Author: Thawda Ag

In its “Vietnam Macro Monitoring” report in September, the WB said the consumer price index (CPI) grew from 3 percent in August to 3.7 percent in September, continuing a sharp upward trend that started in June Inflation was due to higher prices of food and foodstuffs as well as housing and construction materials. Additionally, the price of transport services contributed 0.3 percentage points to CPI inflation due to the new round of oil price increases registered during July-September this year. In stark contrast, core inflation which excludes food, fuels, and government-administered prices, continued to soften from 4 percent in August…

Copenhagen (26/10 – 76.9) UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Nazila Ghanea called on Tajikistan to adapt and review its laws, policies, and practices regarding religion or belief following her 10-day visit. She stated that the implementation of religious freedom and belief in the country is a cause for concern. During a press conference at the UN office in Tajikistan, she also urged Tajikistan’s authorities to “leave the past behind and protect freedom of religion and belief.” Ghanea stated, “This will contribute to development, peace, and understanding in the country. The shadow of civil war looms over…

Earlier this month, activists urged Indonesian authorities to investigate potential sales by state-owned arms makers to Myanmar via an alleged shell company owned by the son of a junta minister. The allegation is far from the first or only such case that has shed light on a covert regional trade network funneling crucial resources to the Myanmar junta, which seized power in 2021 and plunged the country into violent civil unrest. The coup two years ago drew condemnation from countries across the world, and the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding arms embargo prohibiting the supply of weapons to…

The counterterrorism expert and author of “Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday Massacre: Lessons for the International Community” explains how religious extremism manifested in Sri Lanka’s deadliest terror attack. On April 21, 2019 – Easter Sunday – a coordinated series of bombings ripped through Sri Lanka, targeting churches and luxury hotels. Over 260 people were killed, making it the deadliest terrorist attack ever suffered by Sri Lanka. The attack has continued to resonate in Sri Lankan society and politics, as the public demands to untangle questions of responsibility: Why was the attack not prevented, and what can be done to stop the…

Kenes Rakishev, star investor, international entrepreneur, philanthropist and former special envoy of the Kazakhstan government, meets star chef, Gordon Ramsay and star manufacturer, Borealis Foods to change the international food market. When Kenes Rakishev embarked on the establishment of Oxus SPAC, a specialized entity aimed at acquiring and subsequently taking companies public on the American stock market, experts were filled with anticipation and conjecture regarding his targeted investments. Renowned for his diverse interests spanning robotics, battery technologies, communications, and groundbreaking concepts, Kenes Rakishev’s decision left everyone startled, as he delved into an exceedingly unforeseen realm: the food sector. Kenes Rakishev…

GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — In late August, a delegation of China Foreign Trade Centre (CFTC), Canton Fair’s organizer, has made significant strides in Southeast Asia to promote the 134th Canton Fair. The group held promotion conferences in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Yangon. The events were attended by more than 460 guests from these three countries and attracted over 300 new buyers to register on the Canton Fair online platform to visit the exhibition virtually. Zhang Sihong, Deputy Secretary General of the Canton Fair and Deputy Director General of China Foreign Trade Centre, invited companies from the three countries to attend the Fair…

The return of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from 15 years of exile has been often promised, and always hotly anticipated. He is one of the most divisive figures in Thai history. The brash, politically-ambitious tycoon’s repeated successes in elections going back more than two decades provoked strong reactions from conservative forces – ranging from military coups, the occupations of government ministries and airports, to contentious court verdicts which have sacked three prime ministers and dissolved three pro-Thaksin political parties. Now he is on his way back, presumably after striking a quiet deal with his royalist adversaries to keep him…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived on his first official visit to Vietnam on Aug. 20, reported the Akorda press service. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with Võ Văn Thưởng. Photo credit: Akorda. He was welcomed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi by Le Khanh Hai, Chairman of the Vietnamese Presidential Office. Tokayev’s official visit began with a flower-laying ceremony at the monument to national heroes and the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, who declared Vietnam’s independence on Sept. 2, 1945, on Ba Dinh Square. Tokayev held high-level talks with the President of Vietnam Võ Văn Thưởng. He also plans to have…

The Speaker of Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Asheikh on Friday held official talks with Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, the speaker of the Thai House of Representatives, during his visit to Bangkok, the Saudi Press Agency reported. During the talks, Al-Asheikh highlighted growing Saudi-Thai relations and their development in various fields, which is contributing to a strengthening of the relationship between the two countries.He noted the fruitful and continuous work witnessed by the Kingdom under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, citing the steady progress achieved under the Saudi Vision 2030’s goals based on…

The new “Barbie” film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling is set for imminent release. But according to Vietnam’s state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper, the film’s release has been barred. The head of the Department of Cinema, a government body in charge of licensing and censoring foreign films, said: We do not grant license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line Vietnam’s response to the “Barbie” movie’s depiction of the South China Sea shows how sensitive these matters are in South East Asia, and especially in Vietnam. What is the nine-dash line?…