A signing ceremony for a three-year participation of the Takaful Brunei Am Sdn Bhd (TBA) Group Personal Accident Takaful was witnessed between the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) and TBA yesterday.
TBA Chief Operations Officer Barudin bin Haji Kudil and FRD Acting Director Lim Hock Guan signed on the dotted line, with TBA Deputy Chief Business Operations Officer Mohd Suffian bin Haji Mohd Salleh and FRD Assistant Director (Planning, Training and Staff) Hajah Siti Mayang binti Haji Hussin as witnesses.
The signing – held at the FRD Headquarters in Berakas in the presence of FRD officers and personnel – provides over 1,470 FRD personnel Takaful protection and benefits under the TBA Group Personal Accident Takaful scheme. They will be covered in the event of any bodily injuries due to accident and illness, with an effective coverage of 24 hours worldwide.
The exchange of documents between Takaful Brunei Am Sdn Bhd (TBA) Chief Operations Officer Barudin bin Haji Kudil and Fire and Rescue Department Acting Director Lim Hock Guan following the signing. PHOTO: LYNA MOHAMAD
Tyremart held two events at its Gadong and Kuala Belait branches over the weekend to award prizes for lucky draw winners.
Sofpri bin Tawi bagged a pair of Nike Air Max 90 sneakers, while Haziq Halidi, represented by his mother Hajah Nortijah, won an Adidas sports jacket.
Tyremart Sales Manager (Gadong Branch) Guma presented the prizes to the winners. The lucky draw was open to customers who made above BND200 purchases at Tyremart during the campaign period. In a separate campaign for Michelin customers which ended in January, the winner was given the option to choose between a Louis Vuitton wallet, Bose speakers or Cobra King golf driver.
Lim WH opted for the Louis Vuitton wallet, presented by Tyremart Manager (Belait Branch) Eric Ling.
As countries that share similar cultural roots, the Malaysian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam sees a wide potential for both nations to further collaborate in encouraging the sharing and upholding of the use of Malay language to a higher level.
This was said by Malaysian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Dato’ Raja Reza bin Raja Zaib Shah at a ceremony that saw the Malaysian High Commission contributing 133 reading materials comprising 31 Malaysian publication topics to the Language and Literature Bureau’s (DBP) library in the capital yesterday, in conjunction with World Poetry Day.
The Malaysian high commissioner said since last year, the Malaysian High Commission has carried out a series of discussions with various agencies in Brunei, including DBP and higher-learning institutions, to explore more cooperation towards the effort.
Dato’ Raja Reza said the contribution aimed to ease the public, especially researchers, in acquiring information; integrate ASEAN member countries’ collections at the DBP library; and expand library resources to the public in line with the role of the DBP as a source of information.
It also served as a symbol of togetherness between Malaysia and Brunei in further upholding and empowering the Malay language.
Malaysian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Dato’ Raja Reza bin Raja Zaib Shah hands over the contributions to Acting Permanent Secretary (Strategy and Policy Management) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Dr Siti Norkhalbi binti Haji Wahsalfelah. PHOTO: ROKIAH MAHMUD
Meanwhile, Acting Permanent Secretary (Strategy and Policy Management) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Dr Siti Norkhalbi binti Haji Wahsalfelah as the guest of honour, said the contributions, covering a variety of fields, not only were additions to new collections at the library but also implicated knowledge about Malaysia and the ideas of its writers, particularly in creative literary works that will be appreciated and become a source of knowledge.
Malaysia has many (literature) writers who have made a name for themselves at an international level, said Dr Siti Norkhalbi. The lines of Malaysian writers on literature are no stranger to the Sultanate, especially when they become strategic partners for the DBP.
Their presence often colour the landscape of literature activities and events in Brunei. With reciprocal bilateral relations, it opens opportunities for Bruneian writers and poets to participate in various programmes and activities in Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak.
She said such contributions would also lead to higher accessibility for locals to learn more about Malaysian literature and culture.
The Kampong Sungai Besar Mosque committee members and village consultative council members are welcoming participation from mosque congregants and the public, especially residents, to assist orphans and their families in the form of donations for the upcoming holy month of Ramadhan.
The donation will be handed over during a Tahlil ceremony for the village scheduled at the end of March, said mosque committee secretary Haji Zaini bin Haji Damit at the Khatam Al-Quran ceremony after the Subuh prayers yesterday.
The forms can be obtained from the Imam of the mosque, to be submitted before March 30, he said, adding that the welfare activity serves to reap spiritual rewards.
Mosque committee adviser Haji Mohiddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman was also present at the ceremony.
The congregants at the religious ceremony. PHOTO: AZLAN OTHMAN
The Jerudong International School (JIS) Community recently presented donations to the maintenance and HSE staff who had been in isolation due to COVID-19.
Tony Hue of HSE Engineering Sdn Bhd, and Julio Saguilot and Ryan Sevilla of Borneo United Enterprise Sdn Bhd received the donations on behalf of their staff.
