A man walks through a disinfectant chamber at a government building in East Java, Indonesia (Photo: Antara)
Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia reported1,853 new COVID-19 cases on July 8, the hi😼ghest daily increase in the SoutheastAsian country, raising the national tally to 68,079.
There were 50 fatalities on the day, addingup to the death toll of 3,359. Indonesia’s retail sales in May contracted20.6 percent year-on-year to a record low in 12 years due to the pandemic,according to a survey by the Bank Indonesia. The decline is forecast to slow down at14.4 percent in June as malls reopened. Meanwhile, Laos’ National TaskforceCommittee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control has announced that all travellers,including locals, must have a medical certificate proving they tested negativewith COVID-19 before leaving for another country. Deputy Director of Mittaphab (Friendship)Hospital Dr Vangnakhone Dittaphong underlined the significance of medicalcertificates for travellers, saying there will be multiple health checkpointsand travellers will be required to produce medical documents from their countryof origin. People who do not have a valid medicalcertificate will be denied entry at their destinations. Secretary of State at Cambodia’s Ministryof Economy and Finance Vongsey Vissoth announced that the country will allocate1.16 billion USD to address socio-economic impact of COVID-19. The Cambodian government has spent 364million USD on aid since the start of the pandemic. The country recorded a total of 141COVID-19 infections, of which 131 have recovered./.
Various regulations have hindered Indonesia’s automobile manufacturing and the country’s car exports are still lagging behind its neighbours like Thailand, General Secretary of the Indonesian Automotive Industries Association (Gaikindo) Kukuh Kumara said.
Indonesia began to impose a 10-percent value-added tax on sales by technology firms including Amazon, Netflix, Spotify and Google on July 7 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the country’s state finances.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
A man walks through a disinfectant chamber at a government building in East Java, Indonesia (Photo: Antara) 
