Indonesia extends restrictions till November 2

The Indonesian government has extended community activities restrictions enforcement (PPKM) for a further 14 days, from October 19 to November 2.
Indonesia extends restrictions till November 2 ảnh 1Illustrative image (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Jakarta (VNA) - The Indonesian government has extendedcommunity activities restrictions enforcement (PPKM) for a further 14 days, from October 19 to November 2.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for MaritimeAffairs and Investment, and PPKM Coordinator for Java and Bali, said on October 18 that 54districts and cities on these two islands will apply PPKM level 2 and nine other locations apply PPKM level 1.

Amusementparks and cinemas in localities applying PPKM level 2 will be allowed to opento welcome children, provided that parents’ contacts are present in case ofcontact tracing when needed.

Accordingto Luhut, the number of patients being treated at hospitals orself-isolating at home is currently only 18,000, of which 7,000 are in Javaand Bali. Only on October 17, Jakarta, West Java and Bali did not record anydeaths, while other provinces recorded less than five deaths per day.

EconomicCoordinating Minister and PPKM Coordinator outside Java and Bali AirlanggaHartarto said the pandemic situation in these areas is improving day by day.

Indonesiabegan imposing an emergency PPKM on July 3. Up to now, this pandemic countermeasure has been extended a total of 11 times and is considered to be easedevery two weeks based on a number of indicators such as the number ofCOVID-19 cases and deaths, the progress of tracing and testing, hospital bedoccupancy rates, and vaccination outcomes.

Inrecent weeks, the number of COVID-19 infections in Indonesia has droppedsharply. In particular, from September 29 to now, the number of newinfections has never exceeded 2,000 cases per day. However, the SoutheastAsian country is forecast to face a third wave of infections after theChristmas and New Year holidays when people travel a lot./.
VNA

See more

At Pulau Seraya power station (Photo: Straitimes)

Singapore begins construction on hydrogen-fueled power plant

Singapore on October 23 began the construction of an 800 million USD power plant that has the capability to use hydrogen to generate electricity, as part of a push to utilise the fuel to reach Singapore’s net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

Delegates at the event (Photo: VNA)

125th anniversary of Permanent Court of Arbitration celebrated

The Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations and missions of the Philippines, Australia, Egypt, Guatemala, Hungary, Thailand, France, Eritrea and Austria, organised a ceremony on October 22 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), as part of the International Law Week at the UN General Assembly's Legal Committee (Sixth Committee).

CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Anuar Fariz Fadzil (Photo: focusmalaysia.my)

Malaysia continues placing emphasis on digitalisation

The Budget 2025 provides significant support to further accelerate Malaysia’s digitalisation, encourage adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and drive inclusive growth, further positioning Malaysia as a leading digital hub within the ASEAN region, according to CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Anuar Fariz Fadzil.

Malaysia's economic reforms boost investment inflow (Photo: thestar.com.my)

Malaysia's economic reforms boost investment inflow

Malaysia has attracted substantial foreign investments, reaching 22.2 billion MYR (5.16 billion USD) in the third quarter of 2024, the highest level for the same period since 2012, according to UOB's Global Markets and Economics report.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN speaks at the debate (Photo: VNA)

Maintaining peace, stability a must for progress on human rights: Ambassador

Progress in human rights can only be achieved by maintaining peace and stability, respecting the rule of law at both the international and national levels, and ensuring respect for the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, said Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN.

A visitor browses travel promotions at a travel fair in Nonthaburi province. (Photo: Bangkok Post)

Thailand plans enhanced support for domestic tourism

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports is aiming to increase subsidy to local tourists in the upcoming stimulus scheme to 50% and would like to change the criteria for online travel agents, mandating them to register in Thailand to avoid losing income to foreign companies.

Oil field offshore Indonesia. (Photo: thejakartapost.com)

Indonesia begins major oil, gas exploration in Sulawesi

Indonesia's state-owned oil company Pertamina, along with foreign partners Sinopec from China and Kuwait’s Kufpec, has signed a contract to explore the Melati oil and gas block, located off the coast of Sulawesi. The block is estimated to contain trillions of cubic feet of gas reserves.