Sultan attends 9th Asian Winter Games opening

National

February 8, 2025

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, on Friday attended the Welcoming Banquet and Opening Ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, People’s Republic of China. Accompanying His Majesty was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen.

His Majesty first attended the Welcoming Banquet at the Taiyangdao Hotel in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Upon arrival, His Majesty was warmly received by President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, and the First Lady. The banquet, hosted by President Xi, welcomed leaders and special guests in Harbin for the prestigious sporting event.

His Majesty with President of the People’s Republic of China, and China’s First Lady with other world leaders in a group photo during the 9th Asian Winter Games Welcoming Banquet. PHOTO: INFOFOTO

Opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games

In the evening, His Majesty attended the Opening Ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games at the Harbin International Conference and Exhibition and Sports Centre.

The ceremony was graced by distinguished foreign guests, including President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari; President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov; Prime Minister of Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra; and National Assembly Speaker of the Republic of Korea Woo Won-shik .

The Opening Ceremony was officiated by President Xi Jinping and featured cultural and dance performances under the theme “Dream of Winter, Love among Asia.” Athletes from 34 countries and regions across Asia paraded in celebration of the event.

His Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen with President of the People’s Republic of China, and other world leaders during the 9th Asian Winter Games Opening Ceremony. PHOTO: INFOFOTO

The 9th Asian Winter Games will see over 1,270 athletes competing in 11 winter sports disciplines from February 7 to 14, 2025. This marks the second time Harbin is hosting the event, following its role as the host city for the 3rd Asian Winter Games in 1996.

Departure from Harbin

Following the Opening Ceremony, His Majesty departed from Harbin. Prior to departure, a Doa Selamat was recited by the State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Dr Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned.

Present at Harbin Taiping International Airport to bid farewell to His Majesty were Chairman of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Mr Lan Shaomin; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam Xiao Jianguo; and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brunei Darussalam to the People’s Republic of China Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Pahlawan Colonel (Rtd) Dato Paduka Haji Abdu’r Rahmani bin Dato Paduka Haji Basir.

His Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen bid farewell at Harbin Taiping International Airport. PHOTO: INFOFOTO

His Majesty’s presence at the event underscores Brunei Darussalam’s strong ties with the People’s Republic of China and its commitment to fostering diplomatic and sporting engagements within the region.

Trump says he’s revoking Biden’s security clearance

World

February 8, 2025

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Donald Trump said Friday he was revoking Joe Biden’s security clearance, ending his predecessor’s right to receive intelligence briefings after leaving office.

“There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.

“Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings.”

In a reference to the catchphrase of his former reality TV show “The Apprentice,” Trump added in capitals: “JOE, YOU’RE FIRED.”

(FILES) US President Joe Biden shakes hands with US President-elect Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024. PHOTO: AFP

US presidents are traditionally given the right to receive intelligence briefings even after they step down.

Trump said he was making the move because Democrat Biden had removed his own security clearance after winning the 2020 election.

Biden at the time cited Trump’s “erratic behavior” both before and after the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by protesters trying to overturn Trump’s election loss.

In his post on Friday, Trump claimed that Biden “could not be trusted” with intelligence briefings because a special counsel’s report into classified documents found at the Democrat’s home found that Biden, 82, suffered from “poor memory.”

Trump was also prosecuted for mishandling classified documents but the Justice Department ended the case after the Republican won the 2024 election.

Rare Stradivarius violin sells for USD11.3 mn at Sotheby’s

World

February 8, 2025

NEW YORK (AFP) – A rare Stradivarius violin, made over 300 years ago by Antonio Stradivari during his so-called golden period, fetched USD11.3 million at auction in New York on Friday, Sotheby’s said.

“This extraordinary violin represents the pinnacle of craftsmanship and classical music history, its unparalleled sound and storied provenance captivating collectors and musicians alike,” Sotheby’s chair Mari-Claudia Jimenez said in a statement.

It said the buyer chose to remain anonymous.

Known for its extraordinary sound, the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius,” named after its distinguished former owners, became the third most-expensive musical instrument ever sold at auction.

