Cabinet Reshuffle & Succession Planning: Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced a major Cabinet reshuffle, appointing younger sons Prince Abdul Malik (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office) and Prince Abdul Mateen (Foreign Minister), while the Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah stays Senior Minister at the PMO—widely read as preparing the next generation as the kingdom navigates regional and energy pressures. Food Security & Partnerships: The government is inviting more companies and NGOs to join the Ihsan Food Bank (i-FB) initiative, positioning it as a structured platform for businesses to support vulnerable communities, cut food waste, and meet ESG commitments through official strategic partnerships. Underwater Security Cooperation: Seventeen countries launched the GUIDE framework in Singapore to protect critical underwater infrastructure, with Brunei among the Southeast Asian participants—aiming for shared principles on building, maintaining and safeguarding cables and energy links. Digital/Creative Tourism Push: Miri’s RIUH OOH! festival (July 24–26) is set to draw over 30,000 visitors, with Brunei highlighted as a key nearby market for promotion. Conservation Monitoring With Sound: A new bioacoustics approach is building acoustic baselines for intact forests, including pilot sites in Brunei, to detect ecological change that satellites and simple visuals can miss.