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.

COVID-19 vaccine will not be mandatory for kids Health ministry plans to roll out its vaccination programme for children aged 5-11 in the coming weeks

March 29, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The government will begin vaccinating children aged 5-11 following the arrival of new Pfizer vaccines last week, the health…

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Brunei troubled by military action in Ukraine Sultanate "condemns any violation of sovereignty", as Europe witnesses first major war in decades

February 28, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Brunei’s foreign ministry issued a statement Saturday expressing concern over the “escalation of tension and military action” in Ukraine,…

All public schools to get new computers as part of MoE’s digital revamp Education ministry tables budget of $583 million for upcoming fiscal year

February 28, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Ministry of Education will be replacing all computer devices in government primary and secondary schools as part of…

MinDef tables $597 million budget to support national security Minister highlights the RBAF's key role in Brunei's pandemic response

February 28, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Ministry of Defence tabled a $597.67 million budget for the 2022/23 fiscal year to support the modernisation of…

Foreign affairs ministry proposes $127 million budget Brunei's ratification of RCEP expected to boost trade and investments, says MFA

February 27, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allocated a budget of $127.52 million for the 2022/23 fiscal year, a 4.3…

Brunei hits new daily record of 2,988 cases as Omicron surge continues The country has reported more than 8,000 infections this week alone

February 18, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Brunei’s new coronavirus cases reached a record high today, far exceeding the level seen last year when the nation…

Brunei, Malaysia keen to establish vaccinated travel lane, but details to be worked out Senior officials to hash out SOP in order to restart air travel between KL and BSB

February 15, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Brunei and Malaysia have agreed in principle to establish a vaccinated travel lane (VTL) to help restart cross-border movement,…

As Brunei reports first local Omicron cases, MoH says ‘only matter of time’ until it becomes dominant variant The sultanate sees spike in COVID infections with 278 cases recorded in the past 3 days

February 2, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Ministry of Health (MoH) said it is “only a matter of time” until Omicron overtakes Delta as the…

Public celebrations for Chinese New Year can go ahead, but with crowd limits Only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to attend public events

January 11, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Public celebrations for the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 1, will be allowed within current COVID-19 guidelines,…

HM: Stick to COVID protocols as country enters endemic phase Brunei's sultan urges populace to stay vigilant as threat of Omicron looms

January 1, 2022

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – As Omicron threatens to upend global recovery, Brunei’s monarch urged citizens to follow the government’s COVID advice as the…