The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius violin is on display during a preview of the violin’s auction at Sotheby’s in New York City on February 3, 2025. The 1714 instrument, which belonged to 19th century violin great Joseph Joachim, is expected to fetch $12 to 18 million during its live auction on February 7, 2025. PHOTO: AFP

The most-expensive record belongs to another Stradivarius, the “Lady Blunt,” which sold was sold in 2011 for USD15.9 million.

“What sets the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius apart is its exceptional sound — rich, complex, and full of depth,” the auction house said.

The instrument belonged to the celebrated Chinese violinist and pedagogue Si-Hon Ma, who before his death in 2009 donated the violin to his alma mater, the New England Conservatory in Boston, on condition that some day it sell the violin to fund scholarships.

Before that, the violin belonged to the 19th century Hungarian virtuoso Joseph Joachim, who was famous for his collaborations with composers such as Johannes Brahms.

US approves sale of USD7.4 bn in bombs, missiles to Israel

World

February 8, 2025

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States on Friday announced the approval of the sale of more than USD7.4 billion in bombs, missiles and related equipment to Israel, which has used American-made weapons to devastating effect during the war in Gaza.

The State Department has signed off on the sale of USD6.75 billion in bombs, guidance kits and fuses, in addition to USD660 million in Hellfire missiles, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

The proposed sale of the bombs “improves Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serves as a deterrent to regional threats,” DSCA said in a statement.

And the missile sale would “improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats by improving the ability of the Israeli Air Force to defend Israel’s borders, vital infrastructure, and population centers,” it said.

Pro-Palestinian protesters attend a rally against US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Sydney on February 7, 2025. PHOTO: AFP

Israel launched a hugely destructive offensive against Hamas in Gaza in October 2023 in response to an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian militant group that month.

The war has devastated much of Gaza — a narrow coastal territory on the Mediterranean — resulting in the displacement of much of its population, but a ceasefire has been in effect since last month, bringing a halt to the deadly conflict and providing for the release of hostages seized by Hamas.

In response to concerns over civilian deaths, then-president Joe Biden’s administration blocked a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel — larger than those in the latest proposed sale — but his successor Donald Trump reportedly approved the shipment after returning to office.

While the State Department has approved the sale of the bombs and missiles, the transactions still need to be approved by Congress, which is unlikely to block the provision of the weapons to Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East.

A$AP Rocky’s friend testifies that the rapper fired a prop gun

Entertainment

February 8, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A$AP Rocky’s longtime friend and collaborator testified at his Los Angeles trial Friday that the hip-hop star fired a starter pistol that he carried as a prop during a scuffle with a former friend on a Hollywood street in 2021.

The testimony from the man who goes by A$AP Twelvyy — who was part of the same A$AP Mob crew as both the accuser and the defendant dating back to high school — is essential to Rocky’s defense against two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. A conviction could mean up to 24 years in prison.

“He walked around with a prop, like a starter pistol,” Twelvyy said, looking at the jury. “I seen it on several occasions.”

And his testimony suggested the accuser, their mutual friend who goes by A$AP Relli, knew the pistol wasn’t real when Rocky first pulled it out.

“He told him to shoot that fake gun,” Twelvyy said under defense questioning.

Rocky’s partner, the singing superstar Rihanna, returned to court for the last part of the proceedings to sit in the audience on Friday, as she had a day earlier.

Twelvyy testified that when Rocky did fire the gun, it was only to deter Relli from attacking a fourth crew member at the scene, A$AP Illz,

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin seized on this during his cross examination.
“Can you explain to me,” he asked, “how pulling out a prop gun that Relli knew was fake was going to act as a deterrent to anything?”

“The sound,” Twelvyy answered.

“The sound,” Lewin repeated back incredulously. “Can you explain how the sound of a gun that somebody knows is phony and not real is going to scare anybody?”

Twelvyy replied, “It’s so loud that you would think it was a real gunshot and move away.”

The A$AP Mob was a crew of musicians and other creators that formed at a New York high school nearly 20 years ago.

