His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed Bolkiah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has left Cebu, Philippines after attending the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat.At the retreat, the ten ASEAN Foreign Ministers discussed concrete policy programs and cooperative endeavors to confront regional challenges and ensure ASEAN remains a major player in East Asia.

His Royal Highness and fellow ASEAN Foreign Ministers also exchanged views on current ASEAN affairs and assessed the progress of ASEAN's programmes.

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah, the President of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council has consented to attend a dinner hosted by Brunei Darussalam's Consul General in honour of

Brunei athletes taking part in the First Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia. His Royal Highness was greeted on arrival by the Consul General in Jeddah, Pengiran Haji Jabaruddin bin Pengiran Haji Mohamad Salleh and officials of the Brunei Consulate who are currently in Makkah and Jeddah.

Accompanying His Royal Highness was the Chef De Mission of Brunei Darussalam's contingent, Awang Jaafar bin Bangkol. The dinner was held at a leading restaurant in Jeddah. The Brunei athletes are currently spread out in three venues of competition namely Makkah, Madinah and Taif.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs gives a priority to the quality of Quran reading among mosque officials especially imam and bilal in mosques and religious halls in the country. Towards this, the minister of Religious Affairs, Pehin Dato Seri Utama Doktor Ustaz Haji Awang Mohd Zain, yesterday took a closer look at a workshop on refining Quran reading among imam and bilal.

It was held at the Mohd Salleh main mosque in Bangar Town, Temburong district. In another separate ceremony at the Temburong district Dakwah Unit, the minister presented water tanks contribution from the Islamic Dakwah Centre to 8 families of new converts in the district. The recipients included 6 families from Kampung Selapon, a family from Kampung Batang Duri and another family

from Kampung Selangan. Each tank has 1,800 cubic litre capacity. The contribution was to provide basic necessities for the families.

The creative and innovative usages of science and technology will help to increase and diversify the country's economy through human resources development. In this context, five secondary schools from throughout the country have been selected to participate in the Princess Rashidah Young Nature Scientist Award 8 or PRYNSA 8.

The five schools were selected from a pool of 23 which had submitted entries to partake in the Awards Scheme. The schools selected are the Perdana Wazir Secondary School, the Sayyidina Hassan Secondary School, the Sultan Hassan Secondary School, the Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam Secondary School, and the Menglait Secondary School.

The Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sendirian Berhad has sponsored fifteen thousand dollars for the success of PRYNSA 8. The company has also allocated one thousand dollars to each school to help them carry out their research studies.

The presentation of the sponsorship was held yesterday at the Menglait Secondary School. The Perdana Wazir Secondary School will conduct a research on Heath Forest on the neglected Tulong Tree. The Sayyidina Hassan Secondary School will carry out a research on the Invasion of Exotic Plant focusing on Acacia Mangium in Berakas Forest Reserve.

Meanwhile, the Sultan Hassan Secondary School will carry out an investigation on Secondary Forest Succession at abandoned Quarry Mining Sites. The Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam Secondary School will be involved in a research on Lichens Species which is a good indicator of Air Pollution. The Menglait Secondary School will work on a project on the Distribution and Biodiversity of Small Moths at the Ulu Temburong Forest Reserve. The students will conduct their fieldwork during the school holidays.

A Thai woman, aged 44 years old was detained by the Preventive and Intelligent Unit of the Royal Customs and Excise for illegally possessing alcoholic drinks and non-halal meat. Eight personnel from the unit made the discovery after carrying out a raid on a store near her residence in Kampung Selayun at around midday yesterday.

They found a total of three hundred and eighty three bottles of white wine as well as ten cans of tiger beer. They also found ninety kilogrammes of pork meat, more than three hundred and seventy kilogrammes of 'ALLANA" meat and twenty three kilogrammes of chicken parts.

According to the custom officers, it is believed that the alcoholic drinks and non-halal meat were brought in from neighbouring countries. The goods were estimated to be worth of more than five thousand dollars. The raid was made following a tip-off from the public.