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Outstanding students, staff awarded

James Kon

Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) students and staff who have excelled in their respective fields yesterday received recognition of their hard work during the Excellence Award Ceremony 2021 held in conjunction with UTB Convocation Ceremony 2021 at An-Naura Hall of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Complex.

This year, the award ceremony celebrated the Staff Excellence Award, the Graduates Excellence Award, the Dean’s List Award, Student Co-curricular Activities, and the People’s Choice Award.

Minister of Education and Chairman of the UTB Council Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman was the guest of honour.

Also present were Minister of Energy and Deputy Chairman of the UTB Council Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Mohd Hussein, UTB Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman and other members of the UTB Council.

Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah in her welcoming address said, “The Staff Excellence Award aims to provide recognition for the outstanding and valuable contribution of staff to the university’s success in achieving its strategic goals.

“Today’s awards ceremony was set against the backdrop of the university’s significant success, where UTB improved in QS Global ranking to 344th place, QS Asia to 126th place and was given a 5-plus Star rating comparable to the world’s prestigious universities. This would not have been possible without the commitment, dedication and hard work of UTB staff and students. I hope we will continue to make significant changes to UTB.”

Recipients were awarded for their efforts in teaching, research and administration for Academic Staff and Special Mention Award.

Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman and DST CEO Radin Sufri bin Radin Basiuni presenting University Excellence Award and DST Award to Naderah Nabelah @ Derah binti Haji Mohd Faderin Lee during Universiti Teknologi Brunei’s Excellence Award ceremony yesterday.
ABOVE & BELOW: Minister of Education and Chairman of the UTB Council Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman presents awards to Rohadatul’ Aisy Nabilah binti Irwan and Awangku Muhammad Wafiy bin Pengiran Haji Amir Isa; and Minister of Energy and Deputy Chairman of the UTB Council Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mat Suny Bin Haji Md Hussein presents an award to Dean’s List Award recipient. PHOTOS: JAMES KON

The minister and UTB Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman in a group photo with Staff Excellence Awards recipients

This year also marked UTB as the first higher institution to present the Chancellors’ Medal Award.

There was also a presentation of the Dean’s List Award to 29 recipients from various schools and faculties for having demonstrated outstanding academic achievements in their studies, six for Student Co-curricular Activities which includes ‘Outstanding Life Skill Achiever’, ‘Religious Awards’, ‘Sports Man of UTB’, ‘Sports Woman of UTB’ and ‘Top Cultural Achiever’ award and four for the People’s Choice Award.

Other awards included the University Excellence Award; the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Brunei Darussalam (IMechE-Brunei) Award for Best Mechanical Engineering Graduate; IMechE-Brunei Award for Best Mechanical Engineering (Final Year Project); Institution of Surveyors, Engineers and Architects (PUJA) Prestige 2021 Student Awards; Petrokon Utama Sdn Bhd (PUSB) Best Final Year Project Award; British Computer Society (BSC) Award 2021; Brunei Insurance and Takaful Association (BITA) Award; Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) Award; Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) Award; and Datastream Digital (DST) Award.

Chancellor’s Medal Award went to Dayang Rohadatul’ Aisy Nabilah binti Irwan, a graduate from the Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Technology Management for her astounding accomplishments. This award is the first of its kind to ever be awarded to graduates from Higher Education Institutions in the Sultanate.

Rohadatul’ Aisy Nabilah in an interview with the Bulletin said, “Obtaining the prestigious award means the world to me because it represents yet another milestone in my academic life while also served as a stepping stone for me to pursue my academic career in the future.

“Alhamdulillah, during my final year, the pandemic did not really disrupt our learning experience as Brunei managed to flatten the curve. I was fortunate to have most of my classes in a physical setting.”

Meanwhile, Awangku Muhammad Wafiy bin Pengiran Haji Amir Isa, a graduate from Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Computing with Data Analytics, received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for his outstanding academic achievement.

He said, “The award reflects the sweat and tears I shed all these years studying and making use of my time to contribute to the university as much as I could.

“One of the challenges that I encountered during the pandemic was communication. The absence of interaction with my lecturers during online learning was stressful. I had difficulties understanding the assignments and tasks as social media was the only platform on which we could interact.

Naderah Nabelah @ Derah binti Haji Mohd Faderin Lee from Bachelor Science (Hons) in Creative Multimedia received University Excellence Award and DST Award.

