His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Muizzaddien Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-pertuan of Brunei Darussalam Tuesday consented to present credentials to two Brunei envoys and receive letters of appointment from three new foreign diplomats of friendly nations. The ceremony took place Tuesday afternoon at Istana Nurul Iman.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-pertuan of Brunei Darussalam first consented to present the credential to the newly appointed High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam to Canada, Her Excellency Magdelene Teo Chee Siong. Her Excellency Magdelene Teo Chee Siong, is 49 years old and was previously the Deputy High Commissioner in London from August 2003 to March 2005.

His Majesty then consented to present the credential to the newly-appointed Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to Thailand, His Excellency Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Sharifuddin bin Pengiran Haji Yusof. His Excellency, who is 56 years old, started his career with His Majesty's Government in 1977.

His Majesty next consented to receive the letter of appointment of the newly-appointed Ambassador of the Great Socialist People's Libya Arab Jamahiriya to Brunei Darussalam, His Excellency Doctor Ahmed Ali Hanesh. The 63-year-old ambassador is also his country's ambassador to Malaysia since 2002 and is based in Kuala Lumpur.

His Majesty then consented to receive the letter of appointment of the newly-appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey, His Excellency M. Barlas Ozener. His Excellency is 60 years old and was a former member of the political advisory group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2002. His Excellency is also based in Kuala Lumpur.

Also presenting his letter of appointment before His Majesty was the newly-appointed non-resident High Commissioner of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Brunei Darussalam, His Excellency Doctor Wahab Olasseinde Dosunmu. His Excellency is 66 years old and was a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing Lagos West Senatorial District from 1999 to 2003. His Excellency is also based in Kuala Lumpur.

His Majesty then consented to grant separate audiences to the newly-appointed Brunei diplomats and the three newly-appointed foreign envoys. Present were His Majesty's Special Adviser at the Prime Minister's Office and the Minister of Home Affairs, Pehin Dato Haji Awang Isa, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pehin Dato Haji Awang Mohd Ali and the Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, Pehin Dato Awang Haji Yahya.

His Royal Highness Prince Mohamad Bolkiah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has consented to grant separate audiences to three newly appointed foreign envoys to Brunei Darussalam. The audiences took place at the Balai Penghadapan Bukit Kayangan.

His Royal Highness first granted an audience to the Ambassador of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, His Excellency Doctor Ahmad Ali Hanesh.

His Royal Highness then received the Ambassador Republic of Turkey, His Excellency M. Barlas Ozener.

His Royal Highness next granted an audience to the High Commissioner of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Doctor Wahab Olasseinde Dosunmu. During the audiences, His Royal Highness welcomed the new envoys and discussed bilateral matters. The newly appointed envoys are all non-resident and are currently based in Kuala Lumpur.

E-commerce has grown rapidly over the last decade and continues to move at a fast rate; businesses have expanded and have more sophisticated needs, giving rise to more business opportunities and commercial benefits. The Minister of Communications, Pehin Dato Awang Haji Zakaria, said this while launching HSBCnet Tuesday afternoon.

HSBCnet is a range of products and services that encompass the bank corporate, investment banking and markets business, delivering tailored financial solutions to the user via the internet. It provides access to HSBC sourced information and when appropriate, will provide the ability to execute certain tasks such as manage the customer's liquidity across the world.

Statistics from the Scholarship Section of the Ministry of Education show that Bruneian students currently studying in the UK, on scholarship or self-financed, outnumber those from other countries. However, a recent trend shows that private students are opting for further studies elsewhere, due to increasing costs of studying and living in the UK. The Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Pengiran Datin Paduka Hajjah Mariam spoke while officiating the 9th annual Education UK Exhibition 2005 at Centrepoint Tuesday morning.

Among those who attended the exhibition were the British High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr. Andrew Caie and the Director of British Council in Kuala Lumpur, Mr. Gerry Liston, as well as Senior Education and Government Officials. Currently there are some 750 Bruneian students studying in British universities. There are also substantial numbers of Bruneian students studying in schools and colleges in the UK, preparing to go to university. Brunei students considering overseas options or applying for courses in the UK this year, will find the Education UK Exhibition 2005 informative.

Nineteen UK institutions including colleges, universities and one company offering employment opportunities, as well as 5 local education organisations delivering English Language and local associations attended the exhibition. Held Tuesday at the Ballroom Centrepoint Hotel from 10 a.m to 6:30 p.m, the aim of the exhibition is to assist Bruneians to reach their career goals and make a difference by contributing to the development of Brunei throughout their career.

The academic year in Britain starts in September this year and applications are currently open for undergraduate, postgraduate and pre-degree programmes. Applicants can apply directly to the institutions at this event with follow up for undergraduate applications through UCAS. The exhibition provides opportunities for Bruneians to connect with the creativity and innovation of the UK's education programmes through study in the UK.

When choosing employment, students and other jobseekers should take into consideration the demands of the job market as well as their academic qualifications and skill levels. They should also be well informed in order to dispel any misconception about a particular career.
In this regard, a three-day career exhibition which opened Monday, is aimed at informing students about career options available in the public and private sectors. Nearly 40 participants are taking part in the exhibition from the public and private sector.
The exhibition also aims at giving parents and students an opportunity to interact and gain information on specific jobs. A number of booths have professional members to talk to students and jobseekers, to share their own experiences and answer any questions students may have. A few booths also offer walk-in interviews for jobseekers.

The Ministry of Education's Career Resource Centre is also opening its doors to school-leavers and jobseekers. The Career Resource Centre has helped nearly 400 people since it was opened in November 2003.
Uniformed Organisations, such as the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and the Fire Services Department are also taking part in the exhibition.
Educational institutions are also present at the exhibition, to inform students on future courses.
The exhibition which is being held at the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation building in the capital will end today, opening from half past eight in the morning until half past four in the afternoon.

A number of initiatives have been taken to promote knowledge and understanding on Fardhu Ain or individual religious obligations among the country's converts. Tuesday, 60 converts from Mukim Rambai attended a course to refine their knowledge of Fardhu Ain.
The Head of Tutong Dakwah Unit, Awang Haji Abas bin Haji Tuah said the course was aimed at encouraging and strengthening their determination towards enhancing the quality of the knowledge that they already possess, so that they will become more successful in facing the constant challenges of life.

Tuesday morning, the converts heard a working paper entitled 'Verses in Prayers' which was delivered by the Imam of Kampung Sinaut, Haji Masri bin Haji Mohamad. The working paper gives an insight on the importance of praying daily and performing them in the proper manner. The organisers hoped that the participants could benefit and practise all the knowledge gained. The course was conducted at the Kampung Benutan Mosque in Tutong District. Since 1997, around 235 people in Mukim Rambai have embraced Islam.

The Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy 2005 saw two matches in Group ‘A’ played Tuesday afternoon.
At the Berakas Sports Complex, the match between Thailand and Philippines ended in a scoreless draw.
Similarly, no goal was scored in a match between Indonesia and Vietnam. The match took place at the track and field of the Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex.
Today only one match in Group ‘B’ will be played. Brunei Darussalam will meet Myanmar at the Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah sports complex in Berakas. The match will kick off at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
Thailand jumped to the top of the Group ‘A’ table with four points after two matches. Malaysia - who did not play Tuesday afternoon - dropped to the second place with three points. Indonesia is in third place with one point after playing one match, while Vietnam and the Philippines are fourth and fifth respectively with one point after playing two matches.