World

  Police on Jakarta street (Photo: VNA) Indonesian national police on May 21 imposed an alert status in the capital city of Jakarta right after the presidential poll result had been announced. Seventy-two alleged militants have been nabbed by the national police since January. The police issued warning of a terrorist plot during a mass rally on the poll result day. … [Read more...] about Indonesia issues security alert in Jakarta

Incumbent Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his running mate Ma’ruf Amin (R) (Photo: AFP/VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – Incumbent Indonesian President Joko Widodo, accompanied by his running mate Ma’ruf Amin, made a victory speech in Central Jakarta on May 21, following the official announcement of the results of the presidential and legislative elections. He thanked the people of Indonesia for their trust and called for efforts to promote the country’s development of peace and prosperity for residents and children in the future. He announced that after the inauguration this October, he and Ma’ruf Amin will be the committed leaders and protectors of all Indonesian people, and that they will fight to achieve social justice. Widodo also spoke highly of efforts made by relevant parties in ensuring an equal and transparent election. Earlier, the General Election Commission officially announced Joko Widodo as re-elected for the second term as he won 55.5 … [Read more...] about Indonesian election: Widodo makes victory speech

Illustrative image (Photo:channelnewsasia.com) Hanoi (VNA) – Singapore’s annual economic growth slipped to the lowest rate in nearly a decade during this year’s first quarter as manufacturing slowed down in the wake of the prolonged US-China trade war, prompting a downgrade to the city-state’s full-year growth forecast. According to Reuters, Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 1.2 percent year-on-year during the three months ending on March 31, down slightly from the 1.3 percent seen in the government’s advance estimate and the fourth quarter’s revised 1.3 percent pace. The result, which was below the 1.5 percent growth forecast in a Reuters poll, marked the slowest annual expansion for any quarter since April-June 2009 when GDP shrank by 1.7 percent against the previous year, government data showed. As broad economic momentum cooled, policymakers downgraded their 2019 growth forecast from the previous 1.5-3.5 percent down … [Read more...] about Singapore lowers economic growth forecast for 2019

A view of Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand (Source: oneyoungworld.com) Hanoi (VNA) – Thailand’s economy saw a slower growth than expected in the first quarter of 2019, reaching the lowest level in the last four years. Local media cited a report showing that the second largest economy in Southeast Asia grew by just 2.8 percent, lower than the 3 percent forecasted by the news agency Reuters. In November and December 2018, the country’s annual economic growth prediction was adjusted to 3.6 percent from the previous estimate of 3.7 percent. On a quarterly basis, the growth was seasonally adjusted by 1 percent, weaker than poll’s 1.4 percent forecast. The Thai government has also adjusted GDP growth prediction for 2019 from 3.5-4.5 percent given in February to between 3.3-3.8 percent. The export revenue forecast was also down from 4.1 percent to 2.2 percent. The Bangkok Post website posted a story stating that Thailand’s exports may be at the lowest … [Read more...] about Thailand’s economy sees slowest growth in four years

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Source: Xinhua)    Jakarta (VNA) – Incumbent Indonesian President Joko Widodo has declared victory in the presidential election after the release of official poll results on May 21. Widodo told reporters that he and his running mate Ma’ruf Amen will become president and vice president after they are sworn in, adding that they will be leaders and protectors of all Indonesians. Meanwhile, his rival Prabowo Subianto, former general and member of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) rejected the results because he believed there had been cheating in the poll. He said he will continue to make legal efforts in line with the constitution to defend the mandate of the people and the constitutional rights. According to Indonesian law, Subianto could file a complaint on the voting results at the Constitutional Court. However, he and members of his campaign team had previously said they would mobilise “people … [Read more...] about Widodo declares victory in presidential election in Indonesia

At a poll station (Source: Xinhua)   Jakarta (VNA) – The General Election Commission (KPU) of Indonesia said on May 21 that it will soon make an official announcement on the winner of the presidential election, unless a lawsuit regarding the event is lodged in the Constitutional Court. According to the preliminary result from polling booths in 34 provinces and 130 overseas poll stations, incumbent President Joko Widodo and his Vice President candidate Ma’ruf Amin earned 55.5 percent of votes, while former Gen. Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga won 44.5 percent. After counting votes, the KPU invited representatives from parties concerned to sign a statement on the results of the vote. However, representatives for Subianto and Sandiaga, as well as those from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Berkarya Party, the Great Indonesia Movement Party, and the National Action Party refused to sign. The winner is expected to be announced sometime between May 24 and 28. … [Read more...] about Indonesia to officially announce election winner by May 28

Singaporean Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan (R) and his Malaysian counterpart Anthony Loke during the train project link supplemental agreement signing ceremony on May 21 (Photo: www.todayonline.com)   Hanoi (VNA) – Singapore and Malaysia on May 21 agreed to suspend the construction of a train project linking the two countries. In a joint statement, Singaporean Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan and his Malaysian counterpart Anthony Loke announced that the delay will be until September 30 and that Malaysia will pay Singapore compensation for abortive costs. Loke said the delay does not mean that the project is terminated. Malaysia wants to re-evaluate it so that this project can be carried out more effectively, he noted. The suspension marks the delay in another project since the new Malaysian government came into power last year, pledging to tighten finance and review major deals. Measuring about 4 km in length, the subway line linking Woodlands of Singapore and … [Read more...] about Train project linking Singapore, Malaysia suspended

Illustrative image (Source: AFP) Hanoi (VNA) – Incumbent Indonesian President Joko Widodo has been officially confirmed of being reelected for the second term, the General Election Commission (EC) announced on May 21. Accordingly, Widodo won 55.5 percent of votes compared to 44.5 percent for his rival Prabowo Subianto, former general and member of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). EC Chairman Arief Budiman said the ruling will be effective immediately. Earlier, the EC planned to announce the result on May 22. In order to ensure security for the event, Indonesia deployed 32,000 policemen and soldiers across Jakarta. On May 17, the Indonesian police arrested dozens of terrorist suspects linked with the self-claimed Islamic State, including some who planned a bomb attack at a political event. The general election took place on April 17 to elect President, Vice Presidents and over 20,000 deputies to people’s councils at all levels.-VNA … [Read more...] about Indonesia: Joko Widodo reelected for second tenure

Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung (fifth, left) and other officials pose for a photo at the ASEAN-China Senior Officials' Consultation in Hangzhou on May 19 (Photo: VNA) Beijing (VNA) – Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China held a consultation in Hangzhou city, China’s Zhejiang province, on May 19 to review cooperation, discuss measures to promote partnership, and prepare for the ASEAN-China post ministerial conference this August. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, who on behalf of ASEAN delivered an introductory speech on political-security cooperation, putting forth important orientations for enhancing ASEAN-China ties in this regard. At the event, participants applauded the strides in implementing the instructions issued by the 21st ASEAN-China Summit in Singapore last November and the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030. With 47 cooperation mechanisms … [Read more...] about ASEAN, China talk ways to bolster strategic partnership