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Indonesian Finance Ministry Isa Rachmatarwata (Photo: antaranews.com) Jakarta (VNA) - The Indonesian Finance Ministry is mulling adding around 8 trillion IDR (531 million USD), to this year’s budget plan for Indonesia ’s new capital megaproject Nusantara. Speaking at a recent press briefing, director-general for budgeting at the Finance Ministry Isa Rachmatarwata said the extra money is because President Joko Widodo has asked the ministry to prepare the land for the investors. Earlier, the government has allotted 23 trillion IDR in the original 2023 budget plan for the Nusantara project. According to Isa, the Public Housing Ministry has asked for an extra 7 trillion IDR  or 8 trillion IDR for the budget plan. However, there is still a possibility that the Finance Ministry might add even more money to cover other needs for the city’s construction. In early March, President Joko Widodo approved a new regulation that offers incentives to businesses investing in … [Read more...] about Indonesia considers another 500 million USD for new capital megaproject

A commodity sorting line at the Lazada Logistics Park which opened on Thursday at Song Than 1 Industrial Zone in the southern province of Binh Duong. — Photo Courtesy Lazada Ligistics Vietnam E-commerce company Lazada Logistics Vietnam on Thursday officially inaugurated a commodity sorting centre called Lazada Logistics Park at Song Than 1 Industrial Zone in the southern province of Binh Duong. Covering an area of 20,000 sq.m, the Lazada Logistics Park, whose capacity is 1 million parcels per day, is the biggest and most modern logistic centre in the province. According to Lazada, its new sorting centre is equipped with modern technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and 99 per cent of the sorting lines are automated. The other modern technologies used at the centre include a telescopic conveyor system, a singulator, dim weight scanners, a wheel sort system with o-belt modular structures, a cross-belt sorting system, small parcel cross-belt sorting, … [Read more...] about Lazada Logistics Park opens, sorting 1 million parcels per day

The MIC called for a level playing field for domestic and foreign companies. Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) is seeking Government approval for a proposal to regulate over-the-top (OTT) interpersonal communication, which would bring popular messaging apps such as Zalo, Viber, and Telegram under the Telecommunications Law. The ministry believes that over-the-top service platforms such as Zalo, Viber, Telegram, and WhatsApp are replacing mobile phone services. However, there are currently no legal provisions governing these platforms, and there is no way to protect users and information security, the MIC stressed. Over-the-top media services, like Zalo, Viber, and Telegram, are displayed on a smartphone. Photo: Anh Quan Some world governments (in Europe, China, and South Korea) have classified this service as a telecom service and regulated it in accordance with the Telecommunications Law, it added. The ministry also called … [Read more...] about MIC to regulate OTT communication in Vietnam

The maximum airfare on four out of five flight distances will rise in the second or third quarter, according to a recent price report of the Ministry of Finance. The biggest increase will be 6.67% (to VND4 million or $170) for one-way tickets on flights of 1,280 kilometers (Hanoi to Phu Quoc Island) and longer. Flights between 1,000 and 1,280 kilometers will see their ticket cap price rise 6.25% to VND3.4 million. Flights of smaller distances will see their maximum price rise by between 2.27% and 3.58%. Flights under 500 kilometers will see no ceiling change. Their prices will remain at a maximum of VND1.7 million per one-way ticket. The cap price increase will likely bring Vietnam’s 2023 Consumer Price Index up by 0.07% points. Earlier this year, Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways proposed increasing the cap ticket price to take into account rising in costs. The airfare price cap was last increased in 2015. By November last year, fuel costs had surged more than 80% … [Read more...] about Vietnam to raise air ticket price cap

Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said his ministry will collaborate with Skouw Cross-Border Post (PLBN), Jayapura, Papua, Chief Administrator Yan Numberi, for tourism and creative economy development in Indonesia-Papua New Guinea (PNG) border. The official was quoted by local media as saying that the ministry will carry out two agendas to revive the tourism sector and the creative economy in border areas. The agenda for tourism and creative economy development in the border region aims to restore the condition of the Skouw PLBN to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic when 1,500 foreign tourists had entered Indonesia, he stated. The first agenda is the improvement of tourism infrastructure and the creative economy within the framework of the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) that will be proposed in collaboration with the Jayapura City Tourism Service, Uno said. Moreover, he plans to hold the cross border festival in 2023 that … [Read more...] about Indonesia, Papua New Guinea strengthen tourism cooperation

