Day of fun for telco employees, families

National

August 23, 2023

Over 1,000 Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN) employees and their families joined a family day event at Bridex Hall 2 in Jerudong recently. UNN Head of Employee Safety and Wellness Mohamad Khairil Fadlillah Said said UNN’s culture encourages inter-department networking to build familiarity and trust among employees.

UNN family was also aimed at showing appreciation and rewarding its employees, promote work-life balance, encourage teamwork, camaraderie among employees and a sense of belonging within the organisation, he said.

The event, the second of its kind organised by UNN, saw several activities.

The activities included inflatable obstacle course, Nerf game arena, human claw machine, electronic car rides, henna painting, face painting, magic show, colouring activity, Zumba and carnival games. The event also saw food and beverage stalls. – James Kon

ABOVE & BELOW: Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd employees and families at the event. PHOTO: UNN

Power company receives visitors

National

August 23, 2023

The Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET)-Universiti Teknologi Brunei on Campus Group (IUOC) organised a technical visit to Berakas Power Company Sdn Bhd (BPC) recently.

They were joined by 20 IET student members and IET Brunei Young Professionals.

BPC Senior Operations and Maintenance Engineer Robinson Goh Chee Kiong welcomed the visitors and gave them a presentation where he encouraged the upcoming engineers to gain a better understanding of the work environment, theoretical and technical knowledge about Brunei’s power transmission and distribution system. Goh also shared BPC’s training programme to support local graduates interested in joining the company.

The visitors toured BPC’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) control centre and switch gear room.

The visit ended with IET Brunei Young Professional Section Chair Jevons Penaflor presenting a token of appreciation to Goh. – James Kon

Durian galore at night market

National

August 23, 2023

Durians of various types on sale at the Gadong Night Market. PHOTO: AZLAN OTHMAN

Visitors at Gadong night market are spoilt for choice with the ‘King of Fruit’ on sale for as low as BND6 per kilogramme. The durians – of various varieties including durian putih, durian kuning, durian otak udang, D24 – are sold whole or de-shelled in containers.

A vendor was seen with a device to open the fruit for customers.

Locals and tourists were seen visiting the night market in the past few weeks to savour durians at the venue or to feast back home. – Azlan Othman

Forty-five Muslimahs receive certificates

National

August 23, 2023

Datin Hajah Nahriah binti Haji Asbi awarding participants during the ceremony. PHOTO: MORA

A total of 45 Muslimahs successfully completed a Funeral Refinement Workshop as part of the Muslimah’s Guidance class.

The event was organised by the Muslimah’s Affairs Division and District Mosque Affairs Department. A certificate presentation ceremony for the participants was held yesterday at Sultan Sharif Ali Mosque in Sengkurong.

The ceremony was facilitated by the Muslimah’s Affairs Division of the Mosque Affairs Department with the mosque takmir committee members.

The wife of Minister of Religious Affairs Datin Hajah Nahriah binti Haji Asbi, the guest of honour, presented certificates to the participants.

The departments hoped to provide deeper theoretical and practical knowledge in management and refinement of funeral management among the Muslimah community. – Adib Noor

Participants of the workshop. PHOTO: MORA

Brunei exports decline 4.8 per cent in first quarter

National

August 23, 2023

Brunei Darussalam saw a decrease of 4.8 per cent in exports unit value. This contributed to the fall in total exports value by 12.0 per cent from BND4,420.0 million, to BND3,890.0 million, attributed by the decrease in index of chemicals (9.9 per cent), mineral fuels (4.7 per cent) and miscellaneous manufactured articles (4.4 per cent).

The decrease in the price of these products at the world market was the primary reason of the decline in exports unit value index.

In terms of export volume index, a decrease of 3.3 per cent was recorded in 2023, contributed by the decline in index of manufactured goods (28.8 per cent), miscellaneous manufactured articles (19.9 per cent) and mineral fuels (3.0 per cent).

The imports volume index also fell by 2.8 per cent was recorded in Q1 2023, resulting to the decrease in total imports value by 12.4 per cent from BND2,569.7 million to BND2,252.0 million.

The decrease in the imports volume index was mainly contributed by the decrease in index of manufactured goods (16.8 per cent), mineral fuels (16.7 per cent) and crude materials inedible (6.9 per cent).

However, the import unit value index saw an increase of 0.8 per cent contributed mainly by the increase in the index of machinery and transport equipment (11.6 per cent).

The terms of trade, registered a decrease of 5.5 per cent in Q1 2023.

This was mainly contributed by the decline in the index for machinery and transport equipment at 14.4 per cent, Chemicals (8.1 per cent) and Food (1.7 per cent).