But just one member, Rocky, became a major mainstream success starting in the early 2010s with a pair of No. 1 albums. He has since been nominated for three Grammys, but has become known as much for his dealings in fashion as his music, and for his relationship with Rihanna, with whom he has two toddler sons.

Twelvyy, a rapper whose legal name is Jamel Phillips, has acted as an on-stage hype man for Rocky and appeared in his music videos.

He said that he saw Rocky with the starter pistol three times, first on a New York music video shoot in July 2021, then at a Harlem block party in September of that year, and then in Los Angeles shortly before the Nov. 6 incident.

“This is still like COVID era so he didn’t have security,” Twelvyy said. “And that was basically his line of defense.”

Lewin later asked him how he could’ve known it was a prop gun in the first place, and how he might have known that the one he pulled out in Los Angeles was the one he’d seen earlier.

“He told me and I seen it,” Twelvyy said.

Rocky and Relli’s relationship had been growing increasingly hostile, and they met up in the street the evening after Rocky had performed. Twelvyy and Illz accompanied Rocky.

Twelvyy denied Relli’s testimony saying Rocky had been the first to start physically fighting, that Rocky had pointed the gun at his head and stomach, and that Twelvyy had pulled a knife.

Both sides agree that Rocky and his two companions walked away after the initial scuffle, that Relli followed them, and that shots were then fired. Relli testified that his knuckles were grazed in the shooting, but he was otherwise not physically hurt.

The idea that Rocky had fired a fake gun was only revealed — including to the judge and prosecution — on the day jury selection began in the trial two weeks ago.

Authorities did not recover the pistol they allege Rocky used. The defense said it does not have the prop gun. Police searching the scene immediately after and found no evidence of a shooting, but Relli searched himself soon after that and said he found two shell casings, which he took to police when he reported the incident two days later.

Twelvvy was the first defense witness called after the prosecution rested its case Thursday.
Lewin brought up Rihanna in his questioning. Lewin asked if she and Rocky could ruin him for not telling the story the way they wanted.

“It’s your testimony that even if the defendant and his significant other Rihanna were upset with you, they would have no ability to impact your career whatsoever?” Lewin asked.

Twelvyy replied, “I’m an artist, I could start a new career tomorrow. I could be a painter.”
He denied that he was testifying for Rocky’s benefit.

“I’m not trying to help him on the case,” he said. “I was actually there. I know the truth.”

Maguire heads late winner and Man U beats Leicester

Sports

February 8, 2025

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Harry Maguire scored a controversial injury time winner as Manchester United came from behind to beat Leicester 2-1 and move into the last 16 of the FA Cup on Friday.

United went behind to a Bobby De Cordova-Reid goal four minutes before halftime. Joshua Zirkzee equalized in the 68th minute and Maguire grabbed the late winner.

There was a heated debate over whether the England center half was in an offside position but there is no VAR in the FA Cup and the goal stood.

“This (loss) wasn’t necessary,” an unhappy Leicester coach Ruud van Nistelrooy told broadcaster ITV.

“This was half a meter (offside). Then extra time, stay in the game, you never know what happens. We deserved to go into extra time and maybe penalties. Decisions like these in our level are hard to swallow.”

Leicester’s Kasey McAtee, Facundo Buonanotte and head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy react after the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between Manchester United and Leicester City at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. PHOTO: AP

The result marked the first time in United’s history that the club has won three times at home against the same team in the same season. United beat Leicester 5-2 in the League Cup and 3-0 in the Premier League at Old Trafford.

The result was a boost for new coach Ruben Amorim and a bitter letdown for Van Nistelrooy, who was the interim manager at United before being moved on and taking charge at Leicester.

Leicester, a one-time FA Cup champion, was 1-0 up at the break. Manuel Ugarte was dispossessed near the touchline and Bilai El Khannouss’ low cross was hit goal-bound by Wilfred Ndidi but deflected in off De Cordova-Reid.

The introduction of substitutes Alejandro Garnacho and Zirkzee lifted United in the second half and Zirkzee got the equalizer with the simplest of finishes after good work from the Argentine player down the left flank.

