Top Story: IP protection progress to attract more investments
Brunei’s latest major progress in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection will help set itself in a better position as an attractive investment destination and towards fostering more innovation among local businesses, said a US envoy to Brunei. The US Ambassador to Brunei His Excellency Daniel Shields said, with Brunei's recent removal from the Special 301 Report Watchlist, the Sultanate is becoming a more attractive destination for American and other foreign investors, and that Bruneian inventors and entrepreneurs are enjoying more protection than ever for their inventions and innovations.
HIGHLIGHTS:
16 economies to kick off Asian FTA negotiations Thursday: Meeting for five days, Japan, the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand will begin discussing reducing or abolishing tariffs and other barriers to expand trade and investment in the region, aiming to conclude talks by the end of 2015. At the first round of the talks, the member countries are scheduled to set up working teams for trade, services and investment.
Sultan to visit Japan on May 12-17 | Global post, May 8
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei will visit Japan on May 12 to 17, with plans to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next Monday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. During the meeting, the two leaders are expected to discuss strengthening ties between Japan and Brunei, a country rich in natural gas that is chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year.
ASEAN urged to open up ICT mart | Brunei Times, May 2
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries are urged to work towards an open and fair market in the region's information and communications technology (ICT) industry in order to give room for innovative growth and support foreign investment. In a list of recommendations, the ASEAN-European Union (EU) Business Summit 2013 position paper called for ASEAN to take steps to ensure equal treatment, free movement of skills, internet freedom, data protection and the set up of an independent regulatory body.
ASEAN integration to spur Brunei dev't | Brunei Times, April 30
The regional integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2015 could act as a catalyst to spur the development of Brunei's non-oil sector and help the sultanate diversify its economy, an economic expert said recently. Paulius Kuncinas, the regional editor for Asia at the Oxford Business Group (OBG), said that Brunei will gain a lot from the integration of the 10-member regional grouping "because it's very well located, it has excellent infrastructure and until recently, didn't have the need to export or trade outside the oil and gas sector".
Poor infrastructure blamed for farming losses | Brunei Times, May 3
Farms with poor planning and lack of proper infrastructure will continue to incur huge losses, which will subsequently affect the self-sufficiency target outlined by Vision 2035 and farmers' morale. On a sideline interview during a briefing on agriculture and agrifood for National Food Security at the Belait District Office yesterday, manager of Canang Citra Event Management Services, Hj Zaini Hj Munir, said that recurring problems, such as irrigation issues, would stifle efforts by farmers to help achieve the ideal output, thus demotivating them.
More needs to be done to loosen NCDs death grip | Borneo Post, May 4
Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) is the Number 1 killer in the world, accounting for over 63 per cent of all annual deaths, and the NCD burden is expected to increase by 17 per cent over the next 10 years, Borneo Bulletin reported. Brunei is no exception when it comes to facing the increasing NCD burden (such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer) triggered by poor lifestyle habits.
Brunei non-oil and gas sector grew 4% in 2012 | Brunei Times, May 7
Brunei saw a four per cent increase from its non-oil and gas sectors, contributing to a 0.9 per cent growth in the Sultanate's GDP (gross domestic product) at "constant price" in 2012. This was indicated in the latest quarterly GDP report by the Department of Economic Planning and Development (JPKE) yesterday.