ASEAN News

South Korea relaxed its difficult social distancing campaign in the heavily populated metropolitan area of Seoul for the next two weeks, with new cases of regular novel coronavirus stubbornly lingering within triple digits. The government lifted a ban on on on-site dining after 9 pm, but restaurants and cafes are now expected to limit the names of the seats and …

Singapore and Japan recently agreed to open a green lane for important business and official travel for people from both countries. Through this, ministries of foreign affairs of both countries stated in a joint statement that the Business Track agreement would help restore relations and promote economic recovery for Japan and Singapore. Singapore has similar agreements with other countries but …

The Goods and Services Tax (GST), one of the biggest reforms, if not the largest, by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has run into trouble at the back of the coronavirus pandemic and a contracting economy. The GST, which cut a network of taxes at the federal and state levels, was a huge political victory for Mr. Modi, who pulled …

Hong Kong ‘s plan to test every resident for coronavirus is being hobbled out of the China-backed health scheme by limited take-up as a wary public steering. The free voluntary tests are part of an attempt to stamp out a third wave of infections that began in late June and that saw the densely populated city reimpose economically painful social …

President Joko Widodo has set up a national team to speed up the development of a possible Covid-19 vaccine and enhance the country’s resilience to the pandemic.   The team was established on the National Team by Presidential Decree No. 18/2020 to accelerate the development of Covid-19 vaccines, which the President signed on Sept. 3. While the Chair is set …

In a time when the cinema trade is searching for good news, the Disney Period drama Mulan has provided some cheer by squeaking past the one million dollar mark in its opening weekend at the Singapore box office. Mulan’s tale combines themes from the 1998 film and the inspiring ancient Chinese text, The Ballad of Mulan. The 2020 film follows …

Here’s an unexpected strong typhoon that lashed South Korea after crashing into southern Japan with record winds and heavy rains that left four people missing in a landslide. Half a million people were powerless after Typhoon Haishen roared past the southernmost main island of Kyushu in Japan, ripping off the roofs and dumping half a meter of water in just …

Chinese President Xi Jinping said nothing could come between the Chinese people and the Communist Party that has controlled them for over 70 years, setting a combative tone at a challenging moment in relations between the United States and China. Speaking at an event commemorating the anniversary of China’s World War II victory over Japan, President Xi described areas where …

Singapore’s banks and finance firms would have access to more funds if they face liquidity issues due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Singapore Monetary Authority (MAS) is carrying out a pre-emptive Singdollar term facility to handle liquidity constraints before they become severe challenges. Although Singapore’s banks and finance companies maintain healthy liquidity buffers, MAS is preemptively implementing this facility to …

The Indian economy, which contracted 23.9 percent in the first quarter of this year on the back of astringent lockdown that resulted in job losses and consumption fell, is in even greater trouble, the latest growth figures showed.Analysts say there is a need for a fresh stimulus package to drive growth in the Indian economy once the world’s fastest growing …