“It feels great being acknowledged and recognised for all my hard work in the past four years. The awards serve as reminders of why I continue to strive for success. The awards also allow me to look back at my time as a UTB student with great pride and joy, while motivating me to continue to perform as well as I can, even when I’m past my studies, and into the working life.

“COVID-19 came at an unfortunate time for my cohort as it happened during our internship period. It was a time of uncertainty because our internship was put on hold for a couple of weeks.

“Work from home meant we couldn’t fully experience the office environment. But during the time at home, I honed and refined my skills as a creative, familiarising myself with 3D modeling tools in my free time to prepare for my final year project.”

Some of the sponsors of the Graduate Excellence Award include The Embassy of The People’s Republic of China in Brunei Darussalam; Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sendirian Berhad (BSP); PUSB; Brunei LNG Sendirian Berhad; Makan Ceria Sendirian Berhad; ADN – A.K. Studio; Wood Private Limited Company; BIBD; IMechE-Brunei; PUJA; Shiham Sendirian Berhad; Asprint Enterprise; BITA; PDO Chartered Architects; AITI; Dynamik Technologies; TGT Sendirian Berhad; Jetwires Trading and Electrical Services; DST; and British Computer Society.

Grassroots labour group takes on Amazon in NYC union fight

NEW YORK (AP) – An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers is trying to organise a company warehouse in New York City, a David and Goliath scenario that could lead to the retail giant’s first unionised facility in the United States (US).

Workers at an Amazon fulfilment centre in Staten Island will determine whether or not they want to form a union, with the vote count expected to begin soon.

A separate organising effort is currently underway in Alabama, where the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union faces another tough challenge in a re-do election to unionise Amazon workers in the city of Bessemer.

In New York, the nascent Amazon Labour Union (ALU) has led the charge in a fierce labour fight, where the nation’s second-largest private employer has made every effort to fend off labour organisers and fired Amazon employee Chris Smalls, who now leads the fledging group.

The warehouse in Staten Island employs more than 8,300 workers, who pack and ship supplies to customers based mostly in the northeast. A labour win is considered an uphill battle. But organisers believe their grassroots approach is more relatable to workers and could help them overcome where established unions have failed in the past.

Elijah Ramos outside the Amazon fulfilment centre in Staten Island borough of New York. PHOTO: AP

Meanwhile, Amazon has pushed back hard. The retail giant held mandatory meetings, where workers were told unions are a bad idea. The company also launched an anti-union website targetting workers and placed English and Spanish posters across the Staten Island facility urging them to reject the union.

New York is more labour-friendly than Alabama, where the other union election is being held. But some experts believe that won’t make much of a difference in the outcome of the Staten Island election, citing federal labour laws that favour employers, and Amazon’s anti-union stance.

“The employer is the same, and that’s the key thing,” said sociologist of labour and labour movements at the City University of New York Ruth Milkman. “Amazon is resisting this with everything it’s got.”

The ALU said they don’t have a demographic breakdown of the warehouse workers in Staten Island and Amazon declined to provide the information to The Associated Press, citing the union vote. Internal records leaked to The New York Times from 2019 showed more than 60 per cent of the hourly associates at the facility were Black or Latino, while most of managers were white or Asian. But it’s unclear how the facility’s high turnover rate may have shifted things.

Heavy fighting rages near Kyiv

KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) – Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones yesterday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an early morning video address that Ukraine is seeing “a buildup of Russian forces for new strikes on the Donbas, and we are preparing for that”.

Meanwhile, a convoy of buses headed to Mariupol in another bid to evacuate people from the besieged port city after the Russian military agreed to a limited ceasefire in the area. And a new round of talks aimed at stopping the fighting was scheduled for today.

The Red Cross said its teams were headed for Mariupol with relief and medical supplies and hoped to help pull civilians out of the beleaguered city. Tens of thousands have managed to get out in the past few weeks by way of humanitarian corridors, reducing the city’s population from a prewar 430,000 to an estimated 100,000, but other efforts have been thwarted by continued

Russian attacks. At the same time, Russian forces shelled suburbs of the capital that Ukraine recently retook control of, a regional official said, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations”.

Britain’s Defence Ministry also confirmed “significant Russian shelling and missile strikes” around Chernihiv. The area’s governor, Viacheslav Chaus, said Russian troops were on the move but may not be withdrawing.

