October 15, 2021 - Page 2 of 2 - Brunei News Gazette

October 15, 2021October 16, 2021

29 Violations Recorded

According to the Minister of Health, the enforcement agencies monitoring carried out during the out-of-house restriction period from 8 last night to 4 in the morning saw 29 violations of the directive issued with compound fines nationwide, including 22 violations of the out-of-house restriction.

Taking into account the decreasing number of people conducting swab test at the Sports Complex Swab Centre, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital after 8 at night, especially after the commencement of ‘Operasi Pulih’, the Ministry of Health has reviewed the daily operating hours. The Swab Centre will be open from 8 in the morning to 8 at night, effective on the 16th of October 2021.

Source: Radio Television Brunei

October 15, 2021October 16, 2021

4th G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting

ASEAN Member States’ efforts in working together to ensure stable recovery, whereby initiatives are guided by the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework that cuts across cooperation in multi-faceted areas such as finance, trade and health were highlighted by Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy for Fiscal at the 4th G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, FMCBG Meeting. The Meeting, held in a hybrid approach, was co-chaired by Daniele Franco, Italian Minister of Economy and Finance, and Ignazio Visco, the Governor of the Bank of Italy.

The Ministers and Governors exchanged views on global economy, global commons and support to vulnerable countries, financial sector issues and international taxation. Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Ahmaddin bin Haji Abd Rahman also shared the view that recovery hinges on the global roll-out of the vaccines.

Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Ahmaddin then emphasised that, as international collaboration continues to ensure equitable, and affordable access of vaccines to all, it is imperative to also review possible actions that increase preparedness and resilience against future pandemics.

Source: Radio Television Brunei

October 15, 2021October 16, 2021

6,519 Receive Vaccine on 14 October 2021

The Minister of Health in the media conference also shared that on the 14th of October 2021, 6,519 individuals have received the COVID-19 vaccine injection.

This means that, under the National Vaccination Programme for COVID-19, 339,667 individuals have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is 74.9 per cent of the total population. Meanwhile, 224,028 individuals have completed the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is 49.4 per cent of the total population.

The Ministry of Health informed that the Ministry is organising the administration of a third dose for certain groups that have been identified as frontliners. This is as an additional protective measure for those at high risk of COVID-19 infection. The administration of the third dose will be implemented in phases. Therefore, anyone who has received a second dose in May 2021 will be given an appointment to get a third dose. Those who have been identified will be notified via SMS to the mobile phone number registered in their respective BruHIMS system.

Source: Radio Television Brunei

October 15, 2021October 16, 2021

Russia Tries to Boost Asia Ties to Counter Indo-Pacific Alliances

PHNOM PENH —

Russia is attempting to expand its influence in Southeast Asia through meetings and plans with Association of Southeast Asian Nations members, say analysts, but appears not to have the military or financial power to become a larger player in the region.

The effort includes Russian adoption of a five-year roadmap focused on trade and investment cooperation, the digital economy and sustainable development with the 10 ASEAN members.

Meanwhile, at the Sixth Eastern Economic Forum held last month in Vladivostok, Vietnam offered itself as a bridge to connect ASEAN to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union – an economic grouping including Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — with analysts forecasting Moscow would seek to shore up regional political ties in response to diplomatic shifts in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Russia wants to be seen as a global power for its own domestic audience,” said Bradley Murg, of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace.

“It wants to be seen as not just as a regional entity, and Southeast Asia is a relatively easy way to enter,” he said, adding that access to the Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine and the opening of trade corridors through China’s Belt and Road Initiative were providing additional incentives for Southeast Asian countries to improve ties with Russia.

“With the expansion of infrastructure, the expansion of Belt and Road and the connections to Southeast Asia to Central Asia to Europe through the Silk Road initiative, and as that’s connected to the economic corridors in Southeast Asia, there are arguments for increased trade,” Murg said.

Likes and dislikes

Another analyst said Russia was “privately outraged” by the AUKUS naval alliance – forged by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States – and the rise of the Quad, which comprises Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Both were designed to counter Chinese influence.

“One of the most fashionable trends today is the so-called Indo-Pacific strategies that are invented by the United States,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the recent 29th Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, a Moscow-based organization of high-level officials, executives and academics.

“All of this follows the line of eroding the universal formats in the Asia-Pacific region which existed for the past decades under the auspices of ASEAN,” he said.

His criticisms were delivered as the Russian government news agency Tass reported a detachment of ships and submarines had sailed into the Indian Ocean en route to a permanent deployment as part of Russia’s Pacific Fleet.

Lavrov also found support in Malaysia, where Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told parliament that AUKUS “could also provoke other powers to act more aggressively in this region, particularly the South China Sea.”

Hussein said the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for Brunei next month was expected to strengthen regional defense cooperation in light of AUKUS, but analysts were unconvinced Russia has the firepower, money or trade deals to give it any influence in the region outside of Myanmar and Vietnam.