Illustrative image (Photo: Bangkokpost) Bangkok (VNA) - The Thai Ministry of Commerce’s Internal Trade Department (ITD) is implementing 22 measures to manage fruit supply for this year's harvest, with production estimated to grow by 3% to 6.78 million tonnes. Director-general of the department Wattanasak Sur-iam said the higher output is attributed to cooler weather late last year and early this year. The department remains concerned about the quality of fruit and held discussions with the Agriculture Department about introducing stringent measures to control the quality of exports, especially durian, he said. The ITD also wants to register at least 120,000 orchards for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) standards this year. Wattanasak said the 22 measures are focused on four areas, covering plans for production, domestic marketing, foreign marketing, and legal issues. The Ministry of Commerce and the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry also plan to coordinate with … [Read more...] about Thailand tightens fruit quality management

Illustrative image (Source: blogs.biomedcentralcom) Hanoi (VNA) – Policy advocacy will be promoted, along with efforts to call for financial and human resources for the prevention and control of malaria, parasitic and insect-transmitted diseases to successfully eliminate malaria in Vietnam by 2030, heard a conference held by the Ministry of Health and PATH, a global non-profit organisation on public health, in Hanoi on March 22. The conference aims to contribute to, through the strengthened communications and policy advocacy, ensuring sustainable finance for malaria elimination, prevention and control, preventing malaria's return, and updating new and effective treatment methods. According to the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE), over the past 30 years, the National Programme on Malaria Prevention and Control has reaped remarkable achievements. In 1991, malaria broke out throughout the country with more than 1 million infections, killing … [Read more...] about Efforts to be exerted towards malaria elimination by 2030

The ground-breaking ceremony for the project on December 19 (Photo: VNA) Vientiane (VNA) – Work on construction of a bauxite-alumina mining industrial complex , one of Vietnam’s largest projects in Lao, began in Dakcheung district, the southern Lao province of Sekong, on December 19. bauxite mine worth 1 billion USD has an annual capacity of 1 million tonnes. It is expected to operate for 30 years and could be extended to 50 years. Viet Phuong Group Phuong Minh Hue pledged to bring success to the project, contributing to socio-economic development in remote and disadvantaged areas of Sekong province and bilateral economic ties between the two nations, especially in the Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia development triangle. VNA … [Read more...] about Work starts on Vietnam’s biggest project in Lao province

A trade promotion and cooperation conference between Viet Nam and Mexico was held on March 23 in HCM City. — VNS Photo Hong Linh More than 115 businesses have participated in a trade promotion and cooperation conference between Viet Nam and Mexico in HCM City. At the conference on March 23, Deputy Director of the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) Cao Thi Phi Van said Mexico was the second largest trade partner of Viet Nam in Latin America, and Viet Nam was the 8th largest trade partner of Mexico in Asia. Viet Nam had been taking advantage of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to reduce the export tax to Mexico. According to the General Department of Customs, bilateral trade in 2022 reached US$5.4 billion, an increase of 7.1 per cent compared to 2021. The trade value between HCM City and Mexico stood at $364 million, of which $300 million was the value of HCM City's exports. Viet Nam and Mexico have been increasing … [Read more...] about Conference to promote trade and cooperation between Viet Nam and Mexico

Workers loading products at a warehouse of Hoa Sen Group. — Photo courtesy of the company Hoa Sen Group was sanctioned for violation of tax regulations by the Tax Department of Binh Duong Province, with a total fine and tax arrears of more than VND2.8 billion (US$119,174), the company said on March 21. In a decision dated March 13 sent to Hoa Sen Group, the Tax Department of Binh Duong Province said that the steel producer has misreported revenue, expenses and other incomes for 2020-2021, leading to underpayment of corporate income tax (CIT) and VAT of VND2.08 billion to the State budget. Therefore, Hoa Sen Group is fined VND415.76 million for the violations. And besides the unpaid amount of CIT and VAT, the company also has to pay for the late payment VND317.6 million. The final payment for fine and tax arrears is VND2.81 billion. In a recent General Meeting of Shareholders 2022-2023, Le Phuoc Vu, chairman of the Board of Director of Hoa Sen Group, said that even though … [Read more...] about Hoa Sen Group fined for tax arrears