Government
Interior Ministry mulling investigations into NGOs' "neutrality"
Human rights NGOs Licadho and Adhoc were among a group of organisations who were warned by the Ministry of Interior today that they are being scrutinised for allegedly violating their neutrality by supporting the opposition CNRP. News of the inquiry was first disclosed by government-aligned ...
Trump hails signing of deals worth 'billions' with Vietnam
U.S. President Donald Trump discussed trade with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a White House visit on May 31 and welcomed the signing of business deals worth billions of dollars and the jobs they would bring. General Electric Co said earlier it had signed ...
Japan's draft growth strategy forgoes far-reaching reform
Japan’s new strategy to stoke growth in key industries includes case-by-case regulatory exemptions to spur innovation, but the government’s piecemeal proposals lack the fundamental changes needed to re-energize the overall economy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government debuted the draft of its 2017 strategic growth plan Tuesday at a ...
Myanmar ethnic groups partially agree on federal state principles
Representatives from the Myanmar government, military and eight armed ethnic groups reached agreements on various matters of contention, including the basic principles for establishing a democratic federal system that would give the groups greater autonomy, at the second meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Peace ...
Japanese life insurers take hit from BOJ's negative rate policy
The Bank of Japan’s negative interest rate policy dealt a blow to Japanese life insurance companies last fiscal year, with premium income shrinking at 11 out of 15 major players. Basic profit — a measure of profitability from core operations — decreased at seven groups for ...
Tourism industry wants visa waiver for 5 European countries extended
The HCM City Tourism Association has urged the Government to extend the visa waiver for tourists from five Western European countries — France, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Spain. A visa waiver programme for the five countries ends next month, Nguyễn Thị Khánh, deputy chairwoman ...
Reasons revealed for slow power grid expansion
A number of unapproved power grid expansion projects have been suspended stemming from the fact that there has been no progress on the projects, a minister recently told the National Assembly. Minister of Energy and Mines Dr Khammany Inthirath made the comment while responding to ...
Cross-border crimes in cross-hairs as ASEAN enhances cooperation
ASEAN member states and dialogue partners have committed to enhance their cooperation efforts in combating transnational crimes in a bid to maintain the security at and across borders in the ASEAN region. The 17th Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) and its related meetings ...
Pyithu Hluttaw nod for increased land, water, embankment tax
A proposal urging the Union government to increase land, water and embankment taxes on farmers to be compatible with the times has been approved by the Pyithu Hluttaw on May 22. It was submitted by Ayeyarwady Region, Thapaung township Hluttaw MP U Thein Tun during ...
Agriculture firms receive Gov’t funds
State credit institutions will offer enterprises developing national agricultural products 70 per cent of investment capital support, said the Ministry of Planning and Investment. MPI has finalised a draft decree on policies encouraging enterprises to invest in agriculture and rural areas to submit to the ...