A soldier walks the amid the destruction caused after shelling of a shopping centre in Kyiv, Ukraine. PHOTO: AP

Russia’s Defence Ministry also reported new strikes on Ukrainian fuel stores late on Wednesday, and Ukrainian officials said there were artillery barrages in and around the northeastern city of Kharkiv over the past day.

Despite the fighting raging in those areas, the Russian military said it committed to a cease-fire along the route from Mariupol to the Ukraine-held city of Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 45 buses would be sent to collect civilians who have suffered some of the worst privations of the war. Food, water and medical supplies have all run low during a weekslong blockade and bombardment of the city.

Civilians who have managed to leave have typically done so using private cars, but the number of drivable vehicles left in the city has dwindled and fuel is low.

“It’s desperately important that this operation takes place,” the Red Cross said in a statement. “The lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it.”

As the new evacuation attempt was announced, evidence emerged that a Red Cross warehouse in the city had been struck earlier this month amid intense Russian shelling.

In satellite pictures from Planet Labs PBC, holes can be seen in the roof, along with a painted red cross on a white background. The aid organisation said no staff have been at the site since March 15.

Ruud topples Zverev to reach Miami Open semi-finals

MIAMI (AFP) – Casper Ruud beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to reach the Miami Open semi-finals on Wednesday and compound a difficult start to the year for the world number four.

The Norwegian will meet Argentine surprise package Francisco Cerundolo for a place in Sunday’s final after the 23-year-old, playing in his debut ATP Masters event and ranked 103rd in the world, made the last four when Italian Jannik Sinner was forced to retire because of a blister on his right foot at 4-1 down in the first set.

Cerundolo is lowest ranked Miami semi-finalist in tournament history, surpassing Sebastien Grosjean who was ranked 74th in 1999.

Ruud will compete in a hard court semi-final at this level for the first time after reaching the same stage on clay at the Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome in the last couple of years.

For Germany’s Zverev, however, an early exit in Indian Wells was followed by more disappointment in Florida.

Casper Ruud in action. PHOTO: AFP

Ruud, the sixth seed from Norway came into the tournament having never won a match in Miami but found himself up against the inconsistent second seed, who recovered impressively from a shaky start only to run out of steam by the end of an entertaining tussle at Hard Rock Stadium.

Ruud was serving superbly in the opener with Zverev really struggling to get a foothold and the 24-year-old German found himself in trouble at the start of the second set.

He crucially, however, managed to stave off an early break after falling 15-40 down on his own serve and when Ruud netted soon after, the 2018 Miami finalist was able to finally get ahead at 3-1.

Zverev was suddenly on fire and another break helped send the match into a deciding set.
Ruud received medical attention on his right foot before the start of the third but was showing no ill effects as he quickly broke for a 2-0 lead.

The match had turned once again and it was the Norwegian who produced some blistering winners to seal his place in today’s semis and leave Zverev, who is still waiting for his first title of 2022, crestfallen.

Sometimes simple is best

Rokiah Mahmud

Awangku Mohd Hazeq bin Pengiran Abdul Aziz never thought his design would have been selected as the logo for the 38th National Day celebration.

“I don’t have any background in creative arts,” said the fresh graduate from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). “And looking at the past National Day logos, I had no confidence in winning as I felt my own design was too simple.”

The logo is in the shape of a flower, which signifies national spirit, unit and cooperation among the people towards the development of the nation. Three green leaves and eight yellow flower petals combined to form the number 38, and a total of 12 dewdrops at the end of the leaves are representations of goals in achieving Brunei Vision 2035.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports opened up entries for the logo design contest in December 2021, with entries due on January 16. The logo, the ministry stated, must contain elements such as the date and the number 38 in both romanised and Jawi script, the theme Menjayakan Wawasan Negara (Accomplishing the National Vision) and need to work well across media formats.

It needed to be recognisable while small, such as being presented as an Instagram icon, but also work well on tote bags, T-shirts or large outdoor banners.

Awangku Mohd Hazeq bin Pengiran Abdul Aziz (L) receiving his prize. PHOTO: ROKIAH MAHMUD

Awangku Mohd Hazeq first heard of the competition through his uncle, who encouraged him to try his luck.

He was reluctant, given that he knew little about the intricacies of art and design but nevertheless submitted the logo, and didn’t think too much about it afterwards. In his own words, he was just “playing around” with the number 38.

