Anu hassan

Malaysia, Brunei agree to reinforce bilateral ties

April 5, 2021 by en.vietnamplus.vn

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Brunei Sultan and PM Haji Hassanal Bolkiah held the 23rd annual leaders’ consultation on April 5, agreeing to boost the countries’ cooperation, including in the COVID-19 combat.

The joint statement issued following the event noted that to facilitate people’s cross-border movement, both countries will prioritise vaccination for their diplomats, students, and expatriates; ensure access to vaccine supplies for both Brunei and Malaysia ; and mutually recognise each other’s vaccination certificates.

The two leaders agreed in principle on the establishment of a reciprocal “green lane”, with effective COVID-19 prevention and control measures, to facilitate essential business and official travel between both countries.

In terms of bilateral ties, they reaffirmed their commitment to further nurture this special relationship by broadening and strengthening cooperation in an array of mutually beneficial areas.

They appreciated the collaboration between the two governments, particularly in managing the repatriation of their respective citizens stranded in each other’s country and other nations during the pandemic.

The leaders also expressed their wish to enhance economic links, including in agriculture, fisheries, education, connectivity, trade, and tourism; defence ties; cooperation in youth and sports; along with transport connectivity.

In a memorandum of understanding between the two governments on cooperation in disaster management signed at the end of the leaders’ consultation, they said the countries will strengthen ties in the area, particularly through training, joint exercise, operation and the exchange of expertise and information related to disaster prevention and risk reduction./.

VNA

Singapore’s foreign minister on regional tour

March 23, 2021 by en.vietnamplus.vn

Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan has an audience with Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah on March 22. (Photo: Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Singapore (VNA) – Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on March 22 paid a visit to Brunei to reaffirm the special and unique relationship between the two countries.

Minister Balakrishnan had an audience with Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah and was hosted to lunch by his Brunei counterpart, Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan Pehin Yusof, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

They discussed ASEAN’s role in regional cooperation under Brunei’s Chairmanship this year.

Minister Balakrishnan will travel to Malaysia and Indonesia on March 23 – 24.

He is scheduled to meet Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Minister of International Trade and Industry Azmin Ali, Defence Minister Sabri Yaakob and Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin./.

VNA

Asian Cup: Qatar set up historic final with Japan

January 30, 2019 by en.nhandan.org.vn

A stirring first-half performance – which saw Boualem Khoukhi break the deadlock and Almoez Ali notch a record-equalling eighth goal of the tournament – laid the foundation for the victory which was rubberstamped by late strikes from Hassan Al Haydos and Hamid Ismaeil as Qatar progressed with relative ease to set up Friday’s title showdown with the Japanese.

While Qatar’s success saw them advance to their first-ever AFC Asian Cup final, it left the UAE to rue what could have been as they failed to emulate their run to the final in 1996.

After a somewhat cautious opening, Qatar finally issued their statement of intent when Salem Al Hajri’s shot from distance forced UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eisa into a fine stop on 14 minutes.

With Abdelkarim Hassan and Assim Madibo returning from suspension, Qatar continued to look the more likely of the two sides, and they duly took the just eight minutes later.

Khoukhi’s angled drive from 18 yards somehow finding its way under Eisa’s despairing dive and into the net.

Clearly stunned by the opener, the UAE responded through an Ismail Al Hamadi header which was smartly saved by Saad Al Sheeb, and a similar effort from Ali Mabkhout that fizzed wide of the target shortly before the half-hour mark.

However, worse was to come for the Emiratis as Qatar doubled their lead in the 38th minute.

This time Akram Afif found Almoez Ali who advanced into the area before firing home via a post to equal Ali Daei’s record for the most goals by a player at Asia’s premier event.

With Ahmed Khalil and Ismaeil Matar both introduced to the fray after the break, the UAE were quick to threaten as Al Sheeb superbly tipped over a Mabkhout piledriver and then defender Khoukhi blocked a Matar effort from close-range.