Then, just as the game looked like going into extra time, Bruno Fernandes threw a long ball into the box for Maguire to head the winner.

“(It was a) great finish to the game,” Maguire said. “The second half we played a lot better. The first half was nowhere near good enough, we played at a slow tempo and we didn’t really get going.

“He (Garnacho) made a big impact. He always does that when he comes off the bench, so credit to him, he’s ready, he’s focused.”

Thailand buries 60 tonnes of durians contaminated with yellow dye

Southeast Asia

February 8, 2025

ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – A total of 64,671 kilogrammes (kg) of durians rejected by China for being contaminated with yellow dye have been disposed of by burial, the Thai Agriculture Department reported.

The director-general of the Agriculture Department Rapeepat Chansriwong said his department had tested samples of the rejected durians, confirming that the fruits were contaminated with Basic Yellow 2 (BY2) – the substance cited by China as the reason for rejecting the shipments.

BY2 is a dye that has recently drawn attention for its use in artificially enhancing the colour of durian fruit, particularly for export. It is suspected that some exporters dip the durians in the dye to make them appear more appealingly yellow.

Rapeepat said the contaminated durians had been buried by department officials at the plant quarantine office at Laem Chabang deep seaport and at the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint.

After detecting the contamination, China has introduced a new regulation requiring all durians exported from Thailand to undergo laboratory testing for the dye.

Rapeepat also announced that the department has suspended the export licences of 26 durian wholesalers responsible for shipping the contaminated durians to China.

The exact cause of the contamination is still under investigation.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department, under the Ministry of Agriculture, will revise the export manual for durians to prevent further incidents, he added.

No to new clothes

Features

February 8, 2025

SEOUL (AFP) – Recovering South Korean shopaholic-turned-climate activist Lee So-yeon used to buy new clothes almost daily – until a USD1.50 winter coat triggered an awakening that stopped her shopping entirely.

While looking at the ultra-cheap padded jacket at an H&M shop in the United States (US), where she was working at the time, Lee asked herself how any item of clothing could be sold so cheaply.

The 30-year-old embarked on a deep dive into fast fashion production methods and was horrified at the human, social and environmental toll hyperconsumerism is having on the planet – and on the mental health of women who make and buy cheap clothes.

“I used to buy one new outfit each (working) day of the week,” Lee told AFP, adding that each item from major high street retailers would typically cost less than a dollar.

But the reason the clothes are so cheap, Lee learned, is because the women who sew for companies are paid little, while the business model itself is causing significant environmental harm.

Lee stopped buying any new clothes – and has not purchased a single fast fashion garment since her epiphany around six years ago.

Her much more compact wardrobe consists of used items that she received from friends and family, including a vintage leather jacket that once belonged to her mother.

Unlike fast fashion items, which are often designed to be thrown away after just a few wears, each piece is irreplaceable because it carries a unique story and history, she said.

Employees categorise garments, bedding, soft toys and accessories before they are exported overseas, at a secondhand clothing factory in Paju, around 28 kilometres north of Seoul, South Korea. PHOTO: AFP

South Korean climate activist Lee So-yeon, who has not bought any new clothes for the past six years and now has a wardrobe consisting of used items that she received from friends and family, looks at a selection of her clothes in Seoul. PHOTO: AFP

ABOVE & BELOW: An employee works in a warehouse containing a huge pile of garments, bedding, soft toys and accessories before they are exported overseas; and a customer browses items for sale in a used clothes store in Seoul. PHOTO: AFP

“Ultimately, the most eco-friendly clothes are the ones already in your wardrobe,” said Lee.

Lee now organises clothing swaps with her friends and family, and has written a book to promote the idea of valuing garments for “the story behind it,” rather than chasing ephemeral trends. She is part of a small but growing global movement seeking to promote second-hand clothing and help people – especially women – opt out of the cycle of
over-consumption.

The app Lucky Sweater provides a platform for users to trade items from their closets with each other, focussing on sustainable brands, founder Tanya Dastyar told AFP.

“We’re programmed to believe the only way to express my fashion or show that I’m beautiful or trendy… is new outfits,” Dastyar said.