Enrichment and Operations Director Justin Harris and Junior School Assistant Head Tamsin Harris also delivered donations from the school community to the Community Isolation Centre at National Service Programme (PKBN) Training Camp in Temburong District.
Earlier this year, the community had raised funds to purchase food packs for the Brunei Darussalam Red Crescent Society (BDRCS).
The JIS Community is also due to hold a charity donation drive soon for parents to send and drop off food items from a suggested list, coordinating with local charities to donate the items.
“The school is a generous and compassionate community. We look forward to further supporting those in our community who are struggling during this challenging time,” said JIS Principal Nicholas Sheehan.
ABOVE & BELOW: Enrichment and Operations Director Justin Harris handing over the donations to Tony Hue of HSE Engineering Sdn Bhd, and Julio Saguilot and Ryan Sevilla of Borneo United Enterprise Sdn Bhd. PHOTOS: JIS
The Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd (MPC) on Saturday donated care packages comprising basic necessities and antigen rapid test (ART) kits to 53 staff members infected with COVID-19 since early this year.
MPC Chief Executive Officer Zeng Caili presented the donations to recipients who had completed their home isolation and quarantine order (QO), witnessed by Chief Operating Officer Fazilah binti Yassin and Chief Financial Officer Lyu Guoli. The remaining recipients, who are undergoing home isolation and QO, had their packages delivered by their departments’ representatives to their doorsteps.
The event was part of the MPC’s employee welfare initiative to ease the staff’s burden and boost their morale and motivation during their hour of need.
Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Zeng Caili presents a care package to a recipient. PHOTOS: MPCABOVE & BELOW: MPC representatives loading care packages into a vehicle; and a staff with his family receiving the donation
BEIJING (AFP) – A China Eastern passenger jet carrying 132 people crashed onto a mountain in southern China yesterday causing a large fire, shortly after losing contact with air traffic control and dropping thousands of metres in under three minutes.
There was no immediate confirmation of the number of casualties, but the disaster prompted an unusually swift public reaction from President Xi Jinping, who said he was “shocked” and ordered an immediate investigation into its cause.
The Boeing 737-800 flight from the city of Kunming to the southern hub of Guangzhou “lost airborne contact over Wuzhou” in the Guangxi region yesterday afternoon, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
“This flight has crashed,” the CAAC said, adding the jet was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members.
Hundreds of firefighters were dispatched to the scene in Teng county near the city of Wuzhou, state media reported, as nearby villagers rushed to help the rescue effort.
“Everyone went to the mountains,” Tang Min, who runs a small restaurant a few kilometres from the crash site, told AFP by telephone.
A worker from the China Eastern holds a signboard waiting to lead relatives of the victims aboard China Eastern’s flight MU5735 to a cordoned-off area. PHOTOS: APA temporarily cordoned-off area for the relatives of the victims
Fears for the fate of the jet spread yesterday afternoon as local media reported that China Eastern flight MU5735 had not arrived as planned in Guangzhou after taking off from Kunming shortly after 1pm.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed no data for the flight after 2.22pm.
The tracker showed the plane sharply dropped from an altitude of 29,100 feet to 3,225 feet in three minutes, before flight information ceased.
State broadcaster CCTV said the crash “caused a mountain fire” which was later extinguished.
One villager told a local news site that the plane had “completely fallen apart” and he had seen forest areas destroyed by the fire it caused when crashing into the mountainside.
China Eastern changed its website to black and white only yesterday afternoon, and opened an emergency assistance phone number.
A January company report said China Eastern had 289 Boeing 737-series aircraft in its 751-strong fleet.
Xi called for “all efforts” towards the rescue and to find out the “cause of the accident as soon as possible”, according to CCTV.
“We are shocked to learn of the China Eastern MU5735 accident,” he said, calling for “the absolute safety of the sector and people’s lives”.
The arrivals board at Guangzhou airport showed the jet’s flight information for hours after it had crashed, as airport staff in full PPE held up signs to help relatives of the passengers assemble.
As dusk fell, there was still no information on the passengers.
A villager near the crash site surnamed Liu told state-run China News Service that he had driven a motorbike to the scene after hearing a loud explosion.
He said he saw debris on the ground, including an aircraft wing and fragments of clothing hanging from trees.
China had enjoyed an enviable air safety record in recent years as the country was crisscrossed by newly built airports and serviced by new airlines established to match breakneck growth over the last few decades.
A Henan Airlines flight crashed in northeastern Heilongjiang province in 2010, killing at least 42 out of 92 people on board, although the final toll was never confirmed. It was the last Chinese commercial passenger flight crash that caused civilian casualties.
The deadliest Chinese commercial flight crash was a China Northwest Airlines crash in 1994, which killed all 160 onboard.
In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021, the retail sales index (RSI) performance in Brunei Darussalam showed a year-on-year decrease of 8.6 per cent with an estimated retail sales value of BND417.1 million. The Food and Beverages Services Index (F&BSI) has also decreased by 22.9 per cent compared to the Q4 of 2020 with an estimated sales revenue of
BND74.2 million.
