Author: Ruwaid Waddaah

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/ANN): Brunei King Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah attended a meeting with President of Vietnam Vo Van Thuong at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, United States. The two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest to strengthen the close cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam including trade and economy, agriculture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. Accompanying Sultan Hassanal was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen. The two leaders also touched on strengthening of cooperation to ensure a stable, safe and peaceful South China Sea. Meanwhile, the monarch also met with the Senior Vice President of Boeing Company and President…

The Palestinians’ longstanding and legitimate grievances have been irrevocably subverted by Hamas’ brazen attack against Israel on Oct 7. Unlike previous rounds of conflicts and clashes between Israel and the Palestinians on the one hand and neighbouring Arab states on the other, Thailand has become a direct casualty like never before, as 30 Thai workers have been killed to date, with at least 16 injured and 17 taken hostage. As a militant political movement motivated by Islamic fundamentalism using methods of terrorism to achieve its objectives, Hamas has made a bad name for the Palestinian cause, eliciting condemnation and opposition…

Jakarta, Surabaya (19/11 – 20) With the elimination of their national team on Saturday, Indonesia’s capabilities to put on its finest show as the host of the 2023 Under-17 World Cup will be tested. Indonesia has been given a second chance to host a global football tournament once again, with the 19th Edition of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, a moving spectacle held in Jakarta, Surabaya, Surakarta and Bandung, from 10 November to 2 December 2023. This opportunity arrived just months after FIFA stripped out Indonesia’s hosting rights for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. The bid wa doomed by…

SEPANG: The federal government has agreed in principle to Sarawak’s desire for devolution of power in critical areas of education, says the state education, innovation and talent development ministry. The state ministry said deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof has instructed that a committee be set up immediately, with representatives from the education ministry and the state ministry, to share data on education in Sarawak. “The data will particularly be on student dropouts and students’ achievements,” it said in a statement. “This is in order for the state ministry and the Sarawak Economic Planning Unit to assess the effectiveness of the various…

ASEAN members are navigating an increasingly challenging regional environment. Headwinds to global trade and finance threaten Southeast Asia’s post-pandemic economic recovery, as do the rising costs of climate change. Waxing great power rivalry is leading to segmented supply chains and infrastructure, hampering intra- and extra-regional trade. Strains between ASEAN member states sow discord within the association, sapping its clout and potentially undermining regional security. China’s surging influence raises concerns, as do US responses, which increase strategic tension and give short shrift to economics and regional prosperity. To address these risks, ASEAN members seek to strengthen connectivity and resilience, preserve autonomy…

Berlin (05/11 – 40) The international transport corridor “Tajikistan-Europe” will be expanded. The initiative for the implementation of the “Crossroads of the World” project was announced at the IV International Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, which concluded in the capital of Georgia. The project envisions the development of connections between Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran. This means that the Silk Road, which once passed through the North Caucasus, will now be connected to the South Caucasus hub. “In this way, another node is added to the multimodal corridor ‘China – Tajikistan – Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Turkey – Europe’,”…

London (04/11 – 50) US government last week intervened in a lawsuit triggered by Hamilton Reserve Bank in St Kitts & Nevis. Somehow, a small bank based in a county with 50,000 inhabitants and GDP of under $1billion has amassed a $250million face-value stake in a Sri Lankan bond. The mysterious ‘global financier’ aka cunning vulture investor, Benjamin Wey is suing Sri Lanka. This specific bond was issued in happier times in 2012 and lacks some now-common clauses that make bonds easier to restructure. HRB’s $250million is enough in theory to veto any restructuring proposal Sri Lanka makes to that…

Toronto, Atlanta (22/10 – 66) A recent, and eminently reasonable, proposal to pause the military confrontation between Russia and Ukraine was presented by Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto during the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, held in Singapore on June 3, 2023. Minister Prabowo, a retired and much-decorated General, suggested the two sides declare a ceasefire, to be followed by the creation of a demilitarized zone on the battlefield. The proposed truce would be monitored by United Nations peacekeeping forces, followed by a UN-monitored referendum to determine which country the disputed territories should join. Most third-world participants – and those from…

KOTA KINABALU: Some RM14mil has been allocated for cultural development in Sabah, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. The Chief Minister said of the amount, RM9.5mil was set aside by the state government for the Sabah Cultural Board (LKNS) while the rest came from the Federal Government under the 12th Malaysia Plan. He said the state has set seven priorities in cultural development, to be carried out between 2021 and 2030. “The priorities are arts and culture digitalisation (eCulture), integrated cultural tourism, preservation of culture, strengthening of ethnic relations, protection of intellectual property, research and documentation as well as expansion of…

KOTA KINABALU (Oct 7): Sabah will see the development of two new industrial parks in an effort to stimulate further the state’s economic growth and industries in line with the current state government’s investor-friendly approach. Chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said one of the parks will be developed in Kimanis for the oil and gas industry while the other, to be located in the Kota Marudu-Kota Belud area, will be a general industrial park. He said the move follows the two existing industrial parks — the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park and Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park — almost…