“But you can still be fashionable and feel good and look great and not have to do that,” she said, adding that although trading clothes did not have the same quick dopamine hit as making a fast-fashion purchase, it was far more rewarding over time.

The app’s growing uptake indicates that people are hungry to shift their relationship with clothing and consumerism, she said.

People realise, “I don’t have to follow trends and I can just dress in a way that feels comfortable to me,” she said. “Is that like a mass market thing? No. But do I feel like it can be a movement? Yes.”

For Lee, breaking the cycle of cheap clothing consumption helped her improve her mental health.

As a teenager, she would worry about what to wear on school trips – when uniforms were not required – at least a month in advance and would go shopping to ease her fears.

“I felt a lot of pressure about how others would see me,” she told AFP.

But learning about Bangladesh’s 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy – one of the world’s worst industrial disasters that killed more than 1,130 garment factory workers, most of them young women – was a turning point.

The factory workers died making clothes for “women like me”, Lee said.

The global fashion industry is one of the most polluting, accounting for up to 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, according to World Bank estimates.

Most modern clothes are made of synthetic materials like nylon and polyester, which are essentially plastic and do not biodegrade in landfills, industry data shows.

Keeping clothes out of landfills can help, but in South Korea, many still avoid used garments, said Kim Dong-hyun, who runs a used clothing export factory.

“People often don’t look favourably on someone wearing used clothes because they are seen as unwanted items,” Kim told AFP, noting he has found dirty diapers and food waste in the collection bins.

South Korea is the fifth largest exporter of used clothing in the world – and activists say many garments are essentially dumped in developing countries, which lack the capacity to process them.

At Kim’s second-hand clothing factory in Paju, outside Seoul, a mechanical claw categorised piles of used clothes to be exported overseas.

“Many people treat the clothing collection bin as just a trash can,” Kim said.

Indonesia begins talks with Britain to repatriate UK’s ‘most prolific rapist’

Southeast Asia

February 8, 2025

ANN/THE STAR – Indonesia has begun talks with Britain to repatriate the most prolific rapist in British history, a senior minister said, following its move to also seek the return of a Guantanamo Bay detainee accused of being one of the Bali bomb plotters.

Reynhard Sinaga, 41, was found guilty in Manchester in 2020 of assaulting 48 men whom he drugged.

A Manchester court ruled that Sinaga must serve at least 30 years in prison for a total of 159 offences committed from January 2015 to May 2017.

Indonesia’s Senior Minister for Law and Human Rights Affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra told reporters late Thursday that talks with the British government were at an early stage.

The mechanism for such a repatriation would be decided later, he said, either through a prisoner transfer or through an exchange with a British prisoner jailed in Indonesia.

“No matter how wrong a citizen is, the country has the obligation to defend its citizen,” Yusril said.

“It’s not an easy job for us,” he said.

Brunei Marks a Historic Milestone with the Launch of its 1st Level 3, Logistics Operations Program

Advertorial

February 8, 2025

Brunei Darussalam – Brunei’s logistics and transportation industry, Brunei Freight Forwarders Association (BRUFA), enters a new era today in collaboration with Cosmopolitan College of Commerce and Technology (COSMO), launching the City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate in Logistics Operations and the landmark signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the BRUFA and COSMO.

This monumental event, held at Cosmopolitan College, marks a historic national milestone in strengthening Brunei’s logistics education framework, advancing the country with a well-developed workforce and logistics excellence.

A Defining Moment for Brunei’s Logistics Sector

Guest of Honor’s Address: A National Milestone

Delivering the keynote speech, Yang Mulia Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Info-communications and Chairman of the Manpower Industry Steering Committee for Transport & Logistics (MISC T&L), emphasized the significance of this initiative in advancing Brunei’s workforce capabilities in alignment with Wawasan Brunei 2035.

Launching the Logistics Operations Course: City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate marks an important step in strengthening Brunei’s logistics workforce. This initiative demonstrates the collaborative efforts of BRUFA and Cosmopolitan College in enhancing education and workforce development. A well-trained workforce is crucial for economic progress, and this program will help equip individuals with the necessary skills to support Brunei’s logistics sector.