Fruitful visit to Syariah Court

National

August 23, 2023

The group during the visit to Syariah Court. PHOTO: HAJAH AJIJAH HAJI MOMIN

A group of ‘pengagun’ visited the Syariah Court of the Brunei Supreme Court building in Bandar Seri Begawan.

The group was led by Hajah Ajijah binti Haji Momin.

A presentation was delivered by Head of Syariah Court Services Counter Unit Haji Shahrol Bahar bin Haji Sulaiman and Awang Yamin.

Assistant Registrar Syariah Subordinate Court Hajah Wan Zuraina binti Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Rahman and Deputy Marriage Registrar, Pembatalan, Perceraian dan Ruju’ Orang Islam at Syariah Courts Lena binti Haji Idris were present during the visit.

The visit was for the group to gain knowledge and insights on the statistics and information with regard to solemnisation, divorce and abuse cases. – Lyna Mohamad

Holidaymakers head to KK over school break

National

August 23, 2023

The Malaysian city of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah is becoming more popular among Bruneian holidaymakers, featuring in their second school term holiday plans which kicked off on Monday.

Retiree Haji Mohamed said many of the three star hotels have been fully booked, especially those near Imago Shopping Mall.

As such, his own travel plans will only take place after the school holiday.

Rahim, a father of three, shared similar views, noting that only the more expensive hotels were still available.

The relatively short four-hour journey by car, a favourable currency exchange rate and shopping attractions make Malaysian destinations popular among Bruneians.

View of silhouette landscape with Kota Kinabalu city against islands at golden sunset. Sabah state, Malaysia. PHOTO: Envato

Statistics from Sabah Tourism showed some 75,300 visitors from Brunei Darussalam visited Sabah between January to May, a notable figure compared to last year which totalled 76,664 visitors for the whole period.

April saw the highest with 22,654 visitors from the Sultanate, followed by February with 14,713.

Visitors from the Sultanate were the second highest number of travellers to Sabah, after South Korean visitors (82,569).

Meanwhile according to Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, there have been some 753,755 Bruneian visitors to Sarawak from January to July.

April saw the highest number of Bruneian visitors to Sarawak with 133,221 followed by 120,918 in June and 104,653 in January. – Azlan Othman

Indonesian students visit local Arabic learning institutions

National

August 23, 2023

A delegation from Universiti Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya (UINSA) recently visited Arabic schools in the country as part of an academic collaboration with Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA).

Three students from the Indonesian institution, led by UINSA lecturer Dr Muflihah arrived last Wednesday to visit and observe several Arabic language learning centres in the country.

The delegation visited Hassanal Bolkiah Boys Arabic Secondary School and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Girls Arabic Religious Secondary School on August 17 and Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Arabic School on August 19.

During the visits, the delegation was briefed on administrative and academic affairs.

Various scientific activities were also demonstrated to the visiting students and lecturer.

The visit hoped to strengthen academic collaboration between the educational institutions and broaden the group’s knowledge about the culture, customs and way of life in the country.

The visit was also part of the memorandum of agreement between UNISSA and UINSA signed on May 3 to cooperate in improving the quality of teaching and learning Arabic. – Azlan Othman

Preschool sportsfest highlights youthful energy, teamwork

National

August 23, 2023

ABOVE & BELOW: Photos show participating teams during the sports festival. PHOTO: SMSS

Seri Mulia Sarjana School recently hosted its Preschool Sportsfest, highlighting the youthful energy, teamwork and sportsmanship of its participants.

The preschoolers were grouped into four houses – Blue Shark, Yellow Eagle, Red Lion and Green Komodo.

The day featured a range of sports games tailored to match the preschoolers’ abilities and ensure an inclusive environment.

The event emphasised the importance of unity and support through a spirited cheering competition.

The school noted that the young participants possess a strong sense of character and sportsmanship, which they seek to nurture via the Sportsfest.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sarjana Education Group Dr Mary Lim was present at the event. – Lyna Mohamad

Webinar promotes reading culture

National

August 23, 2023

The Language and Literature Bureau, through its Library Division hosted a webinar to promote the reading culture yesterday.

During the webinar, a paper was presented by Associate Professor at Universiti Teknologi Brunei and the President of the Reading and Literacy Association Dr Malai Zeiti binti Sheikh Abdul Hamid, discussing literacy research and reading levels in Brunei.

Some 185 people attended the webinar through various applications, including Zoom, Facebook and YouTube.

Participants included government officers and staff, teachers librarians and students.

The webinar series, themed ‘Brunei Reads’ continues on August 29. – Adib Noor

Borneo Bulletin OnlineThe Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak

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