Al Sheeb was on hand once again to deny Khalil shortly after as the UAE’s search for a way back into the game became more frantic as the minutes ticked by.

Despite being forced to defend deep in their own half for long periods, Qatar remained dangerous on the break and they duly added a third in the 81st minute when captain Hassan Al Haydos rounded off a delightful move by manoeuvring past Bandar Mohammed and clipping the ball over Eisa.

After the UAE’s Ismail Ahmed was shown a straight red card late on for dangerous play, substitute Ismaeil rounded off the scoring to emphatically confirm Qatar’s place in the final.

Joy as megaship refloated, Suez Canal reopens to traffic

March 30, 2021 by www.vir.com.vn

The Panama-flagged MV ‘Ever Given’ container ship is pictured after being fully dislodged from the banks of the Suez Canal, near Suez city, on March 29, 2021. The vessel, a megaship the length of four football fields, was refloated and the Suez Canal reopened to traffic in the afternoon, sparking relief almost a week after the huge container ship got stuck and blocked a major artery for global trade.(Ahmad HASSAN / AFP)

Easing tailbacks to the north and south, 113 ships will navigate the narrow passage by 0600 GMT on Tuesday, Suez Canal Authority chief Osama Rabie told reporters in the evening.

He praised the duration of the salvage operation on the MV Ever Given as “record-breaking”, claiming it would have taken three months anywhere else in the world.

Canal services provider Leth Agencies said in a tweet that the 400-metre vessel had been “safely escorted to Great Bitter Lake” by the authority, which noted it was now “anchored” ahead of an investigation, beyond the path of other container ships.

“The relief is palpable that we won’t see a long-term closure of what is an important trade route,” said market analyst Michael Hewson at CMC Markets UK.

In the hours before the ship was dislodged, the tailbacks had reached 425 vessels, and the canal authority estimates it will take over three days to end the congestion.

Maritime data company Lloyd’s List said the blockage had held up an estimated $9.6 billion worth of cargo each day between Asia and Europe, as more than 10 percent of world trade normally passes through the canal.

– ‘A very tight jam’ –

In the small canal-side village of Manshiyet al-Rougoula, residents watched in amazement as the immense container ship left the sandy bank.

A father and his family climbed to the roof of their red brick house to get a better view as the ship — laden with at least nine levels of large containers — slowly passed by.

“We are happy to see the boat move (and) thank God,” said one resident who asked not to be named.

A former SCA chairman, Mohab Mamish, expressed pride in the operation, telling AFP: “I am well and truly overjoyed … We were able to get out of a very tight jam.”

On social media too, Egyptians greeted the news with jubilation and shared a flurry of memes, including a video montage of a man representing Egypt triumphantly carrying the ship on his shoulders, to applause from the world.

Ahmed Abbas, a Suez canal employee, shared live footage from the scene on his Facebook account, exclaiming: “Praise be to God, the vessel is finally out! Well done to the SCA boys!”

Egypt has lost some $12-15 million in transit revenues each day that the ship was stuck, according to Rabie.

Dutch salvage company Boskalis said its “team of experts” had worked in “close collaboration” with the canal authority.

The operation, carried out under time pressure and “the watchful eye of the world”, required 13 tug boats, said Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski.

– ‘Enormous complexity’ –

The freed vessel will undergo “an inspection of its seaworthiness”, said Taiwanese company Evergreen, the ship’s operator.

“The outcome of that inspection will determine whether the ship can resume its scheduled service.”

The stern was dislodged early Monday, sparking immediate praise from Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, even as Boskalis initially warned that the bow would prove more difficult to unwedge.

“Today, Egyptians have been successful in putting to an end the crisis of the stranded ship in the Suez Canal, despite the enormous complexity surrounding the process,” Sisi said.

Salvage crews have worked around the clock since the accident which was blamed on high winds and poor visibility during a sandstorm, although the canal authority also cited the possibility of human or technical error.