“Russia sees itself as a great power,” said Ian Storey, with the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

He said Russia dominates the Eurasian Economic Union and has “strong influence and significant vested interests” in multi-national groups like the Arctic Council, a Norway-based intergovernmental organization aimed at promoting Arctic cooperation; BRICS – the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa; and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a multilateral security and development organization including China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

“It wants a seat at the table, it sees that as its birthright, it’s a sense of entitlement but it doesn’t like multilateral institutions unless it has an overwhelming influence in them,” Storey said, adding Moscow did not have that kind of “strong influence” in ASEAN or the East Asia Summit.

Hype versus reality

Russia’s traditional influence in ASEAN is limited to weapons sales to Myanmar and Vietnam and, as Murg said, “Vietnam has made clear it cooperates with Russia in a way it does not with any other state” – a legacy of their close ties during the Cold War.

Those sentiments were echoed by Storey, who noted Russia was a “very transactional player,” and that other countries, such as Britain, have much greater interests in Southeast Asia than does Russia.

For example, bilateral trade between Russia and ASEAN before the COVID pandemic was about $20 billion a year, while the bloc’s 2019 trade with Britain was $52 billion and it was $93 billion with Australia, $362 billion with the United States, and $644 billion with China.

“It’s a player in the region but it’s not a major player,” Storey said.

“Their military presence is paper thin. You know their closest partner is Vietnam and they haven’t actually conducted a military exercise with Vietnam, or maybe one, and that’s extraordinary for two countries that have had defense ties for decades,” he said.

That “maybe one” exercise was a reference to a 2019 joint training drill involving a single vessel designed to rescue distressed submarines. However, Russia has held joint military exercises with Laos in its far east Primorsky territory.

Murg also said that Russia remains too close to China to be considered an independent player in Southeast Asia, but on the economic front Singapore and Vietnam free trade agreements with the Eurasian Economic Union could provide prospects for future economic growth.

“But Russian investors have been relatively cautious,” Murg said.

“With Russia it’s yet again wonderful photo-ops, more meetings, more declarations of pathways to the future and that’s about it,” he said.

Source: Voice of America

October 15, 2021

AP Content Services expands in Asia

AP Content Services, the content marketing and advertising arm of The Associated Press, today announced that it will expand its services for clients in Asia.

This screen grab shows the AP Content Services homepage. (AP Photo)

Source: AP Images

TOKYO, Oct. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AP Content Services works with brands and advertisers worldwide to create and distribute authentic, impactful and informative content in video, text and photos through the AP distribution network.

Clients can distribute paid-for content on the AP wire, APNews.com and the AP News app and AP Content Services-created content via AP-branded social media accounts.

AP Content Services is separate from the editorial operations of the AP newsroom and the content created does not involve AP editorial staff.

“We are pleased to expand our AP Content Services offerings for our clients in Asia,” said AP Content Services Asia Sales Manager Chie Tsuda, based in Tokyo. “Our Asia clients can reach audiences all over the world through AP’s vast distribution network.”

Tsuda oversees AP Content Services. A 13-year veteran of AP, she has led several projects in Japan including:

Custom videos highlighting Osaka prior to the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit, including an introduction to Osaka, a focused spotlight on business in the region and a dive into iPS cell research conducted at Kyoto University.
Custom video, native advertising and social media posts spotlighting karate, historic landmarks and regional iconography to promote the Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau to international audiences.

About AP

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. Online: www.ap.org

Contact

Patrick Maks
Media Relations Manager
The Associated Press
+1-212-621-7536
pmaks@ap.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7abce19f-e484-41b6-b24c-78dcd1007637

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.

October 15, 2021

Break in Case of Arts Emergency

Major Arts Institutions Come Together in Support as Giant ‘Break in Case of Arts Emergency’ Boxes Appear Across the UK to Highlight the Growing Arts Crisis for Young People and UK Culture

Arts Emergency’s ‘Break in Case of Arts Emergency’ Box Aims to Highlight the Inequalities in the Creative and Cultural Industries

Class, ethnicity and disability are still major barriers to young people gaining entry to the creative industries, and the pandemic has heightened gaping inequalities in the creative pipeline. Given the last year, the term “Arts Emergency” has never been more true, nor more urgent:

Just 16% of people in the Creative industries are from a working-class background¹
Only 4.8% of people working in music, the visual & performing arts are Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background² and just 12% of those are from a working-class background³
40% of people working in media attended private school⁴
2.7% of people working in museums, galleries and libraries are Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background⁵
16% of people in film and TV come from working-class backgrounds⁶, and only 9% of those in film, radio and TV are Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background⁷

“We have a responsibility to call out the lack of representation within the cultural and creative industries and to help level the playing field for people in the UK.” – Yomi Adegoke, Slay in Your Lane

LONDON, Oct. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Celebrities, Arts organisations, creative companies and universities around the UK have today joined forces as part of a campaign that calls on those working in culture to help open the doors for marginalised young people struggling to break into the Arts.

