Earlier in the Friday afternoon, the Brunei’s monarch and the Jordanian king attended the mass Friday prayer at the Jame Asr’ Hassanil Bolkiah in Kiarong. His Majesty King Abdullah the Second was greeted upon arrival by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

The spirit of volunteering and strong cooperation in the participation of the entire mass gathering of the 22nd National Day Celebration showed that the country has a community that practises the traditional cooperation and spirit of loving the nation. This was disclosed by the Minister of Culture Youth and Sports at the Appreciation Night in conjunction with Brunei Darussalam’s 22nd National Day Celebration.

The Ministry of Education will continue to provide opportunities for higher education to those with appropriate qualifications and experience in its vision to further educate the young generation through the implementation and improvement of quality balanced system of education in line with the nation’s development.

Depleting natural resources due to forest clearance, deteriorating water quality and fisheries resources were some of the environmental issues faced at the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project in Sabah, Malaysia.

The matter was highlighted in a special presentation during the closing of the 4th Borneo Global Issues Conference Friday. The Director of the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project Doctor Isabelle Lackman - Ancrenaz further said other factors like the increasing wildlife conflicts and villagers facing economic insecurity also contributed to the environmental issues in lower Kinabatangan, east coast of Sabah. She added at present there are about eleven thousand orangutans in Sabah.

However despite the good figure, the number has declined over the past 35 years. Meanwhile the Managing Director of Red Ape Encounters and Adventures, Awang Sahdin Lias in his presentation among others talked about environmental issues, orangutan conservation and local community development. Red Ape Encounters is the 1st on-going local community-based ecotourism project in Malaysia. Part of its objective is to educate local communities and to involve them in conservation work as well as to generate revenues for the ecotourism funds through tourists and researchers conducting study-visit on sites there.

The function highlighted with the presentation of the ISB Conservation Award to Doctor Isabelle Lackman - Ancrenaz, by the Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Dato Paduka Haji Hamdillah.  The award acknowledges the efforts and commitment of the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation project. Mr Sahdin Lias also received a special award in the form of a cheque from ISB for the purchase of 100 trees for a replanting project being conducted at the Red Ape Encounters. This morning’s function took place at the International Convention Centre in Berakas.

The on-going 2006 Brunei Book Fair being held at the indoor stadium in Berakas since the 25th of last month receives encouraging response from the public in particular students. For some, this is best time to browse and buy suitable reading materials at wider choices with the bonus of up to 70 percent discount in prices.

Eighty five booths representing various local and foreign distributors, dealers, publishers, and illustrators are involved in the fair. Apart from academic and leisure reading materials the fair also showcases a wide variety of Islamic religious books and visual learning materials. One such example is an Al Quran where parts of the verses were printed in different colour codes with its definition alongside the pages.

This is to indicate to the readers of the correct pronounciation or “tajwid”.   It is hoped that the event will instill a sense of appreciation among the general public regarding books and other reading materials and at the same time cultivating the reading culture from the early age in upgrading the level of reading awareness in the country. The book fair is opened from half past eight in the morning until ten in the evening daily. The fair will end on the 6th of this month.

Since the introduction of the Pusat Ehsan’s Teachers Salary Adoption Scheme early this year, the centre has received support from various concern parties to shoulder together responsibilities to the special children and adults in the country. To date the centre has received two sponsors for the scheme.

Friday morning a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the centre and the Caring Group of Pusat Ehsan. The groups comprising forty people from various communities agree to sponsor four hundred dollars a month for the months of March to December 2006. The centre has sixteen teaching workforce and with this third sponsorship, three teachers are sponsored their salaries.