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THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, SABAH AND SARAWAK B$1.00 | RM3.50 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020 VOL.24 | NO.255
LIFESTYLE 13
E-learning: Parents on the right track
FEATURES 20
No market left unscrubbed
WORLD 25
Seoul plays down report on North
Korean leader’s health
HOME 6
83 roll sleeves up for blood drive
Number of cases
Number of deaths
Recovered cases
Brunei Darussalam
COVID-19 STATISTICS
As of 21 April 2020
138
1
116
Fadley Faisal
A policeman pleaded guilty in
the Magistrate’s Court yesterday
on charges of protecting a gam-
bling ring from being busted
but denied charges of bribing
a fellow policeman and giving
out loans.
The defendant, Sergeant 3795
Pengiran Ahmad bin Pengiran
Haji Zainal, 41, is an investigating
of‰icer at the Labi Police Station.
In January, he had informed
an occupant of a house, who was
holding a gambling den, about an
upcoming police raid.
On February 24, the defendant
metwithaLanceCorporal at thecar
park of Tamu Tudung Saji and gave
him a BND200 bribe as a reward in
providing informationonupcoming
police raids to gambling dens.
The defendant is claiming trial
towards the remaining charges.
The third charge alleges the
defendant of having bribed the
same colleague with BND50 for
the same purposes on March 5.
The defendant also denied four
other charges of having carried
out a moneylending business
without a licence, by lending out
BND1,000 each to four individuals
with a repayment scheme with
interest. Senior Magistrate Hajah
Azrimah binti Haji Abdul Rahman
convicted the defendant on the
charges he had pleaded guilty to,
and adjourned the case to May 6,
for trial dates to be ‰ixed on the
remaining charges.
The defendant is released on
bail of BND5,000 of two local
sureties with strict conditions.
DPP Shamshuddin bin Haji Ka-
maluddin prosecuted the case.
Izah Azahari
There are four major benchmarks
for crude oil globally - West Texas
Intermediate (WTI), Brent Blend,
Dubai Crude and Tapis Crude-, in
which WTI recently announced
that the United States’ (US) oil
prices fell as low as USD37.63
per barrel.
Minister at the Prime Minis-
ter’s Of‰ice and Minister of Fi-
nance and Economy II Dato Seri
Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin
Liew bin Abdullah explained
yesterday during a press confer-
ence that there is obviously an
oversupply situation following a
question on whether the recent
Brent Blend crude oil prices have
affected Brunei.
The minister added that trad-
ing for May cargo will be con-
tinued and trading for the June
cargo to begin today, noting that
the COVIDŸ19 pandemic is affect-
ing demand especially in the US,
BANGKOK (AP) — The market
forUnitedStates (US) crudewas
in turmoil yesterday, with one
contract trading below zero,
as investors worried about full
storage facilities and a collapse
in demand as the pandemic
leaves factories, automobiles
and airplanes idled.
The extreme volatility in
energymarkets highlighted in-
vestors’ broad concerns about
the duration of the coronavirus
outbreak and its impact on
the economy, weighing on ‰i-
nancial markets more broadly,
including stocks.
The US benchmark settled
at negative USD37.63 per
barrel on Monday - an unprec-
edented event in energy mar-
kets that re‰lects the fact that
storage facilities are strug-
gling to cope with the huge
and sudden plunge in global
demand, which is this month
forecast to hit its lowest since
the mid-90s.
Continue to Page 2
MANILA — President Rodrigo
Duterte will give a PHP10 mil-
lion reward to the person who
discovers a vaccine against
t h e c o r o n a v i r u s d i s e a s e
(COVIDŸ19), Philippine Presi-
dential residence Malacañang
said yesterday.
“First of all, since COVIDŸ19 is a
public enemy not only of the Phil-
ippines but of the whole world,
the president announces that he
will give a PHP10 million reward
to any Filipino who discovers a
vaccine against COVIDŸ19.”
Continue to Page 2
Policeman charged over ‘gambling ring’, denies bribery charges
STUDENTS RECEIVE
ICT DEVICES
The Ministry of Education (MoE) through the Department of
Schools distributed information and communications technology
(ICT) devices at a ceremony yesterday to support online learning
initiative for underprivileged students. PHOTO: BAHYIAH BAKIR
(Full story on Page 2)
Brunei will continue
oil production
Duterte offers
PHP10M reward
to any Filipino
who discovers
COVID-19 vaccine
which will have implications on
other benchmarks. “Production
will be continued in Brunei and
I’ve had a discussion with Bru-
nei Shell Petroleum Co Sdn Bhd
(BSP) on this matter as well, and
this is the time when you really
need to make sure that you al-
ways have a diversi‰ied portfolio
of buyers,” said the minister.
He explained that Brunei’s
buyers include countries in
the Asia-Paci‰ic region where
China has aided in some of
their factories and buyers from
North Asian countries and their
surrounding regions.
“So production will continue
as I think we will still be able to
sell our cargo and the question is
not about whether you can sell, I
think it’s about what price we will
sell at,” said the minister. “In the
crude oil market, the prices will
be determined later.”
The selling of cargo, said the
minister, can be done ‰irst, but will
Minister at the Prime Minister’s
Ofƒice and Minister of Finance
and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr
Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin
Abdullah. PHOTO: SYAHMI
Oil market
in turmoil
as price falls
below zero
James Kon
His Majesty Sult an Haji
Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin
Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum
S u l t a n H a j i Oma r ‘A l i
Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi
Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-
Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam
h a s c o n s e n t e d t o t h e
PetroleumAuthority of Brunei
Darussalam (PABD) Order,
2019 which commenced on
December 31, 2019.
The Order allows for the
formation of the PABD, its
Board and matters connected
to the operations, functions
and duties.
Continue to Page 2
PABD oversees
Brunei oil and
gas sector
depend on a determined price set
during that month. For example if
the cargo is traded for the month
of June, the prices will be what-
ever is set during that month.
Continue to Page 2