Celebrities including Jack Dee, Katy Brand, Michael Sheen, Neil Gaiman, Jenny Eclair and Chris Addison have joined an the #BreakTheGlass online campaign calling on those working in culture to help open the doors for marginalised young people struggling to break into the Arts.

The comedians and actors were amongst hundreds of those sharing the names of the people who helped them to make their breakthrough and encourages their followers to sign up to share their time or donate to Arts Emergency, the award-winning mentoring charity and support Network, and open the door to young Talent – just £10 a month can support a young person’s place on the scheme from 16 to 25 years of age.

A giant ‘Break in Case of Arts Emergency’ box featuring devastating statistics on the state of the UK creative workforce was placed outside venues around the UK to raise awareness of the barriers that young people face in joining the Arts, and the disastrous impact losing a generation of young talent will have on UK culture.

This campaign was created by Arts Emergency, the award-winning mentoring charity and support Network. The box also displays examples of creative work from Arts Emergency’s young people, Jannell Adufo, Maïs Bouteldja, Helen Hale, Gwent Odai and Sam Oddie, showcasing some of the incredible raw talents which are at risk of being excluded from the arts. The accompanying text calls for viewers to help ‘break the glass’ by joining the Network.

The box launched at the Museum of London, where the young people unveiled their work before arriving at its new home in Liverpool at the World Museum in time for National Museums Liverpool’s official 2022 launch event.

Organisations lending their support to the campaign include The BFI (British Film Institute), University of the Arts London, ATC Management and ATC Live, the Eden Project, Framestore and Company 3, Get Up, Stand Up – The Bob Marley Musical, Avalon and The Agency, Rankin, Whitworth Gallery, FACT Liverpool, Ian Pons Jewell, Vertigo Releasing, Powster, DawBell, TAKEOFF, Sarah Wigglesworth Associates, Strawberries and Creem and FCB Inferno. The activation is also being supported and shared by Linkedin.

Several of the organisations that have signed up to support are also opening their doors in practical ways to the young people Arts Emergency work with. These include promoting the charity’s action sheet on supporting young people and good working practices, virtual open days to understand the various roles available in advertising plus three paid summer internships with FCB Inferno, artist workshops to showcase the music ecosystem and range of behind-the-scenes roles available from ATC Management and ATC Live, and four paid traineeships with ‘Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical’. Avalon and the Agency offer mentorship opportunities, three paid internships each year and actively recruit for full-time staff from the charity.

“Our future cultural landscape is in danger of being populated exclusively by the children of the wealthy and well-connected. I love Arts Emergency because it works to bridge this gap. To create the opportunities that have been taken away for the non-wealthy.” – Julie Hesmondhalgh, actress: Coronation Street, Happy Valley, Broadchurch

Arts Emergency began life as a small mentoring project in Hackney set up by comedian Josie Long and activist Neil Griffiths to help young people affected by austerity and rising tuition fees. Arts Emergency has since grown into a charity with bases across the UK and a community of thousands of volunteers, supporting young people aged 16-25 in most need of the support of a mentor. This includes young people from working-class backgrounds, disabled people, carers and young parents, refugees and asylum seekers, those in care and care leavers, people with learning disabilities or special educational needs, and people from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds.

The charity relies on individual donations and those already in the arts and humanities opening their networks and knowledge up to young people. Arts Emergency is now at a crucial turning point, and with increasing demand for its services, the organisation has set out a new vision to support 2,500 young people nationally by 2025.

The odds of getting into a creative job are significantly lower if you are Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background, from a working-class background, female, disabled or living outside of London and the South East. In fact, people from privileged backgrounds are four times more likely to land in a creative occupation, and the likelihood of someone from a working-class background finding work in a creative career has remained largely unchanged since 1980.⁸

In September, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Creative Diversity review showed that the creative economy is losing out by not representing the huge range of diverse talent that exists in the UK, particularly in senior decision-making roles and key creative professions. Arts Emergency exists to level the playing field and is calling on people who work in the creative industries to open the doors of their network for a new wave of cultural creators. The statistics shown in the campaign aren’t just a problem for underrepresented talent trying to get into the arts. It’s a problem for our culture as a whole.

The campaign was created pro bono by creative agency FCB Inferno, the agency behind work such as Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ and the Premier League’s ‘No Room for Racism’. The launch campaign includes press ads and a series of short social documentaries to support the launch, with creative industry names including poet Raymond Antrobus and artist Mark Leckey sharing how they broke into their profession, exploring their struggles along the way and encouraging audiences to help more young people find their way into the arts. The organisation’s youth collective is also launching a podcast, Crash Culture, in which they interview people, including writer Kit de Waal and researcher/activist Rianna Walcott about social justice and the cultural industries.