On retail sales, almost all activities have shown a decrease in sales compared to last year driven mainly by the sales of textiles, wearing apparel and footwear which decreased by 33.3 per cent, followed by sales in petrol station by 25.7 per cent; sales of furniture and household equipment by 15.7 per cent; sales in department store by 10.3 per cent; and sales of electrical household appliances and lighting equipment in specialised stores by 6.2 per cent.
On food and beverages services, the decrease in sales compared to the previous year was attributed to the decrease in sales revenue of restaurants by 25.9 per cent, followed by fast-food outlets by 16.7 per cent and beverage serving activities by 16.2 per cent.
Compared to 2020’s Q4, the decline in sales of most retail activities and sales of food and beverages services was in line with the re-instatement of control measures for the most part of 2021’s Q4, following the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, such as dine-in prohibition effective until November 18, 2021 and allowing only at 50 per cent capacity starting November 19, 2021, compared to full capacity the year before.
Compared to the third quarter (Q3) 2021, the RSI in Q4 2021 has recorded an increase of seven per cent, mainly due to an increase in sales of recreational goods by 40.6 per cent, followed by sales of computer and telecommunications equipment by 28.5 per cent; sales of watches and jewellery by 25.6 per cent; sales of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores by 22 per cent; and sales of electrical household appliances and lighting equipment in specialised stores by 17.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, the F&BSI has recorded an increase of 0.1 per cent in Q4 2021 compared to Q3 2021, mainly due to the increase in sales revenue of beverage serving activities by 11.5 per cent and restaurants by 2.5 per cent. This was in line with the Transition Phase starting November 19, 2021 where commercial premises including restaurants, cafes and food courts are permitted at 50 per cent venue capacity.
The RSI and F&BSI are preliminary indicators of economic performance for both activities and provides an outlook for consumer spending trends in Brunei Darussalam on a quarterly basis. Full reports of both activities are available from the Department of Economic Planning and Statistics’ website at https://deps.mofe.gov.bn.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND (AP) – Rescuers yesterday continued to search for one person still missing a day after a chartered fishing boat carrying 10 people sank in a storm off the New Zealand coast.
A helicopter rescued five people from the sea, and four bodies have been recovered.
The 17-metre boat got into trouble and its emergency beacon was activated at 8pm on Sunday off North Cape on the northern coast.
A helicopter became the first search and rescue vehicle to reach the remote location at 11.40pm, said spokesman for Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre Nick Burt.
“The weather really hampered the response from the aircraft. There was thunderstorms, dangerous flying conditions, so that was the earliest we could get to the scene,” Burt said.
The boat was confirmed sunk at 2.30am, he said. Weather conditions were more favourable for the search yesterday, with a navy patrol boat coordinating, helicopters in the air and ground crews scouring the shoreline, Burt said.
Two bodies in the water were recovered by helicopter yesterday morning, and another two were recovered by search vessels, police said.
The five people rescued by helicopter were admitted to Kaitaia Hospital and later discharged.
A meteorologist with New Zealand’s weather agency MetService said gale-force winds had whipped up rough seas around North Cape at the time the alarm was raised.
But conditions eased in the area later in the night as the search began and the storm system moved south, he said.
The fishing boat had left the northern port of Mangonui on Thursday, the Stuff news website reported.
A charter fishing boat at the Mangonui Wharf in Mangonui. PHOTO: AP
Leadership is an important component within an organisation in achieving a common objective and goal. The success of an organisation largely depends on the effectiveness of the leader in influencing, supporting and leading its employees to achieve the desired mission.
This was said by Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) General Administration and Finance Department Director Mohammad Zulhilmi bin Haji Omar Ali in his welcoming speech as the guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Executive Development Programme (EDP) for the RBPF Middle Management Officers at the Conference Room of Institute of Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday.
The programme will help prepare and equip participants with the advanced knowledge needed to become effective leaders, he added. Twenty senior officers with working experience in various fields within the RBPF will participate in the six-week full-time programme encompassing theoretical learning.
UBD Assistant Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Pengiran Dr Mohammad Iskandar bin Pengiran Haji Petra; and UBD Director of ILIA Dr Jainatul Halida binti Haji Jaidin were also present at the event, along with RBPF directors and programme participants.
The event began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah, followed by the welcoming speech by the guest of honour. The event continued with the recitation of Doa Selamat and concluded with a group photo session.
The programme, in cooperation between the RBPF and ILIA, UBD, has been shaped in accordance with the needs and requirements of the team for middle management officers in the form of advanced knowledge of policy and governance; exposure to the implementation of Brunei Darussalam government policies in support of the country’s aspirations to achieve Brunei Vision 2035; and leadership and management modules leading to the values of Islamic understanding.
The programme aims to upgrade the knowledge and skills of officers in specific and appropriate fields to ensure that the duties and responsibilities undertaken will have an effective and direct impact. The programme will also train officers to face various stress tests on situations outside their comfort zones.
Programme participants at the ceremony. PHOTO: RBPF