Rescue teams had focused on efforts to remove sand around the ship, which was dredged up to a depth of 18 metres (59 feet).

The crisis forced companies to choose between waiting or rerouting vessels around the southern tip of Africa, which adds 9,000 kilometres (5,500 miles) and over a week of travel to the trip between Asia and Europe.

AFP

Egyptian media widely cover new high-ranking Vietnamese personnel

April 6, 2021 by vov.vn

Events Magazine News posted a commentary produced by journalist Ahmed Hassan detailing the expectations ahead for the new Vietnamese Government.

The article reviews the outstanding performance of the Vietnamese Government during the 2016 to 2021 tenure, highlighting the country’s success in 2020 when overcoming the challenges caused by the global spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and maintaining strong economic growth. In doing so, the nation successfully met its dual goal of effectively combating the pandemic whilst simultaneously ensuring socio-economic development.

New Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, a Politburo member and member of the 13th Central Party Committee who had previously held many important positions with plenty of leadership experience, will lead the Government in facing future challenges in order to successfully fulfill the strategic goals set for the next five years, according to the article.

Elsewhere, online broadcaster Homeland (Eldyar) reported on the nation electing new leaders, therefore increasing the prospects of future trade exchanges with Egypt rising to US$1 billion.

The election of both the State President and the Prime Minister by the Vietnamese National Assembly took place with a high rate of approval votes.

This will therefore serve to further promote Vietnamese foreign relations, including forging strong bilateral ties, with a target of trade exchanges exceeding US$1 billion. The article stated the publication’s belief that the new Vietnamese PM will be able to devise economic policies aimed towards the Middle East and Africa, including Egypt.

Meanwhile, many other Arabic-language newspapers based in Egypt, such as the Constitution (Dostor), Today’s Public (algomhorianow), and National Resonance (Sadaelomma), also widely covered the recent election results of the new high-ranking Vietnamese leadership.

Brunei kicks off COVID-19 national vaccination program

April 4, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

According to Brunei’s Ministry of Health, a total of 754 people received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine injection on Saturday, including Haji Awang Mohammad Isham, Minister of Health, who received his jab of Sinopharm vaccine at the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital (RIPAS), the country’s biggest public hospital with dozens of other recipients.

“We need to work together to ensure that we protect the whole country with vaccines against the COVID-19,” the minister told Xinhua.

“Everyone in the country should play their part, which means everyone eligible for the vaccines should get vaccinated,” he added, saying his ministry deployed Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines for the first day of the national vaccination program in the country.

The COVID-19 vaccine is free for citizens and people residing in Brunei who are 18 years old and above. In the first phase, vaccine shots will be given to around 2,000 local frontliners, including health facility staff, uniformed personnel from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Police Force, as well as those involved in quarantines and immigration post control affairs.

According to the phases outlined in Brunei’s COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy, COVID-19 vaccine injections will be given to frontliners for the first phase and subsequently will be extended to other groups.

“We are confident of the vaccines and it’s our responsibility to get vaccinated to help achieve herd immunity in Brunei,” Hajah Zanatul Aini Haji Zainin, a RIPAS pharmacist, told Xinhua after she received her jab.

Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine injection at the royal palace Istana Nurul Iman on Thursday. After the first dose injection, the Sultan has consented for the rolling-out of the national vaccination program.

According to Brunei’s Ministry of Health, vaccination is the most effective measure to break the COVID-19 transmission chain. In the mid and long term, the more people receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, the higher the people’s immunity against COVID-19, and in turn reduce the effects of coronavirus towards public health.

Brunei reported one new imported case of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the national tally to 214.

With the detection of this case, a total of 73 imported cases have been confirmed since the last local infection case on May 6, 2020. Brunei has recorded 332 days without local COVID-19 infection cases.

Brunei also reported two more recoveries from the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday, with only 14 active cases remaining.

There have been three deaths and 197 recovered patients reported from COVID-19 so far in Brunei.