“We need to actively remove elitism and nepotism in our creative industries, and instead create diversity in race, gender, class and age. This isn’t needed just for fairness, but because it makes the work we create significantly better. At RANKIN, we say that we want to change the world, and it’s projects like Arts Emergency that really will change the creative one.” – Rankin

Katy Wright, Managing Director at FCB Inferno said: “Having worked alongside Arts Emergency for the past four years, we’ve seen first-hand the impact of their mentoring and support for marginalised young people most affected by rising tuition fees and cuts to the arts. For these young people to follow their passions and navigate their way into the creative and cultural sectors is a tough road. And for many, it seems impossible to follow. But if someone can open the door and show them the way in, it could mean a breakthrough that changes their lives forever.”

Neil Griffiths, Founder of Arts Emergency said: “No matter what you’ve achieved, someone at some time gave you a leg up, and Arts Emergency is thousands of people from across the cultural and creative industries doing just that for the next generation by donating money, time and contacts to help them get in and get on.”

https://arts-emergency.org

Notes to Editors

The National Gallery is not affiliated with the activation and has been chosen to act as a globally recognisable symbol of the UK arts industry.

Quotes from our supporters can be found here:
Supporter quotes
Young Talent art and bios

ABOUT ARTS EMERGENCY

Arts Emergency is an award-winning charity founded by comedian Josie Long and activist Neil Griffiths. Since 2013 they have provided expert mentors, guidance and opportunities to support underrepresented young people into higher education and creative careers.

Arts Emergency helps young people without connections follow their passions and navigate their way into the creative and cultural sectors. The charity provides 16-25-year-olds with a combined long-term programme of mentorship, networking and real-world opportunities. Young Talent only need to ask and they can deliver. Whether it’s a paid internship, CV advice or audition coaching, our volunteers will step up to help. Their support Network is made up of over 7,000 cultural professionals who’ve offered to share crucial gateways into hard to crack industries like TV, publishing and architecture.

Arts Emergency supports young people aged 16-25 who most need the support of a mentor. This includes those from working-class backgrounds, disabled people, carers and young parents, refugees and asylum seekers, those in care and care leavers, people with learning disabilities or special educational needs, and people from Black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds.

Network members bring a wealth of experience across the fields of TV, film, music, art, fashion, academia, journalism, publishing, design, and theatre. High profile supporters include fashion historian and BBC presenter Amber Butchart, comedian and actor Julie Hesmondhalgh, author and journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge, musician Kae Tempest, writer Neil Gaiman and comedians Nish Kumar, Stewart Lee and Sara Pascoe.

https://arts-emergency.org

FCB INFERNO

FCB Inferno, based in London, is one of the world’s leading creative agencies and works with a diverse mix of both local and global clients.

We create ideas that drive business today and build brands of tomorrow. Ideas that endure and are Never Finished. The work we do is both highly commercial and purpose-driven for some of the world’s most iconic brands, including creating the acclaimed ‘This Girl Can’ campaign for Sport England.

Our creativity and effectiveness have been recognised at numerous global award shows for solving clients’ business problems in innovative ways. This includes multiple Grands Prix at Cannes, D&AD White and Yellow pencils and even a BAFTA nomination.

We are part of the FCB Network with over 8000 employees across 80 countries. FCB was named Global Agency Network of the Year by Adweek 2020 and Network of The Year at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity in 2021. We were also awarded the inaugural One Show Fusion Pencil for diversity and inclusion, the Good Report’s #1 campaign and Network, and a Grand Prix in e-commerce at Cannes – and we’re just getting started.

Contact:
CC Clark
cc.clark@fcbinferno.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8b151a3d-e977-4a90-8353-a13e23b833d1

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¹ https://www.pec.ac.uk/assets/publications/PEC-report-class-in-the-creative-industries-FINAL.pdf
²https://createlondon.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Panic-Social-Class-Taste-and-Inequalities-in-the-Creative-Industries1.pdf
³ https://www.pec.ac.uk/assets/publications/PEC-report-class-in-the-creative-industries-FINAL.pdf
⁴ https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/elitistt-britain-2019
⁵https://createlondon.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Panic-Social-Class-Taste-and-Inequalities-in-the-Creative-Industries1.pdf
⁶ https://www.pec.ac.uk/assets/publications/PEC-report-class-in-the-creative-industries-FINAL.pdf
⁷ Orian Brook, Dave O’Brien and Mark Taylor, Culture is bad for you. Inequality in the cultural and creative industries, 2020. (p.61)
⁸ https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/7njy3/ & https://createlondon.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Panic-Social-Class-Taste-and-Inequalities-in-the-Creative-Industries1.pdf