In February, he was announced the winner, awarded BND1,000 and his ‘very simple’ design made into the symbol of the 38th anniversary of the country’s independence. It was a day he’d never forget.

“The feeling was so surreal,” he said, remembering that he received news that he won when he was preoccupied with preparation of his graduation ceremony.

The logo appeared on various national day memorabilia and promotional media, becoming widely recognised throughout the country.

Awangku Mohd Hazeq highlighted that Brunei Darussalam will remain a sovereign and independent country, with people who always support the nation and adhere to the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) philosophy.

“I felt very proud and honoured when I saw the logo I made being installed in several public areas,” he said. “It made me more appreciative of what I have done.”

England ends free virus tests under ‘living with COVID’ plan

LONDON (AP) – The British government is ending the supply of free rapid coronavirus tests to most of the population even though COVID-19 infections remain at record levels, and health officials warn the pandemic could still have nasty surprises in store.

More than 1.7 billion test kits have been handed out in workplaces, pharmacies and by mail over the past year, the government said, under a policy that encouraged people to test themselves regularly as a way to stamp out new outbreaks.

But starting today, most people in England will have to buy lateral flow tests from pharmacies or online suppliers.

Lateral flow tests use throat or nose swabs and give results in minutes, but are less accurate than the PCR swab tests used to officially confirm cases of COVID-19.

Tests will remain free for staff in high-risk settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and prisons, but under the government’s “Living with COVID” plan most other people in England will now have to pay.

A student is given a PCR test during COVID-19 testing at a school in in Manchester. PHOTO: AP

Some free testing will continue for several weeks in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Lawmaker Daisy Cooper, health spokeswoman for the opposition Liberal Democrats, said scrapping free tests would be another expense for people already coping with surging food and energy prices.

“It is a tax on caring for all those who want to do the right thing and get tested before visiting elderly or vulnerable relatives,” she said.

Critics also argue that the move comes at a dangerous time, with an estimated one in 16 people in England infected with the virus, according to the Office for National Statistics. There were 15,632 people in hospital in England with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, the highest number for more than three months.

The number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators remains low, however, and deaths are far below the peaks of previous waves in 2020 and 2021.

Seafood biz braces for losses of jobs, fish due to sanctions

PORTLAND, MAINE (AP) – The worldwide seafood industry is steeling itself for price hikes, supply disruptions and potential job losses as new rounds of economic sanctions on Russia make key species such as cod and crab harder to come by.

The latest round of United States (US) attempts to punish Russia for the invasion of Ukraine includes bans on imports of seafood and diamonds. The US is also stripping “most favoured nation status” from Russia. Nations around the world are taking similar steps.

Russia is one of the largest producers of seafood in the world, and was the fifth-largest producer of wild-caught fish, according to a 2020 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN).

Russia is not one of the biggest exporters of seafood to the US, but it’s a world leader in exports of cod. It’s also a major supplier of crabs and Alaska pollock, widely used in fast-food sandwiches and processed products like fish sticks.

The impact is likely to be felt globally, as well as in places with working waterfronts. One of those is Maine, where more than USD50 million in seafood products from Russia passed through Portland in 2021, according to federal statistics.

Russia exported more than 28 million pounds of cod to the US from January 1, 2020, to January 31, 2022, according to census data.

The European Union and United Kingdom (UK) are both deeply dependent on Russian seafood. And prices of seafood are already spiking in Japan, a major seafood consumer that is limiting its trade with Russia.

In the UK, where fish and chips are a cultural marker, shop owners and consumers alike are bracing for price surges.

British fish and chip shops were already facing a squeeze because of soaring energy costs and rising food prices.

Head of the National Federation of Fish Friers Andrew Crook said earlier this month that – even before the war – he expected a third of Britain’s fish and chip shops to go out of business. If fish prices shoot up even higher, “we are in real dire straits”, he said.

A cod to be auctioned sits on ice at the Portland Fish Exchange in Portland, Maine. PHOTO: AP

‘Langkah’ named best Islamic short film

Izah Azahari

Q Fikri received BND1,500 after his short film Langkah was named Islamic Short Film at the Brunei Islamic Film Festival (BIFF) screening and Awards Night recently.

Over an hour-and-a-half of Islamic short films were screened at the event.

