solstice with a massive bonfire and what they hope will be the world’s largest s’more. The Winter S’morestice takes place Saturday at Camp Meade in Middlesex and includes fire artists and dancers, music, food, beer and wine and, of course, a […]

BEIJING (AFP) – Three students were killed in a laboratory blast at a Beijing university yesterday, the city’s fire department said, in an accident that blew out windows and left the building a blackened shell. “There was an explosion at the experimental site during a scientific research experiment” on wastewater treatment in the Environmental Eng-ineering […]

NAIROBI (AFP) – Amnesty International said it has received “credible reports” that Sudanese security forces have shot dead 37 protesters in a crackdown on demonstrations roiling the country. Anti-government protests have rattled Sudan since last Wednesday after the government tripled the price of a loaf of bread. The authorities say eight protesters have been killed in […]

|     Azlan Othman     | ROBUST domestic demand continues to drive growth in the sub-region, with infrastructure spending remaining strong in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand but showing a decline in Malaysia, the Asia Development Bank (ADB) said in a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook 2018 Update released recently. The growth forecast for […]

Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP) recently completed a new onshore Darat Gas Project three months ahead of schedule. More details in Wednesday’s Borneo Bulletin.

THE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports concluded the Outward Bound Brunei Darussalam Leadership Activity Course at the Outward Bound Brunei. More details in Wednesday’s Borneo Bulletin.

THE Government of Saudi Arabia through its Umrah and Haj Ministry held an annual Haj meeting and consultation at the Ministerial level for 1440 Hijrah at the Ministry of Haj and Umrah Building in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Leading the Government of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali […]

ANTANANARIVO (AFP) – Marc Ravalomanana, the former Madagascar President who has sought another term, urged supporters last Sunday to protest as he appeared headed for defeat in a run-off poll. “I call on all Madagascans who feel they have suffered injustice and a violation of their right to vote to stand up and dare to defend […]

BEIRUT (AP) – Hundreds of Lebanese protested last Sunday against deteriorating economic conditions as public anger mounts against politicians deadlocked over forming a new government since May. The protesters marched to the government building in central Beirut, carrying placards that called for an end to the deadlock and corruption. Some protesters sported the yellow vests […]

KHARTOUM (AFP) – Doctors in Sudan went on strike yesterday, feeding into deadly protests against bread prices that represent one of the biggest challenges President Omar al-Bashir has faced in nearly three decades in power. A gathering of professionals from various sectors had issued a call on Sunday to strike as fresh protests hit cities – […]

TANJUNG LESUNG, Indonesia (AP) — Efforts to collect hundreds of bodies and save the injured were stepped up in Indonesia yesterday following the country’s latest tsunami, as scientists collected evidence on how a volcanic eruption triggered the weekend tragedy. Casualty figures from Saturday night’s disaster continued to rise, with at least 373 people confirmed dead […]

Pengiran Adeq Faizal won the hearts of the judges and audience voters last Sunday, and emerged as champion of the Belait Festival Talent Show. The seasoned singer won a BND500 cash prize after beating 20 other talented acts in a three-day contest that proved to be the main attraction for the Belait Festival 2018. More […]

The Department of Town and Country Planning recently held mass Maghrib and Isyak prayers and a special religious talk at RashidahSa’adatulBolkiah Mosque in Kampong Sungai Akar to commemorate World Town Planning Day. The guest of honour at the event was Minister of Development Dato Seri SetiaAwang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar.More details in Tuesday’s Borneo […]

CAIRO (AP) – On the Giza Plateau outside Cairo, thousands of Egyptians are labouring in the shadow of the pyramids to erect a monument worthy of the pharaohs. The Grand Egyptian Museum has been under construction for well over a decade and is intended to showcase Egypt’s ancient treasures while drawing tourists to help fund […]

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Hamas yesterday denounced Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas’s plan to dissolve the largely defunct Palestinian parliament that it controls, calling it a move to “serve his partisan interests”. Abbas said last Saturday he intended to dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council after a court decision that ordered the move and elections to […]

SANAA (AFP) – The head of the UN team tasked with monitoring a fragile ceasefire in Yemen’s port city of Hodeida arrived in the rebel-held capital Sanaa yesterday, an AFP photographer said. Retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert is heading a joint committee including members of the government and the Huthi rebels, in charge of monitoring a […]

  DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) – Facebook is shutting down a series of fake news sites spreading false information about the Bangladesh opposition days before national elections, an official from the social media platform told The Associated Press. The sites — nine Facebook pages designed to mimic legitimate news outlets, as well as six fake personal […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentine paleontologists unveiled on Wednesday the replica of a 65-million-year-old skeleton of a plesiosaur marine reptile found in a Patagonian lake in 2009. More details in Weekend’s Borneo Bulletin

Barcelona (AFP) – Catalan pro-independence groups blocked roads in the region yesterday to protest a planned Cabinet meeting in Barcelona chaired by a Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The weekly Cabinet meeting usually takes place in Madrid but Sanchez’s six-month-old Socialist government decided to hold it in the Catalan capital yesterday as part of its […]

|     Fizah hab     | MINISTER of Religious Affairs Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman visited the construction site of the Rimba Arabic secondary school for an inspection of the current work in progress yesterday. The minister was briefed by Head of the Building and […]

|     Syazwani Hj Rosli     | SOME 30 orphans and children from underprivileged families living in RPN Kampong Panchor Mengkubau were treated to a day of watersports fun at the Poni Divers Centre of the Serasa Watersports Complex, Serasa Beach yesterday. The event was organised by the RPN Kampong Panchor Mengkubau Village Consultative Council (MPK) in […]

|     Rokiah Mahmud     | CONTRACTS worth over BND46 million (BND46,685,179.70) were signed between the Public Works Department (JKR) and three appointed companies at the Atria Simpur Hall of the JKR Headquarters in Berakas yesterday. Guest of honour Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar witnessed the signing ceremony. Pro-Builder Sdn […]

INCHEON, South Korea (AFP) – A dreary grain silo that was transformed into an enormous colourful artwork in South Korea has been named by Guinness World Records as the largest outdoor mural in the world. The painting which depicts a young boy’s journey into adulthood covers the outside of giant storage containers in the port […]