World

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (Photo: VNA) Bangkok (VNA) – A royal decree on Thailand’s general election was issued on January 23, which will be followed by an announcement of the election date. The decree, published in the Royal Gazette, called for a general election of members of parliament and gives the kingdom’s Election Commission five days to announce when it will hold the highly anticipated poll. The same day, Thai media quoted Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as saying that he will join a party which supports the current administration’s policies. Earlier, the pro-government party Phalang Pracharath (PPRP) said that General Prayut Chan-o-cha is one of the party’s leading PM candidates at parliament after the election. However, the Thai PM said that the PPRP has yet to offer him an invitation to join it. The election date is widely expected to fall on March 24, marking a one-month delay from the previously scheduled date of February 24. … [Read more...] about Thailand issues royal decree on election date

Tourists visit Hoi An ancient town (Source: VNA) Seoul (VNA) – Vietnam has become an attractive destination for middle-aged tourists from the Republic of Korea (RoK), according to analysis by HanaTour - the largest travel company in the RoK. Analyzing data of more than 1,200 contracts made by Korean holiday-makers over the past five years, Hanoi, the central city of Da Nang, Hoi An ancient town in central Quang Nam province and Ha Long Bay in northern Quang Ninh province are always leading tourist attractions for Korean visitors. Guam and the Philippines are selected the most by Korean families which have children aged 1-7, thanks to short flying time (4-5 hours) and convenient services. The Philippines is also a top choice of most of families with children aged 8-13, together with Osaka of Japan. Japan is also a favourite destination for vacationers in the age group of 14-29 thanks to short distance between the two countries.-VNA … [Read more...] about Vietnam – favourite destination for RoK’s middle-aged tourists

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) holds talks with visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen in Beijing, China (Photo: Xinhua)   Hanoi (VNA) – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, in Beijing on January 22, reported Xinhua News Agency. At the talks, Li pledged to bring China’s friendship with Cambodia to a higher level, and strengthen communication and coordination under the framework of China-ASEAN cooperation and Lancang-Mekong cooperation. Chinese companies will be assisted to participate in Cambodia's infrastructure construction in such areas as production capacity, transportation and electricity, the premier said. For his part, PM Hun Sen said Cambodia will work with China to consolidate their friendship, deepen cooperation in infrastructure, production capacity, economy and trade, agriculture, expand people-to-people exchanges and strengthen cooperation in international and regional affairs. … [Read more...] about Cambodia, China pledge to further foster cooperation

Officials pose for a photo at the 22nd ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in Brussels on January 21 (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) affirmed the commitment to enhancing bilateral comprehensive cooperation at the 22nd ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in Brussels on January 21. Officials of foreign affairs of the 10 ASEAN nations and 24 EU countries attended the meeting. Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung led the Vietnamese delegation to the event. At the meeting, participants emphasised the two blocs’ special relations as “partners in integration”. ASEAN valued the EU as a leading partner, especially in economy and development. The EU is currently the second biggest trade partner of ASEAN with bilateral trade reaching 261 billion USD in 2017, up 11.9 percent from the previous year. It is also the largest source of foreign investment of ASEAN when its direct investment here hit 25.4 … [Read more...] about ASEAN, EU pledge to strengthen comprehensive ties

Illustrative image (Source: Internet) Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia plans to temporarily close its National Park Komodo in a year to increase the population of Komodo dragons and deer in the area. The plan is under discussion between the Indonesian Ministry Environment and Forestry and the authority of West Nusa Tenggara city. The main reason for the plan is that the habitat in the park has decreased and the dragons have shrunken in size. However, the authority said Komodo Island will be temporarily closed, while other islands in the National Park Komodo will remain open to tourists. The National Park Komodo includes three islands, namely Komodo, Padar and Rinca, and 26 islets. Established in 1980, the National Park Komodo aims to protect Komodo dragon - the largest lizard in the world. The park was recognised as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1991. It is now under the management of the Indonesian Ministry Forestry and Environment. The number of holiday-makers visiting the … [Read more...] about Indonesia to temporarily close Komodo Island

The rubble left following the earthquake and tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi province of Indonesia, on October 1, 2018 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – A 6.7-magnitude earthquake jolted the waters off East Nusa Tenggara province in central Indonesia at January 22 noon. However, no tsunami warnings were issued after the earthquake, which was the second hitting Indonesia on the same day. Earlier, in the morning, a 6-mganitude earthquake rocked the southern area of Raba city on the central island of Sumbawa. According to the United States Geological Survey Agency (USGS), the epicenter of the earthquake was located 219km south of Raba city at a depth of 25km. There were no immediate tsunami warnings or reports of damage or casualties from the quake. Indonesia is a disaster-prone archipelago that straddles the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire". It suffered its deadliest year in more than a decade in 2018 as a series of earthquakes and tsunamis killed more than 3,000 … [Read more...] about Another strong earthquake rocks central Indonesia

Mount Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia (Photo: Jakarta Post) Jakarta (VNA) - Mount Merapi continuously spewed incandescent lava from midnight until the morning of January 21. Located in the area between Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces, Mt Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. There are thousands of villagers living on its slopes. Based on the morphological analysis of the volcano’s lava dome released by the Centre for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG), the volume of lava falls reached 439 thousand cubic metres, with growth rate of 3,400 cubic metres per day, lower than that of the previous week. The BPPTKG continues to maintain the alert status of the volcano at level II (caution) of the four-tiered Indonesia volcano alert system. The agency also called on local residents to not conduct activities within a three-kilometre radius of the volcano`s peak Meanwhile, the … [Read more...] about Indonesia warns about Mt Merapi’s eruption, high tidal wave