Brunei ruler returns home after hospital admission in Malaysia
FILE PHOTO: The Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah meets with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured) during a meeting in 10 Downing Street on December 19, 2024 in London, England. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
KUALA LUMPUR - Brunei's ruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah returned home on Tuesday, the prime minister's office said, after resting in Malaysia following his admission to a Malaysian hospital with fatigue last week.
The sultan, 78, returned to Brunei with his consort Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, after meeting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the office said in a statement on Tuesday night.
The Sultan was admitted to the National Heart Institute for fatigue during a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders last week in Kuala Lumpur. He was discharged at the weekend and had remained in Malaysia to rest.
"He is in good condition and the recovery process has gone smoothly after being discharged from the National Heart Institute recently," Anwar said in a post on X.
The sultan holds multiple roles in the small Southeast Asian nation, serving as Brunei's prime minister, armed forces commander, finance minister, foreign minister and defence minister. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it will open two aid distribution centers on Thursday
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 3, 2025, in this screengrab taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS/ File Photo U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it will open two aid distribution centers on Thursday DUBAI - U.S-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it will open two aid distribution centers on Thursday. GHF had said earlier that its sites would not open at their usual time due to maintenance and repair work. It did not say when aid distribution would resume. The group, which has been fiercely criticised by humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations, began distributing aid last week. The U.N. has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Spain will stick to 2% of GDP defence spending goal, defence minister says
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles speaks during the La Toja Forum on global challenges in Lisbon, Portugal, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo Spain will stick to 2% of GDP defence spending goal, defence minister says MADRID - Spain stands by its defence spending target of 2% of GDP, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Thursday, as pressure grows from NATO leadership and the United States for the Mediterranean country to increase it. "We think that this 2% is enough to meet the responsibilities we have committed to," Robles said. Spain will not veto a NATO decision to raise the defence spending target during a summit to be held later this month in The Hague, she said. "What is important is that each country is able to meet the objectives it has set itself," she added. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced in April a plan to increase military spending by 10.5 billion euros ($11.99 billion) this year, bringing forward to this year a goal to meet the 2% of GDP target from its previously self-imposed deadline of 2029. Despite the new plan Spain, which spent just 1.3% on defence in 2024, the lowest among NATO members, is under pressure to spend even more. European defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius said on May 3 Spain ought to raise spending to 3% of GDP. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Egypt, Greece agree to protect status of Mount Sinai monastery, after court ruling
FILE PHOTO: Librarian, Father Justin of Sinai, turns pages of a manuscript in the library of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 6, 2019. Picture taken March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Librarian, Father Justin of Sinai, walks inside the library of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 6, 2019. Picture taken March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo ATHENS - Greece and Egypt have agreed to safeguard the status of one of the world's oldest sites of Christian worship, foreign ministers of both countries said late on Wednesday, after an Egyptian court ruling last week cast uncertainty over its future. The St Catherine's Monastery, at the foot of Egypt's Mount Sinai, was founded in the 6th century and is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its original function, says UNESCO, which has listed the area as a World Heritage site. Revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, the monastery is at the site where by Biblical tradition Moses received the Ten Commandments. But last week, an Egyptian court ruling seen by Reuters ordered Orthodox monks to vacate several plots of land that the monks have used for years, including vineyards and gardens adjacent to the monastery compound, on the grounds that they were illegally sequestered, prompting a diplomatic flurry between Cairo and Athens over the site's status. "We agreed in the immediate future to work towards safeguarding the rights of the monastery, as well as its legal status," Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said after meeting his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Cairo. "Both Egypt and Greece intend to move forward based on the long-standing tradition and the already established status of an emblematic monastery for its Greek Orthodox character of worship". Abdelatty said that the ruling preserves the monastery's profound spiritual value and religious standing, and confirmed that the monks would continue to have access to and use of the monastery and its religious and historical sites, according to a foreign ministry statement. With a long history of diplomatic ties, Greece and Egypt have deepened cooperation in recent years. St Catherine's is a sprawling complex, and according to tradition it was built around a burning bush where God was said to have spoken to Moses as described in the Book of Exodus. Its library is one of the most extensive worldwide, containing some of the world's earliest Christian manuscripts. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.