“The introduction of this program marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to develop a highly skilled workforce. Designed through the collaborative efforts of BRUFA and Cosmopolitan College, this program combines theoretical knowledge with practical training, ensuring that learners are well-prepared for the fast-paced logistics and transportation sector.”

He further highlighted that prioritizing logistics education strengthens the supply chains and the transportation economy, aligning with Wawasan Brunei 2035’s goal of developing a highly skilled and accomplished workforce, stating:

“Beyond its academic value, today’s launch also underscores the importance of strong public-private partnerships. This initiative is a testament to what can be achieved when educational institutions, government agencies, and industry leaders collaborate to create programs that align with national priorities.

Recognizing the importance of industry-driven education, the Government—through MISC T&L under the Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC) —actively works to bridge the gap between industry needs and talent development. Logistics plays a key role in Brunei’s Economic Blueprint, contributing significantly to our diversification efforts.”

He also highlighted the crucial role of logistics and transportation as a driver of economic growth and encouraged further investment in digitalization and smart logistics solutions to enhance Brunei’s global competitiveness.

President of BRUFA: A Historic Turning Point for Brunei

In his speech, Mr. Thomas Koh, President of BRUFA, also Co-Chair of the MISC Land Sub-Committee, emphasised the day as a turning point for Brunei’s logistics industry, highlighting that this program and MOU represent a concrete commitment from the private sector to advancing logistics education and workforce development in Brunei. He emphasised that this initiative will drive economic growth, strengthen Brunei’s supply chain resilience, and elevate the country’s integration into regional and global trade networks.

BRUFA has taken a significant step in advancing logistics education through its collaboration with COSMO. This partnership, marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the launch of the Level 3 Logistics Operations Certificate, reflects BRUFA’s commitment to strengthening Brunei’s logistics sector and workforce shaping a workforce that meets the evolving needs of the logistics industry, aligning with Wawasan Brunei 2035’s goal of developing a highly skilled and accomplished workforce.

Speaking at the event, BRUFA President Thomas Koh called the initiative a turning point for Brunei’s logistics sector. “Logistics is the driving force of our economy,” he said. “This program equips Bruneians with resilience and expands career opportunities across all industries.”

The signing of the landmark MOU between BRUFA and COSMO is a defining step toward creating a future-ready workforce. This agreement is not just about academic learning—it is about empowering individuals with the skills needed to thrive in a competitive industry.

With COSMO’s commitment to quality education and BRUFA’s leadership in industry development, this partnership sets the foundation for a sustainable and competitive logistics sector—empowering Brunei’s workforce for the future.

Cosmopolitan College: A Commitment to Excellence

Dr. Aziz Latip, Executive Chairman of Cosmopolitan College underscored how the launch of the Level 3 Logistics Operations Certificate is a strategic response to the growing demand for skilled manpower in Brunei’s logistics sector.

The program, developed in collaboration with BRUFA and aligned with international standards, will equip learners with essential skills in supply chain management, transport operations, and logistics coordination.

Graduates will be prepared for directly contributing to Brunei’s logistics workforce and its vision of becoming a strategic trade hub in the region.

The ceremony was attended by prominent figures from the logistics industry, including CEOs, COOs, General Manager and business leaders from various sectors in Brunei.

Dr. Aziz Latip, the Executive Chairman of Cosmopolitan College expressed gratitude to the Guest of Honour Yang Mulia Ir. Awang Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Info Communication and Mr. Thomas Koh, President of Brunei Freight Forwarders Association on this momentous milestone.

This was followed by a college tour and networking session, providing an opportunity for attendees to connect and discuss the future of logistics in Brunei.

The City & Guilds Level 3 Logistics Operations Program is set to commence this March 2025 and interested individuals are encouraged to apply. After completing the program, learners can join entry level junior jobs in the logistics industry. For more information about the program and application details, please contact Cosmopolitan College of Commerce and Technology at +673 872 1244 or 2651244/5/6 or visit our website at http://www.ccct.edu.bn

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

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