ASEAN News

HANOI, Feb 15 — In 2020, exports from six Southeast Asian countries dropped by 2.2 percent from a year earlier to a combined US$1.35 trillion (RM5.45 trillion), a relatively marginal decline amid Covid-19, according to data from the Japan External Trade Organization, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported (JETRO). Of the six, only Vietnam reported a year-on-year rise in exports, …

SINGAPORE – An total of $2,000 in Covid-19 assistance was earned by each member of a Singaporean household, about 70% of which came from the broad-based Care and Support Plan, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Thursday (Feb 11). On average, each household earned around $4,000 from broad-based programs, much of which came in the form of cash transfers, …

SINGAPORE: On Wednesday (Feb 10), the government unveiled the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a “whole-of-nation movement” to promote the national sustainable development agenda. The programme, led by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of National Development (MND), the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Ministry of Transport (MOT), sets …

After the army deposed the country’s newly elected government in a coup last week, a prominent Singapore businessman said he would withdraw his investment in a tobacco company linked to the Myanmar military. In a statement on Tuesday, February 9, Lim Kaling, co-founder and director of Hong Kong-listed gaming group Razer, said he was a minority shareholder in Virginia Tobacco …

The leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia have called for a special meeting to be convened by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss the deteriorating political situation in Myanmar. On February 1, the Myanmar army, or Tatmadaw, took power in the region, alleging irregularities in a November election won by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and the …

SINGAPORE: Among the 24 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Sunday (Feb 7), the Ministry of Health said a Singaporean man working at Changi Airport issuing electronic monitoring devices to incoming travelers on stay-home notice, the Ministry of Health said (MOH). The 43-year-old man, currently not related to other cases, was the only community case identified …

On Friday, February 5, the leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia said they were seeking a special meeting of foreign ministers of the countries of Southeast Asia to address the situation in Myanmar, where an elected government was overthrown earlier this week in a coup. The military seized power on Monday, throwing a wedge into Myanmar’s long and troubled transition to …

SINGAPORE — On Thursday, Singapore Airlines announced a net loss for the October-December quarter of 142 million Singapore dollars ($106 million), marking the company’s fourth consecutive quarterly loss as the coronavirus pandemic struck the global air travel industry. The result is comparable to a net profit of SG$315 million in the same period a year earlier. But the loss for …

SINGAPORE: The World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Annual Meeting that was due to take place in Singapore in May has been rescheduled to August. The Geneva-based WEF, which postponed the event by 12 days in May last month, said on Wednesday 3 February that it will now be held from 17 to 20 August. “Although the World Economic Forum and …

SINGAPORE – Compared to 2019, fewer commuters were pleased with Singapore’s public transport last year, including those who said they were happy to offer a higher score to public transport here. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Singaporeans – 97.6% – did not have too many reservations about trains and buses in Singapore, and three out of four of those services …