Stories by Ain Bandial on The Scoop

Ain Bandial

Ain is co-founder and editor of The Scoop. She previously worked as a journalist for The Brunei Times covering diplomacy and security in Southeast Asia, as well as national issues related to the economy, trade and gender inequality. Ain’s work has also appeared in Reuters, AFP, The Jakarta Post, The Straits Times, among others.

MoH: AstraZeneca suspension out of ‘abundance of caution’ Decision on whether to resume use of the Oxford vaccine is expected in a few days

April 9, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Ministry of Health (MoH) said the decision to halt the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was done out…

COVID-19: Gov’t halts AstraZeneca rollout pending review Ministry of Health says 'temporary pause' is a precautionary measure after blood clots reported in other countries

April 7, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Just four days after the government kicked off its nationwide inoculation campaign, the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced Tuesday…

COVID-19 jab ‘most likely’ required for international travel The government is considering relaxing quarantine rules for fully vaccinated travellers

April 3, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The government will “most likely” make it mandatory for Bruneians to be fully vaccinated before they can travel abroad,…

COVID-19: Brunei to begin mass vaccination on April 3 Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm will be rolled out in first phase of inoculations

April 2, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Brunei will begin Phase 1 of its COVID-19 vaccination programme this Saturday, the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced during…

‘More women needed in LegCo’ LegCo member calls for more female representation in parliament, hopes for first female cabinet minister

March 26, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – More opportunities should be given for women to lead in the political and government spheres, a Legislative Council (LegCo)…

LegCo passes budget of $5.86 billion for FY 2021/22 Low oil prices and the impact of the pandemic continue to weigh heavily on gov't fiscal position

March 26, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Legislative Council (LegCo) has approved a government budget of $5.86 billion for the 2021/2022 financial year after 11…

RB pledges to boost female representation in senior roles by 25% The airline joins a global initiative to promote gender parity in the aviation industry

March 25, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – National carrier Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) has signed on to a global initiative to increase gender balance in the…

Gov’t says it will address sexual harassment in the workplace, but women’s groups call for new laws Mandatory training, clear reporting mechanisms and a nationwide study are among recommendations from civil society

March 19, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said it is preparing guidelines to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, after a Legislative…

‘All workplaces need zero tolerance policy towards sexual harassment’ LegCo member says no meaningful action has been taken to address sexual harassment

March 18, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Government and private sectors need to do more to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, a Legislative Council (LegCo)…

Unemployment rate drops to 4.2% MPEC initiatives have reduced number of jobseekers, says minister

March 17, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Brunei’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.2 percent in 2020, according to preliminary data. The latest figures show a steady…