Men in Jazz, a multi award-winning jazz band from Hong Kong, was in the country recently to give a performance at the Youth Centre in the capital and as part of the final leg of their Asean tour. [...] For many of the Hong Kongers, it was their first time visiting Brunei. Some said that they would gladly return to visit the country again with their family members and friends.

Initially screened once a week, the show quickly captivated mainstream Australian viewers as well as Chinese-speaking migrants, so that now, due to popular demand, it is screened three times a week. SBS’s online promotion for the show says, ‘With a viewing audience of up to 50 million per episode, this popular Chinese dating show is a cultural phenomenon’.

President Barack Obama will host a summit with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in California on Feb. 15 and 16, the White House said on Wednesday. [...] “This unprecedented gathering – the first hosted by the United States with the ASEAN leaders – builds on the deeper partnership that the United States has forged with ASEAN since 2009 and will further advance the Administration’s rebalance to Asia and the Pacific,” 

Beverly Hills city council has condemned the government of Brunei for introducing new laws that impose harsh penalties, including death by stoning for homosexuality and adultery, and called on it to either change its laws or sell two of its most famous hotels. The council unanimously passed on Tuesday a resolution criticising Brunei, which has drawn fire for a controversial penal code announced last month. Brunei owns the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air, two properties in its Dorchester Collection.

Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres and others are backing boycotts of the Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air because of new laws targeting gays and women in the Southeast Asian sultanate of Brunei.

Malaysia-Brunei cultural ties soar to a greater height this week through the "Titian Budaya Malaysia-Brunei" programme which showcased the unique customs and traditions of the peoples of both countries.

A Bruneian woman was selected to take part in the entrepreneurship programme in the United States that aims to link participants from Muslim communities with leading US entrepreneurs through interactive forums and provide opportunities for firsthand observation of successful business operations.

Public Diplomacy Country Coordinator at the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs of the US Department of State, Rhonda Ferguson-Augustus, told The Brunei Times that the department is interested in developing educational exchanges between the two countries.