May 14, 2021
Azlan Othman
The Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) announced that four Bruneian students in Egypt were found to be COVID-19 positive. This was based on information from the Education and Cultural Attache’ of the Embassy of Brunei Darussalam in Egypt.
This was announced by Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman yesterday.
The minister said all Bruneian students in Cairo underwent swab tests in phases and ordered to self-isolate at their residence. Fifteen students have taken swab tests.
MoRA, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Brunei Embassy are closely monitoring the situation.
Muscat: Oman’s Cultural Attaché office in London has issued a warning to Omani students who are pursuing their studies in the UK on scholarships about frequent absenteeism from university lectures.
The attaché stated that this is contrary to the regulations of educational institutions, as well as immigration and residency laws in the United Kingdom.
The warning stated that it is considered a violation of the Scholarships, and Study Aids Act. Any student receiving three warnings because of their absence from classes, according to the residency law in the United Kingdom, will face termination of the scholarship.
Academic supervisor
The attaché has advised the students to inform their academic supervisor if there is a shortfall of attendance, and to ensure necessary assistance to restore their scholarship. Academic commitment and abiding by the stipulations to sustain the scholarship are mandatory to maintain, the advice stated.
The latest resurgence of COVID-19 gives the year 2021 a tepid start. Speaking of the activity calendar of BIMSTEC, leaders and diplomatic officials might wonder how the major meeting in Bangkok this year will be conducted considering the travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic.
2021 is a very important year for Thailand, which will succeed Sri Lanka as chairman of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) for 2021. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has planned in advance to make the event high profile as it is to mark the 24
th anniversary of BIMSTEC, which indeed was conceived in Bangkok on 6 June 1997.
As part of the celebrations, several local artists will also be spending their weekend producing live art along the Cultural Connector’s path through the Village, while artist Jessa Gilbert gets to work on the final stages of a new public art mural located on the Creekside underpass, funded by the RMOW. “BC Culture Days is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the Cultural Connector. It is an affirmation of Whistler’s increasing reputation for the arts, heritage and natural history,” said Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden in a release. “The amenities are already popular with visitors, and we want residents to explore them as well.”