Meanwhile, Hati-Hati Dengan Mata by Muhammad Haziq Aniq bin Hanip was awarded the Jury awards. The musical short film maker received a BND300 cheque.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin presented the prizes.

Also in attendance were Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Hajah Nurul Amal Munjiatul Athirah binti Pengiran Sura Negara Pengiran Anak Haji Muhammad Bey Muntassir and Deputy Permanent Secretary (Culture) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Dr Siti Norkhalbi binti Haji Wahsalfelah.

The Awards’ Night kicked off with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and welcoming remarks by BIFF Festival Director Siti Kamaluddin, who highlighted that while exploring ideas with participants, they discovered there were many stories yet to be told.

ABOVE & BELOW: Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Hajah Nurul Amal Munjiatul Athirah binti Pengiran Sura Negara Pengiran Anak Haji Muhammad Bey Muntassir with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Culture) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Dr Siti Norkhalbi binti Haji Wahsalfelah and BIFF Festival Director Siti Kamaluddin; and the minister presents the prizes to Q Fikri. PHOTOS: IZAH AZAHARI

“I am proud of the Brunei Islamic Film Festival participants as they had each come up with different perspectives and chose to tell the stories in their own unique ways,” she said, expressed joy to see various genres being incorporated into the Bruneian Islamic content.

The shortlisted films explore various Islamic themes, including love, conversion to Islam, mental health, life struggles and daily Islamic practices.

Other films shortlisted included Peradian by Mohamad Akmal Marhain bin Umar, My Life Changed by Aqil Faiz, Sebelum Terlambat by Saffa Suhaili and Waktu by Rooif.

The inaugural film festival kicked off earlier this month with a symposium and workshop dedicated to exploring the Islamic film genre in the Sultanate.

According to local filmmaker Aqil Faiz, the film festival provided professional mentorship and helped raise the production quality of their movies.

Films submitted to BIFF could be narrative, documentary or experimental but submissions needed to be less than 12 minutes in length. The event aimed at encouraging Islamic filmmaking in Brunei to provide a point of departure for future academic studies.

“Film genres incorporate individual conventions that bolster communication with specific audiences. The films submitted are a starting point to examine any similarities in terms of story, visuals or sound exist that can be attributed to a Bruneian Islamic screen identity,” said panel jury member Dr Alex Fischer.

Bradl to replace Marquez at Honda for Argentine Grand Prix

CNA – Honda test rider Stefan Bradl will ride in place of Marc Marquez at the Argentine Grand Prix this weekend as the six-times MotoGP champion continues to recover from double vision, the team announced on Wednesday.

Marquez did not race at the Indonesian Grand Prix after a highside crash in the warm-up session ahead of the season’s second race.

The 29-year-old also suffered from double vision at the end of 2021 after a concussion he suffered in a training crash.

“The most important thing is sending my best to Marc and hoping that he recovers quickly.

Until then, I will do my best for Honda HRC and the Repsol Honda Team in his place,” Bradl said.

“I have already done a few tests this year so I am familiar with the new Honda RC213V but, of course, coming into a MotoGP weekend is a different situation.

“I have some good memories of Argentina. I was fifth there in 2014 and seventh there when I last raced in Termas in 2016.”

Marquez won three of the six races held in Argentina between 2014-2019. The last two editions were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stefan Bradl during a practice. PHOTO: CNA

Rockslide kills at least 10 in Oman’s mountainous northwest

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (AP) – A rockslide that sent giant slabs of stone cascading into a quarry in the northwest of Oman earlier this week has killed at least 10 people, rescue services said yesterday.

Oman’s Ambulance Authority reported that rescuers were still searching for at least four other people known to be buried under the rubble of the quarry in Irbi, in Oman’s mountainous north.

As workers retrieved bodies throughout the day, the death toll in the cliff collapse rose to 10, authorities said, without elaborating on the victims’ nationalities.

The chunk of mountainside in the remote province of Al Dhahirah first started sliding downhill on Sunday, trapping workers in the quarry at the base of the ridge.

Such landslides are typically caused by the infiltration of groundwater, which sends the rain-loosened earth and rock roaring down.

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Borneo Bulletin is the leading English daily in the country. It was first published by Brunei Press. Today, Borneo Bulletin has become the foremost source of information on local and foreign affairs, and the region’s business news.

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