The Lao government has announced that all international border crossings will reopen, so that Lao and foreign nationals, well as stateless people, can enter and exit the country freely. The Prime Minister’s Office on May 7 issued a notice declaring that borders would reopen. The reopening of Laos and the lifting of restrictions under Notice No 627 will come into effect on May 9, Head of the Secretariat of the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, Thipphakone Chanthavongsa, told a press conference on Saturday. Citizens of countries that have signed a bilateral or unilateral visa waiver agreement with Laos…
Author: Asia News Network
The fight against malaria, a disease which is preventable and treatable, is ongoing for many decades now. Unfortunately, this vector-borne disease continues to claim several thousands of lives globally. According to WHO’s latest World malaria report, there were an estimated 241 million malaria cases and 627,000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2020. Malaria is a persistent public health threat in the WHO Southeast Asia region, where nine of the 11 member states are endemic. However, progress has been remarkable in the region. Malaria cases reduced by 78 per cent, from 23 million in 2000 to about 5 million in 2020; and…
Thailand’s commerce ministry has approved a proposal to increase the quota for import of corn and other crops to make animal feeds for three months to tackle shortages, commerce minister Jurin Laksanawisit said on May 2. Jurin was speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting of the corn policy and management committee and the food policy committee at the Kitiyakara Voralaksana Hall in the Commerce Permanent Secretariat Building. Representatives from the Internal Trade Department, the National Farmers Council, the Crops Growers and Traders Association, the Thai Feed Mill Association, the Thai Tapioca Trade Association and the hen farmers’ association attended…
With digital technology becoming the key drivers for growth across industries, South Korea’s tech behemoths Naver and Kakao are going all-in to win the tech war using artificial intelligence (AI) through AI-powered search engines and logistics solutions businesses. Naver announced on May 3 that it has made upgrades to its AI search engine, called “Airsearch”, now offering more optimised search results for users. “Since the Naver mobile app has access to users’ personal information ranging from gender, age and other specifics, AI offers more detailed content and finds useful content that users weren’t even looking for in the first place,”…
India on May 3 said its economic assistance to Sri Lanka, facing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, stands at more than $3 billion this year, so far, and is instrumental in addressing diverse needs of the government and people of Sri Lanka. The $1 billion credit Facility for purchase of food, medicines and other essential commodities is already operational and around 16,000 tonnes of rice supplied under it are being distributed, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement. To date, additional consignments of rice and other food supplies, medicines and industrial raw materials, among…
Hong Kong’s economy contracted by four per cent in the first quarter of 2022 from a year earlier, the government said on May 3. The decline of gross domestic product (GDP) was attributable to weak domestic and external demand, according to a report released by the city’s Census and Statistics Department. The government said Hong Kong’s economy faced immense pressure in the first quarter this year. Externally, a moderating global demand growth and epidemic-induced cross boundary transportation disruptions posed substantial drags to exports. Domestically, economic activities as well as economic sentiment were hard hit by the fifth wave of local…
Thailand and Japan pledged closer economic cooperation and the visiting Japanese prime minister promised an investment in the electrical vehicles industry in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) this year. The pledges were made on May 2 when Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha discussed economic cooperation plans with Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida. According to Thai officials, the two sides discussed and agreed to draft a five-year plan for economic cooperation as soon as possible to develop their economic partnership. The five-year plan will be used for driving economic cooperation between the two countries. Prayut also pledged support for the Asia-Japan Investing…
Several key construction materials have seen a sharp price hike in Vietnam during the first three months of 2022, putting significant pressure on property prices, according to the Vietnam Association of Construction Contractors (VACC). VACC said prices for concrete and sand have increased by 100,000 dong ($4.4) per tonne or per cubic metre, bricks by up to 10 per cent and decorative tiles by 10-15 per cent. Notably, since the beginning of the year, steel prices have increased to over 19 million dong per tonne after seven price hikes. VACC president Nguyen Quoc Hiep said rampant price hikes had hit…
A new framework to address concerns over the sharp increase in construction costs contributed by the Ukraine conflict will be drawn up by Malaysia’s National Affordable Housing Council. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government was determined to find a solution to the issue that was affecting home prices. “The council will help resolve problems that have emerged as well as make the buying and owning of houses easier in the future,” he said in his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the PR1MA-Astrum Ampang residency in Kuala Lumpur on April 29. Ismail Sabri said the government was aware…
Workers and farmers on coffee and tea plantations in Laos’ Bolaven Plateau area will have safer working conditions and be able to exercise their rights as workers thanks to an initiative titled “Advancing Social Protection and Labour Rights for Coffee and Tea Farmers” (SOLAR). The scheme aims to reduce the hazards faced by workers by providing training courses and strengthening local organisations. Workers in the coffee and tea sector will also benefit from access to social security and improved health and safety measures. The project is funded by the EU and co-implemented by the Lao Social Security Organisation (LSSO) under…